Variations in Normal Sexual Development
Kenneth c. Copeland MD1
1 Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405
Children whose sexual development appears atypical or seems unusually early or late are best considered to have either variations occurring during the process of sexual differentiation or variations in the pattern or process of sexual maturation. Recognizing a case of overt pathology may be relatively easy compared to confidently diagnosing an atypical case as a "normal variant." The recognition of clinical clues of pathologic development, as well as a thorough understanding of typical sexual development, inevitably will aid in the development of such clinical confidence.