Adult genital surgery for intersex: a solution to what problem?
The desirability of routine genital surgery for infants with ambiguous genitalia is increasingly debated. But there is less discussion about intersex adults who choose genital surgery, despite evidence suggesting that the results are often unsatisfactory. This study reports on how six women with intersex conditions decided to have feminizing genital surgery and how they evaluated the outcomes. The initial analysis highlighted a chronological transition from surgery as nondilemmatic to surgery as a serious dilemma; a version of Foucauldian discourse analysis was then used to place the women's experiences in a cultural context. The implications for psychological involvement in services for women with intersex conditions are discussed.
Boyle
Mary E
ME
Department of Psychology, University of East London, UK. M.E.Boyle@uel.ac.uk
Smith
Susan
S
Liao
Lih-Mei
LM
D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D006113:United Kingdom