The Biomedical Discourse and the Social Construction in Research on Intersexuality

The intersex is defined by the existence of imbalance between the factors responsible for sex determination: the individual holds both male & female characteristics. The sexual ambiguity presents the path of intersex condition. This literature review examined papers in medicine, psychology, law & social/political activism, accessed through electronic databases & portals. The publications were analyzed according to context, area/discipline, article type, content & methodology of the study. The results showed that the medical articles considered intersexuality as a chronic disease, with emphasis on endocrine & genetic characteristics, physical & psychological effects of genital surgery. Articles of psychology emphasized aspects of sexuality, identity & sexual orientation. Social sciences conducted a critique of the bipolar view of gender, emphasizing the process of designation of sex intersex. The articles of the field of law/political activism prioritized issues such as social stigmas, implications of surgery of the genitalia & social mobilization for the right to health. Regarding the methodology of the studies, medical research has predominantly used a comparative approach, the studies in psychology have used qualitative approaches with semi-structured interviews or questionnaires, social sciences articles prioritized ethnographic research & literature reviews, the field of law/political activism highlighted narratives & case studies. The narratives of families have only been found in a publication, belonging to the field of psychology. In most papers, the concept of intersexuality appears clearly crossed the biomedical discourse. The legacy of biomedicine acts directly on the construction of meanings about the body & gender. Adapted from the source document.