Gender is not the same as sex. It’s common to confuse sex, gender, and gender identity:
- Sex is a label that you are given at the time of your birth based on male or female genitals. Therefore, it is simply based on physical characteristics.
- Gender is a legal status based on societal expectations about behaviors, characteristics, actions, and thoughts based on gender, which differs from culture to culture and is generally male or female.
- Gender identity is how you feel inside and how you express your gender through personal appearance, clothing, and behavior. It’s a feeling that begins very early in life.
What is assigned sex?
Assigned sex is a label that is put on your birth certificate based on medical or biological factors such as your genitals, hormones, and chromosomes.
Sometimes, assigned sex is used interchangeably with the term “biological sex.” However, this term does not take into consideration the many variations that can occur inside a person’s body. This is why some people prefer to use the term “assigned sex at birth” because it acknowledges it’s something that has been decided by someone else and not based on what the person feels about their own body.
What factors determine your assigned sex?
Your assigned sex is based on what happens at the time of fertilization.
Fertilization occurs between a male sperm and female ovum. A male sperm contains an XY set of chromosomes, whereas a female ovum contains XX chromosomes:
- When the X chromosome of the male sperm combines with the X chromosome of the female, the child is born with XX chromosomes and female reproductive organs, and they are labeled as female.
- When the Y chromosome of the male sperm combines with the X chromosome of the female, the child is born with XY chromosomes and male reproductive organs, and they are labeled as male.
What is intersex?
Intersex is used for people whose reproductive anatomy differs from what forms a defined male or female sex.
Intersex can be based on external genitals or internal sex organs that does not fall into male/female categories, such as a person with both ovarian and testicular tissues. Other intersex people have abnormal combinations of chromosomes such as XXY.
What is gender identity?
Your gender identity is based on how you see yourself and feel about yourself. You may or may not want to dress, appear, or behave in ways that align with your assigned sex.
Some people may not dress completely female or male. They may want to appear as feminine male or masculine female. Feelings about gender identity may start as early as 2-3 years of age.
Some people may feel that their gender identity matches their assigned sex (cisgender). Other people feel that their assigned sex does not align with their gender identity—i.e., someone assigned male at birth may identify as a female and vice versa (transgender).
QUESTION
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At What Age Does Gender Identity Develop?
Research shows that children recognize their own gender and gender in others starting as early as two or three years old.
Common Medical Abbreviations & Terms
Doctors, pharmacists, and other health-care professionals use abbreviations, acronyms, and other terminology for instructions and information in regard to a patient's health condition, prescription drugs they are to take, or medical procedures that have been ordered. There is no approved this list of common medical abbreviations, acronyms, and terminology used by doctors and other health- care professionals. You can use this list of medical abbreviations and acronyms written by our doctors the next time you can't understand what is on your prescription package, blood test results, or medical procedure orders. Examples include:
- ANED: Alive no evidence of disease. The patient arrived in the ER alive with no evidence of disease.
- ARF: Acute renal (kidney) failure
- cap: Capsule.
- CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure. A treatment for sleep apnea.
- DJD: Degenerative joint disease. Another term for osteoarthritis.
- DM: Diabetes mellitus. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- HA: Headache
- IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease. A name for two disorders of the gastrointestinal (BI) tract, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
- JT: Joint
- N/V: Nausea or vomiting.
- p.o.: By mouth. From the Latin terminology per os.
- q.i.d.: Four times daily. As in taking a medicine four times daily.
- RA: Rheumatoid arthritis
- SOB: Shortness of breath.
- T: Temperature. Temperature is recorded as part of the physical examination. It is one of the "vital signs."
How Do I Talk to My Child About Gender Identity?
Children may experience a gender crisis and ask questions about their gender identity. The best way to talk to your child about gender identity is to encourage them to have confidence in who they feel and believe they are.
How Sex Drive Changes Through the Years
Your sex drive changes as you age. Hormones, other health problems, and the business of life can affect your libido. Find out what changes you can expect.
What Caused My Child to Identify With a Different Gender?
Kids discover things about themselves as they get older. There's no one reason someone is transgender.
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Relationships, sex, and love! Could it be that what motivates physical attraction in us may be all in our minds? Take the Sex & Love Quiz to challenge yourself on healthy human sexuality!
Sexual Health
Sexual health information including birth control, impotence, herpes, sexually transmitted diseases, staying healthy, women's sexual health concerns, and men's sexual health concerns. Learn about the most common sexual conditions affecting men and women.
What Are the 4 Genders?
There are four different types of genders that apply to living and nonliving objects; however, many believe there are more genders beyond masculine gender, feminine gender, neuter gender, and common gender.
What Does Gender Fluid Mean Sexually?
Gender fluid people are individuals whose gender varies over time. A gender-fluid person may at any time identify as male, female, agender, other nonbinary identities, or some combination of identities. They may feel more like one gender on some days and another gender on other days.What Is a Non-binary Baby?
Non-binary genders are any gender that doesn't fit within the "man/woman" binary view of gender. A non-binary baby is agender, bigender, or demi-gender.