The achievement of a personally satisfying interpretation of one’s masculinity or femininity: gender identity; gender adoption.
Assignment of gender to a newborn. Genetic or chromosomal anomalies may create ambiguous genitalia, as may exposure of a female fetus to an androgenic hormone, or inhibition of androgen production or metabolism in a male fetus. In such cases, it is important to delay the final disposition until the chromosomal studies and endocrinological evaluation have been completed. These studies should be done as soon as possible.