Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome

9 comments

20_stevenmeisel_vogueit_dec1994_naomicampbell_04 
Has  a famous model publicly revealed she has complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS)?


Women with the syndrome are genotypically male (XY) but phenotypically (look like) females. In the case of complete AIS he/she would have undescended testes and a blind-end vagina (no ovaries or uterus).


Typically these women tend to be tall and very attractive, with long limbs, immaculate skin, a thick head of hair, and little pubic hair. Often they don't realize they have the syndrome until puberty when secondary sex characteristics (breasts) develop without menstruation.


I ask because some science literature claims that a disproportionate number of women in the modeling industry have it, but I've never seen hard facts. Maybe it's just an outsider bias eager to validate the idea that high fashion models aren't "real" women.

ABC medical mysteries clip if you're interested: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5544655


(Source)


This syndrome is not the same as hermaphrodites (e.g. what rumors say Jamie Lee Curtis is). Hermaphrodites have both male and female reproductive organs. People with AIS would only have testes.


Interesting thing is, if you google AIS Gemma Ward comes up a few times.
Gemma is speculated to have the opposite syndrome called trisomy x - which is basically the opposite of this, in that the female has 3 X chromosomes, so she's more female than most females. It basically says that the female has an extra X chromosome, making her a type of super-female. They may be very tall, and have very striking features. It's the same concept as down syndome, except a victim of down syndrome has an extra 21st chromosome.
Just look at the description of trisomy x:
(small head), round face, hypertelorism (wide-spread eyes), micrognathia (small chin), epicanthal folds (inner eye folds), low-set ears, hypotonia (poor muscle tone),

So any of you want to start the speculations? Which model might have AIS? (Anabela, THE model expert, I’m looking to you!)

And since you cannot have any babies without ovaries, this rules out Natalia Vodianova, or any fertile models with offspring.

9 comments :

זבל said...

There was an episode in "House" about it. In the episode, there is a 15 years old SUpermodel called "Alex". she feels a little sick in the backstage of the a fashion show. She heads on down the catwalk but stumbles. She experiences double vision and punches another model who tries to help. Than, she collapses on the runway.
In the hospital the doctors somehow find out that she has that thing.
"...a completely normal female, though they tend to enter puberty later than other girls. They never develop a menstrual cycle as there are no ovaries or uterus."
(From http://www.politedissent.com/archives/1124)

In the episode they mention that a female who suffer from that disorder is more aggresive. I have no idea if it's true or not, but if it is than maybe Naomi :S

Cam said...

I saw that episode TOO! :D I didn't think such a think could be possible!
I can't be that common. Maybe like one or two popular models...but not a lot. It sounds rare.

r1ma said...

Naomi, aggressive? Are you talking about Naomi Campbell, the gentlest creature to walk the runway? NC woul not hurt a fly!

LOL good call Michelle!

And as for the House episode! Wow that is pretty cool (I don't watch that show) but yeah, the final diagnosis was AIS and testicular cancer!

I guess that story has a real life basis.

זבל said...

Naomi is absoloutly amazing, but she did attack some people.
:S

peace_oglory said...

I think you got something wrong YaelAlon. I saw that episode and they said she was agressive because of the cancer she had on her testes and not because of the syndrome.
By the way, I also thought this wasn't possible, because my friend who is starting in medical school told me so. But I guess she was wrong :-/

r1ma said...

OMG i am like the only person who doesn't watch that show!

:-O

Anonymous said...

As a guy I would not be happy with this. I would not date a man/woman and if I had a girlfriend/wife with this "condition" i would dump them in a New York minute

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Anonymous said...

Just learning about AIS as of recent. I still don't understand fully about the classification and recognition of it. I also wanted to know how men are affected with this if that's the case. Any feedback would be helpful, thanks!!!