View source for Aphallia

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'''Aphallia''' is a medical condition in which the [[phallus]] ([[penis]] or [[clitoris]]) is congenitally absent. Aphallia is a rare [[birth defect]] of unknown cause. It is not linked to deficient [[hormone]] amounts or action, but rather to a failure of the fetal [[genital tubercle]] to form between 3 and 6 weeks after conception. The [[urethra]] of an affected child opens on the [[perineum]]. Although aphallia can occur in both males and females, it is considered a substantially more troublesome problem in a male, and has in the past sometimes been considered justification for [[sex assignment|assigning]] and [[sex of rearing|rearing]] a [[genetics|genetically]] male infant as a girl.



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