Clinical Description
By definition, nonsyndromic 46,XX testicular disorders/differences of sex development (DSD) are not associated with dysmorphic features, congenital anomalies outside of the genitourinary system, learning disorders / cognitive impairment, or behavioral issues.
Approximately 85% of males with a 46,XX sex chromosome complement present after puberty with typical male pubic hair and penile size but small testes, gynecomastia, and sterility resulting from azoospermia [Zenteno-Ruiz et al 2001]. These typically represent individuals with nonsyndromic 46,XX testicular DSD, but ovotesticular DSD cannot be excluded as testicular biopsy is not clinically warranted and thus rarely performed.
Differences of the penis. Most affected individuals have an orthotopic urethral meatus and no abnormalities of phallic size (i.e., typical male external genitalia).
Testes. At birth, testes are typically descended but may be smaller and softer than usual. The testes may become firmer with age. A minority have cryptorchidism (undescended testes).
There has only been one case report of a germ cell tumor in an individual with nonsyndromic 46,XX testicular DSD who presented with ambiguous genitalia [Carcavilla et al 2008]. Leydig cell tumors have rarely been reported [Kim et al 2010, Osaka et al 2020]. As these appear to be rare events, no consensus tumor screening protocol has been recommended to date for individuals with 46,XX testicular DSD.
Decreased testosterone production. The natural history of individuals with nonsyndromic 46,XX testicular DSD, if untreated, is similar to the typical consequences of testosterone deficiency:
Low libido and possible erectile dysfunction
Decrease in secondary sexual characteristics, such as sparse body hair, infrequent need to shave, and reduced muscle mass
Increase in fat mass with lower muscle strength
Increased risk of osteopenia
Increased risk of depression
Gynecomastia. Affected individuals frequently develop gynecomastia during puberty, the risk of which is related to the underlying cause (see Phenotype Correlations by Gene). Breast reduction surgery can be offered if the condition is of concern to the individual.
Fertility. Individuals with 46,XX testicular DSD are infertile, as they lack the AZF loci on the long arm of the Y chromosome (Yq) that allow normal spermatogenesis. Even in SRY-positive individuals, only genetic material from the short arm of the Y chromosome (Yp) is translocated onto another chromosome (most commonly the short arm of the X chromosome).
Gender roles and gender identity are reported as male for the common, unambiguous presentation, but systematic psychosexual assessment has not been performed on a significant number of individuals with 46,XX testicular DSD.
Phenotype Correlations by Gene
SRY-positive nonsyndromic 46,XX testicular DSD
Typically, these individuals do not have hypospadias.
The finding of ambiguous genitalia is uncommon.
Gynecomastia is much less common compared to those who have
SRY-negative nonsyndromic 46,XX testicular DSD [
Ergun-Longmire et al 2005].
SRY-negative nonsyndromic 46,XX testicular DSD of unknown cause
Affected individuals tend to present with ambiguous genitalia at birth, such as penoscrotal hypospadias and cryptorchidism, and, if untreated, almost always develop gynecomastia around the time of puberty.
Affected individuals may have shorter-than-average height.
SOX3-related nonsyndromic 46,XX testicular DSD
SOX9-related nonsyndromic 46,XX testicular DSD. As gonadal biopsy is not routinely performed, it is unclear what percentage of individuals with copy number variants in and around SOX9 have testicular (vs ovotesticular) DSD (see Genetically Related Disorders).
WT1-related nonsyndromic 46,XX testicular DSD. Of six reported individuals with WT1-related testicular DSD, only one had palpable gonads and typical male genitalia [Gomes et al 2019, Eozenou et al 2020, Sirokha et al 2021].