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Intersex bodies

This page is for anyone who is intersex, anyone wondering about it, and anyone who just wants to understand. It covers what the word means, how people find out, which words to use, the debate about surgery on intersex children, and where to find support. Surgery has its own section, so it's easy to skip.

What intersex means

Intersex describes people born with sex or reproductive traits that don't fit binary (two-category) definitions of sex.1 These traits may involve chromosomes, hormones, reproductive organs or genitals.2 Being intersex can show up in many ways, and no two bodies are exactly alike.2

Verified with: WPATH, Cleveland Clinic

interACT, a US intersex advocacy group, describes these differences as a natural part of human diversity.3 That's why this page says "variations".

Not confirmed by a medical institution. Community source: interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth

Many variations don't need any medical care beyond understanding how the body is developing and knowing what to expect.4 Some are linked to health conditions that do need medical attention.2

Source: NHS, Cleveland Clinic, WPATH

Being intersex doesn't decide someone's sexual orientation. Intersex people can be straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual or another identity.2 It's a word about a person's body, and interACT says it isn't generally considered a third gender.3 Someone can be both intersex and trans. WPATH says intersex people are far more likely than most people to be trans or gender diverse.1 The trans and nonbinary page might help there.

Source: Cleveland Clinic, WPATH

How common is it?

Estimates vary, because they depend on how intersex is defined and diagnosed.2 The sources here really do disagree:

Verified with: Cleveland Clinic, Journal of Sex Research

Many people have never heard of intersex, and many intersex people's traits aren't visible.3 So it's possible to know someone intersex without realising.

Source: Cleveland Clinic

Some examples

There are many different variations. These are a few, described the way the NHS describes them. The long names are the medical ones, and they're useful mostly for looking things up.

How someone might find out

The most common times to find out are around birth and in the teen years.4 Some traits are noticeable at birth, and others not until puberty. Some people never notice anything, or only learn about it when they're tested for something unrelated.2

Source: NHS, Cleveland Clinic, MedlinePlus

Late or missed periods also have plenty of other common causes, like pregnancy, stress, sudden weight loss or doing too much exercise.7 Some people don't start until 16 and that can be normal, but it's worth seeing a doctor if periods haven't started by 15.8 The same goes if there are no other signs of puberty by 13.910 The periods page has more.

Verified with: NHS, Mayo Clinic, ACOG

If you think this might be your story

In the UK, a GP can refer anyone who thinks or knows they have a variation to a specialist team. That team can answer questions, help with staying healthy, and put people in touch with others if they'd like that.4 Doctors should be open about what they know. WPATH suggests that doctors and parents keep talking with intersex young people about their bodies, in a way that fits their age.111 So asking "what does this mean for me?" is always okay. See how to ask.

Source: NHS, Hormone Research in Paediatrics, WPATH

Finding out can bring up lots of questions and feelings.2 WPATH suggests that doctors and parents support intersex people in exploring their gender identity, all through their lives.1 The NHS says someone can stay with the gender linked to the sex on their birth certificate, and if that sex doesn't fit who they are, they can talk through the options with their care team.4

Source: Cleveland Clinic, WPATH, NHS

Respectful words

Surgery on intersex children: a real debate

This is one of the most argued-about parts of intersex care. Opinions vary among patients, parents, support and advocacy groups, clinicians, medical societies and others, including the UN's human rights office.12 This page won't pick a side for anyone. Here is who says what, and when.

Source: WPATH, Frontiers in Urology

What the debate is, and isn't, about

Some variations, like a blocked flow of urine, are an immediate risk to physical health.1 WPATH's advice to delay doesn't cover those. It covers variations where delaying surgery poses no physical health risk.1 A 2023 paper says early surgery has been the standard of care since the 1950s, and intersex advocacy and human rights groups have called for a pause on elective operations until the person can be fully involved in the decision.14

Source: WPATH, Frontiers in Urology, MedlinePlus

Voices for waiting and for the person's own consent

Voices against a blanket rule

Where that leaves things

WPATH says the medical field is divided on early genital surgery, and that the authors of its own chapter didn't fully agree.1 The Pediatric Endocrine Society says the data are too limited to fully weigh the risks and benefits, and a 2016 international update says these infant surgery decisions continue to carry risk.1211 A 2023 study of people involved found that many feel surgery should wait, but that the decision is complex and views differ.14

Source: WPATH, Hormone Research in Paediatrics, Frontiers in Urology

If any of this is part of your own story, whatever happened and whatever you feel about it is okay to talk about. There are people who get it.

Where to find support

WPATH suggests that health professionals point intersex people and their families to mental health support and to peer support.1 Support groups can offer information and advice, and may put people in touch with others in a similar situation.4 MedlinePlus lists groups including AXYS (the Association for X and Y Chromosome Variations) and interACT.13

Verified with: WPATH, NHS, MedlinePlus

The help page lists more places to go.

More on when to see a doctor and how to ask.

Titles are shown as each source published them, so they may use words this site doesn't.

  1. WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) — Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  2. Cleveland Clinic — Intersex (accessed 2026-10-30)
  3. interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth — What is intersex? Frequently Asked Questions and Intersex Definitions (accessed 2026-10-30) community health org
  4. NHS (UK National Health Service) — Differences in sex development (accessed 2026-10-30)
  5. Journal of Sex Research (Sax, 2002) — How common is intersex? A response to Anne Fausto-Sterling (accessed 2026-10-30)
  6. Mayo Clinic — Congenital adrenal hyperplasia: symptoms and causes (accessed 2026-10-30)
  7. NHS — Stopped or missed periods (accessed 2026-10-29)
  8. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) — Your First Period (FAQ) (accessed 2026-10-29)
  9. Mayo Clinic — Amenorrhea: symptoms and causes (accessed 2026-10-30)
  10. Healthdirect Australia — Puberty (accessed 2026-10-30)
  11. Hormone Research in Paediatrics (Lee et al., 2016) — Global Disorders of Sex Development Update since 2006: Perceptions, Approach and Care (accessed 2026-10-30)
  12. Pediatric Endocrine Society — Position Statement on Genital Surgery in Individuals with Differences of Sex Development (DSD)/Intersex Traits (accessed 2026-10-30)
  13. MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine) — Differences of sex development (accessed 2026-10-30)
  14. Frontiers in Urology (2023) — Surgical decision-making for individuals with differences of sex development: Stakeholders’ views (accessed 2026-10-30)
  15. WHO, with OHCHR, UN Women, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF — Eliminating forced, coercive and otherwise involuntary sterilization (accessed 2026-10-30)