Abstract
Ambiguous genitalia, currently defined as disorders of sex development
(DSD), are not uncommon in the Muslim community. DSD constitute a
complex, major social and medical emergency, as several forms of
congenital adrenal hyperplasia can lead to significant salt loss, which
may lead to shock if unrecognised and not appropriately treated. To
ensure that the affected individual has a high quality of life (a
successful outcome), medical practitioners must quickly and correctly
assign the individual’s gender and effectively assuage the
family’s concerns and anxieties. It is important to review and
understand the embryology and physiology of sexual differentiation, and
to understand the various aetiological causes of sexual ambiguity. In
this review, the diagnostic approach and management of ambiguous
genitalia is thoroughly discussed from an Islamic point of view.