Abstract

CONCEPT OF AMBIGUOUS GENITALIA AND DISORDERS OF GONADAL DIFFERENTIATION IN AYURVEDA

Kumar Vijendra* and Gupta Shilpy

Abstract

Description of ambiguous genitalia has been laid down very first timein Ayurveda. The abnormalities concerned with ambiguity of sexincludes dwireta (hermaphrodite), pavanendriya (azoospermic),samskarvahi (anaphrodisiac), vakri (hypospadiac) narshand (sterilemale), narishand (sterile female), irshand (voyeurism), vatikshand(anorchidism). Disorder of sexual differentiation (DSD) is being usednow a day for ambiguous genitalia synonymously. Many researchesare going on day by day to explore the facts. Modern medical literaturehas explained the genetic and endocrinal basis of sex determinationand its abnormality. The Genotype of an individual is determined bythe chromosomes while the phenotype is dependent on genotype andits environmental influence. Ayurveda deals about two types of beeja(gametes); shukra (male gametes) and artava (female gametes).Depending upon their predominance during fertilization they are responsible fordetermination of sex in garbha (fetus). Further abnormalities in sex determination have beenexplained in terms of vitiation of beeja and beejabhaga (genotype). Not only the geneticmakeup (genotype) but also environmental factors like ashaya dosha (abnormalities ofreproductive organ), kal dosha (improper timing), atmakarma dosha (idiopathic orunexplained factors), and matur ahar vihar dosha (maternal dietetics and regimens) areequally responsible for expression of anomalies in the fetus i.e., phenotype.

Keywords: Beeja, Beejabhaga, Ambiguous Genitalia, Gonadal Differentiation, DSD.