Hypergenitalism

HYPERGENITALISM, a condition in which there is an increased function of the sex glands compared to the usual average level. The signs of hypergenitalism might a priori be considered, on the one hand, increased libido and generally greater activity of sexual life compared to the norm, and on the other hand, a particularly sharp manifestation of secondary sex characteristics. However, libido depends not exclusively on the sex glands, but also on the state of the nervous system and the living conditions of the subject. Secondary sex characteristics are also influenced to a certain extent by other endocrine organs. From this, it follows that in each specific case, one can conclude about the presence of true hypergenitalism (in the sense of hypergenital constitution) only with great caution. In view of the fact that, in particular, the testicles influence the growth of the skeleton in the sense of accelerating ossification and the closure of epiphyseal plates, and muscle tone in the sense of increasing it, and further promote body hair growth and the combustion of fats in the body—it could generally be considered that hypergenital men are short-legged, gifted with strong musculature, hairy, lean, with well-developed genital organs and energetic sexual demands. Cases of early sexual maturity, or pubertas praecox (macrogenitosomia), can conditionally be attributed to hypergenitalism. Here we are talking about individuals who in childhood (sometimes very early) show signs of premature (inconsistent with age) sexual development (dimensions of the penis inappropriate for age, early spermatogenesis, early appearance of such secondary sex characteristics as mustache and beard; in girls, the appearance of menstruation in the first years of life), to a certain extent also general physical development (growth, musculature in boys), and in special cases, mental development. The growth of the skeleton at first is higher than normal (for age), but then the closure of epiphyseal plates very soon occurs, so that in the future such individuals lag behind their peers in height. Hypergenitalism is most often based on a lesion of the adrenal cortex (hypernephroma), pineal gland (usually teratomas), or sex glands (neoplasms of the latter); sometimes a lesion of the central nervous system (hydrocephalus with pressure on vegetative centers). Finally, rare cases of purely functional hypergenitalism have been described. Treatment of hypergenitalism, where it is determined by tumors of the sex glands and adrenal organs, is surgical; in functional hypergenitalism, organotherapy can be tried.