Describe the four dimensions of sex used to classify a person as either male or female; and then explain what may cause the child's genitals to be ambiguous and not match his or her genetic sex

What will be an ideal response?

Answer will include that classifying a person as female or male must take into account the following biological factors: (1) genetic sex, that is, XX is female and XY is male; (2) gonadal sex, that is, females have ovaries and males have testes; (3) hormonal sex, that is females have a predominance of estrogens and males a predominance of androgens; and (4) genital sex, that is, females have a clitoris and vagina and males have a penis and scrotum. Prenatal growth does not always match genetic sex. For both genetic females and males, hormonal problems before birth may produce an intersexual person in which the person has ambiguous sexual anatomy. A genetic male won't develop male genitals if too little testosterone is available. Even if testosterone is present, an inherited androgen insensitivity syndrome, or unresponsiveness to testosterone, may exist. Again, the result is female development. Similarly, androgens must be at low levels or absent for an XX embryo to develop as a female. For instance, a developing female may be masculinized by the anti- miscarriage drug progestin, or by a problem known as congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
In this syndrome, the child's body produces estrogen, but a genetic abnormality
causes the adrenal glands to release too much androgen. In such cases, a female child may be born with genitals that are more male than female.