Clitoromegaly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ICD-10 | Q52.6 |
|---|---|
| ICD-9 | 752.49 |
Clitoromegaly (or macroclitoris <ref>Dorland Medical Dictionary [1]</ref>) is an abnormal enlargement of the clitoris (not to be confused with the normal enlargement of the clitoris seen during sexual arousal).
Although clitoromegaly denotes just a clitoris larger than expected (thus involving some uncertainty about what can be defined as normal), it is commonly seen as a congenital malformation of the female genitals.
In Atlas of Human Sex Anatomy (1949) by Dr. Robert Latou Dickinson, the normal clitoris is defined as having a crosswise width of 3 to 4 mm. (0.12 - 0.16 inches) and a lengthwise width of 4 to 5 mm (0.16 - 0.20 inches). On the other hand in Obstetrics and Gynecology medical litterature a frequent definition of clitoromegaly is when there is a CI of greater than 35 mm2 (0.05 inches2), which is almost twice the size given above for an average sized clitoral hood [2].
In the most grave cases, clitoromegaly is a symptom of female pseudo hermaphroditism, since the large clitoris can be misguided as a penis (the different grade of genital ambiguity is commonly measured by the Prader classification ranging, in abscending order of masculinisation, from 1: Female external genitalia with clitoromegaly through 5: Pseudo-Phallus looking like normal male external genitalia [3]).
Clitoromegaly is otherwise a rare condition and can be either present by birth (female pseudohermaphrodite) or acquired later in life.
If present at birth, congenital adrenal hyperplasia can be one of the causes, since in this disease the adrenal gland of the female fetus produces excessive male sex hormones and the newborn baby has ambigous genitalia which are not clearly male or female.
In acquired clitoromegaly the main cause is due to hormonal imbalance affecting the adult women, as in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) , arrhenoblastoma and Fraser syndrome).
Clitoromegaly can also be acquired through excessive use of anabolic steroids and testosterone supplements, both of which can cause an abnormal enlargement in clitoral size. This often occurs in Female to Male Transsexuals after a period of hormone replacement therapy, due to the increased amounts of testosterone in the body. Deliberately induced clitoromegaly, as form of genital body modification (not transgender), is reported to be achieved thanks to testosterone injections directly in the clitoris shaft.
[edit] Notes
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[edit] External links
- E. Copcu et al. Idiopathic isolated clitoromegaly: A report of two cases. Reproductive Health 2004, 1:4 doi:10.1186/1742-4755-1-4
- Clit enlargement from testosterone injections [4] (Warning: contains Adult content)
