European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Background: Sex assignment and subsequent corrective surgery, if required, can occur without delay – effectively reducing the psychological trauma inflicted on the parents, the child and the community. In view of gross psychological trauma and social stigma associated with these situations we undertook a community intervention to identify further cases of extreme perineal hypospadias, being raised as girls, in this region and undertook necessary investigations and management.
Materials & Methods: a grass root community intervention was undertaken. It was made mandatory to examine the external genitalia of all girls between 0 and 6 years of age, presenting and enrolled to anganwadi centres.
Results: Data was collected from January 2019 to December 2019. A total 9828 girls were examined, out of these 72 were suspected cases of ambiguous genitalia. Out of these suspected cases 22 cases were clinically confirmed as having ambiguous genitalia.
Conclusion: Given our experience we believe examination of genitalia should be mandatory for such or any other screening program especially given the potential psychological and social harms that can result to the child and the family from missing such conditions.