external genitalia development
Undifferentiated external genitalia include the urogenital tubercle, urogenital swelling, and urogenital folds.
The stimulation of dehydrotestosterone (DHT), converted from testosterone by the action of 5α-reductase, causes these structures to develop in males into the glans penis, scrotum, and penile shaft, respectively.
In females, they develop into the clitoris, labia majora, and labia minora, respectively. The prostate gland develops from the urogenital sinus.
Pathology (external genitalia misdevelopment)
When the external genitalia do not have the typical anatomic appearance of normal male or female genitalia, the condition is known as ambiguous genitalia. This condition can be caused by various disorders of sexual differentiation (DSDs) or intersex disorders (intersexuality).
Not all disorders of sexual differentiation result in ambiguous external genitalia; some disorders can have normal external genitalia (eg, Turner syndrome [45,XO] with female phenotype, Klinefelter syndrome [47,XXY] with male phenotype).
See also
external genitalia misdevelopment
References
Imaging of ambiguous genitalia: classification and diagnostic approach. Chavhan GB, Parra DA, Oudjhane K, Miller SF, Babyn PS, Pippi Salle FL. Radiographics. 2008 Nov-Dec;28(7):1891-904. PMID: #19001646# (Free)