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Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic staffIf your baby is diagnosed with ambiguous genitalia, you may be worried for your child's future. Mental health providers can help you deal with this difficult and unexpected set of circumstances. Ask your child's doctor for a referral to a therapist or counselor who has experience helping people in your situation. In addition to ongoing counseling for your family, you may benefit from a support group, either in person or online.
Not knowing the gender of your newborn immediately can turn a hoped-for celebration into a stressful crisis. Until the medical evaluation is complete, you may have to avoid thinking of the child as either a boy or a girl. You may choose to defer formally announcing the birth until the testing is complete and you've come up with a plan with your medical team. You'll want to give yourself enough time to learn and think about the issue before answering questions from family and friends.
- Ambiguous genitalia. American Urological Association Foundation. http://www.urologyhealth.org/urology/index.cfm?article=90. Accessed Feb. 14, 2012.
- Tanagho EA, et al. Smith's General Urology. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=21. Accessed Feb. 16, 2012.
- Murphy C, et al. Ambiguous genitalia in the newborn: An overview and teaching tool. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. 2011;24:236.
- Barbaro M, et al. Disorders of sex development. Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine. 2011;16:119.
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