A disorder of sexual development is a medical term referring to any failure of the reproductive system and/or the secondary body changes dependent on its function to form normally in fetal life or childhood. The reproductive system is a system of organs within an Organism which work together for the purpose of Reproduction. Secondary sex characteristics are traits that distinguish the two Sexes of a species but that are not directly part of the Reproductive system. A fetus (or foetus or fœtus) is a developing Mammal or other Viviparous Vertebrate, after the Embryonic stage and
It has recently been proposed that this term replace the terms intersex and intersexuality in clinical and public discourse because it is less likely to be perceived as pejorative. Intersexuality is the state of a living thing of a gonochoristic species whose Sex chromosomes, Genitalia, and/or Secondary sex characteristics