Clitoromegaly

Revision as of 23:57, 8 August 2012 by WikiBot (talk | contribs) (Bot: Automated text replacement (-{{SIB}} + & -{{EH}} + & -{{EJ}} + & -{{Editor Help}} + & -{{Editor Join}} +))
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Clitoromegaly
Clitoromegaly
ICD-10 Q52.6
ICD-9 752.49
DiseasesDB 30822

WikiDoc Resources for Clitoromegaly

Articles

Most recent articles on Clitoromegaly

Most cited articles on Clitoromegaly

Review articles on Clitoromegaly

Articles on Clitoromegaly in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Clitoromegaly

Images of Clitoromegaly

Photos of Clitoromegaly

Podcasts & MP3s on Clitoromegaly

Videos on Clitoromegaly

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Clitoromegaly

Bandolier on Clitoromegaly

TRIP on Clitoromegaly

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Clitoromegaly at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Clitoromegaly

Clinical Trials on Clitoromegaly at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Clitoromegaly

NICE Guidance on Clitoromegaly

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Clitoromegaly

CDC on Clitoromegaly

Books

Books on Clitoromegaly

News

Clitoromegaly in the news

Be alerted to news on Clitoromegaly

News trends on Clitoromegaly

Commentary

Blogs on Clitoromegaly

Definitions

Definitions of Clitoromegaly

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Clitoromegaly

Discussion groups on Clitoromegaly

Patient Handouts on Clitoromegaly

Directions to Hospitals Treating Clitoromegaly

Risk calculators and risk factors for Clitoromegaly

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Clitoromegaly

Causes & Risk Factors for Clitoromegaly

Diagnostic studies for Clitoromegaly

Treatment of Clitoromegaly

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Clitoromegaly

International

Clitoromegaly en Espanol

Clitoromegaly en Francais

Business

Clitoromegaly in the Marketplace

Patents on Clitoromegaly

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Clitoromegaly


Clitoromegaly (or macroclitoris [1]) 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 anomaly of the genitalia.

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 literature, 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].

Presentation

In the most pronounced cases, clitoromegaly is a symptom of intersexuality since the large clitoris resembles a penis (the different grade of genital ambiguity is commonly measured by the Prader classification [2] ranging, in ascending order of masculinisation, from 1: Female external genitalia with clitoromegaly through 5: Pseudo-Phallus looking like normal male external genitalia [3]).

Causes

Clitoromegaly is otherwise a rare condition and can be either present by birth or acquired later in life. If present at birth, congenital adrenal hyperplasia can be one of the causes, since in this condition the adrenal gland of the female fetus produces additional androgens and the newborn baby has ambiguous 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 may be acquired through use of anabolic steroids or testosterone supplements, both of which can cause enlargement of the clitoris. This occurs in Female to Male Transsexuals (FtM) after a period of hormone replacement therapy. Like FtM transsexuals, female body-builders who use androgens may also experience enlargement of the clitoris and increases in libido. Women who use testosterone for therapeutic reasons (treating low libido, averting osteoporosis, as part of an anti-depressant regimen, etc) may also experience some enlargement of the clitoris although the dosages warranted for these conditions is much lower.

Deliberately induced clitoris enlargement, as form of female genital body modification, is reported to be achieved through testosterone injections directly in the clitoris shaft.

References

  1. Dorland Medical Dictionary [1]
  2. Prader Von, A. (1954). "Der genitalbefund beim Pseudohermaproditismus femininus des kongenitalen adrenogenitalen Syndroms. Morphologie, Hausfigkeit, Entwicklung und Vererbung der verschiedenen Genitalformen." Helv. Pediatr. Acta. 9: 231-248.

External links

Template:WH Template:WS