Outgoing Mail

To : corrections.and.re-reg.section@ons.gsi.gov.uk

Dear Sir/Madam,

I'm enquiring about the correction of birth certificates in cases where the symptoms of Intersex conditions appear long after birth.

Typical examples include apparent change of sex due to 5-alpha-reductase deficiency(5ARD) or 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency (17BHDD).

In these cases, of which you probably are aware, a genetically male infant at birth appears somewhat, partially, mostly or completely female, and later at puberty becomes somewhat, partially, mostly or completely male. The rate of 17BHDD is 1:147,000, the rate of 5ARD less well known, but believed to be ~1:100,000, so the registry has almost certainly had to deal with this previously.

There are other, much rarer conditions, some of which involve a change from male to female, about which little is known. There is no medical consensus whether these are properly classified as Intersex conditions, or endocrine oddities causing partial sex change.

I would appreciate any information you may have on correction of Birth certificates in such cases. I've had advice that the UK GRA only covers Gender Identity Disorder where no Intersex condition is present.

The reason I ask is that I was born in the UK, my birth certificate says "boy", but in late 2005 I had a peer-reviewed diagnosis of "severe androgenisation of a non-pregnant women" and have been treated accordingly.

Yours Sincerely,
Zoe Ellen Brain
(address redacted)