From what I have read, since I do not have actual information, it sounds like this young woman has partial androgen insensitivity syndrome. This means that she is an XY (boy) chromosomally. When we are developing in utero, our initial sex chromosomes dictact what happens "next"- typically that would be XX for a girl or XY for a boy. If the fetus (at about 6-8 weeks, if I am remembering correctly) is XX, the Müllerian ducts develop into the uterus and fallopian tubes, the inner v***** develops. The Wolffian ducts that would have become the male organs wither and are absorbed. The next step in development would be development of the external female body parts....
The opposite happens for males, but things must TURN ON. The testes begin secreting two types of hormones, first the Müllerian inhibiting hormone which defeminizes the fetus by causing the Müllerian ducts to degenerate. Next, testosterone, the most prominent of the androgens, masculinizes the internal organs. The wolffian ducts must be turned ON to develop into the seminal vesicles and the vas deferns.
The next critical step is that a derivative of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, masculinizes the external genitals, and those are formed.
Now, in this runner's case, s/he was XY, so the first part of the male started out.....but, because s/he is at least partially insensitive to testosterone and androgens, the testes were formed (as in step 1), but the Mullerian ducts did not wither and so she developed a uterus, and then since she couldn't use the dihydrotestosterone, female parts on the outside.
The correct term for this is actually to call her intersexed or an intersexual. A Hermaphrodite, by definition, can reproduce with itself (as in worms!). She, obviously, cannot! But, she does not produce the correct hormones for either male or female.
Because she likely looked "girl" on the outside, she was labelled and reared a girl. She is psychologically female- and in many ways biologically female. The problem is that she appears only partially insensitive to testosterone, so as she has hit adolescence she begins to show male secondary sex characteristics- muscle development, deeper voice due to lengthening of the larnyx, etc......
Often, this intersexuality is only found when the woman finds herself infertile- she often had no clue (or very few). Look at how androgenous our society is- it is okay for women to take on most men's roles, and since she was reared a girl, she acts pretty much like one.
Now, should she run with the XX girls? That could be potentially problematic. In her case, if she is only partially insensitive to testosterone, this may give her an added advantage that typical females do not have. But, she isn't really "male" enough physiologically or psychologically to run with the boys.
I really feel for this poor girl. Her life has been ripped apart, her dilemma played out in international news, and she has lost her lifelong passion. Please remember, this is not an incident of cheating- she likely didn't know (whether her coaches were suspicious is another issue). Keep her in your prayers- think about whether this was YOUR child and you were finding all this out.....wouldn't you be pretty blown away by all of this? She is just an 18 year old girl!
The opposite happens for males, but things must TURN ON. The testes begin secreting two types of hormones, first the Müllerian inhibiting hormone which defeminizes the fetus by causing the Müllerian ducts to degenerate. Next, testosterone, the most prominent of the androgens, masculinizes the internal organs. The wolffian ducts must be turned ON to develop into the seminal vesicles and the vas deferns.
The next critical step is that a derivative of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, masculinizes the external genitals, and those are formed.
Now, in this runner's case, s/he was XY, so the first part of the male started out.....but, because s/he is at least partially insensitive to testosterone and androgens, the testes were formed (as in step 1), but the Mullerian ducts did not wither and so she developed a uterus, and then since she couldn't use the dihydrotestosterone, female parts on the outside.
The correct term for this is actually to call her intersexed or an intersexual. A Hermaphrodite, by definition, can reproduce with itself (as in worms!). She, obviously, cannot! But, she does not produce the correct hormones for either male or female.
Because she likely looked "girl" on the outside, she was labelled and reared a girl. She is psychologically female- and in many ways biologically female. The problem is that she appears only partially insensitive to testosterone, so as she has hit adolescence she begins to show male secondary sex characteristics- muscle development, deeper voice due to lengthening of the larnyx, etc......
Often, this intersexuality is only found when the woman finds herself infertile- she often had no clue (or very few). Look at how androgenous our society is- it is okay for women to take on most men's roles, and since she was reared a girl, she acts pretty much like one.
Now, should she run with the XX girls? That could be potentially problematic. In her case, if she is only partially insensitive to testosterone, this may give her an added advantage that typical females do not have. But, she isn't really "male" enough physiologically or psychologically to run with the boys.
I really feel for this poor girl. Her life has been ripped apart, her dilemma played out in international news, and she has lost her lifelong passion. Please remember, this is not an incident of cheating- she likely didn't know (whether her coaches were suspicious is another issue). Keep her in your prayers- think about whether this was YOUR child and you were finding all this out.....wouldn't you be pretty blown away by all of this? She is just an 18 year old girl!
