SummaryDisorders of sex development (DSD) result from abnormalities in the complex process of sex determination and differentiation. An important consideration to guide the assignment of social sex in newborns with ambiguous genitalia is the quality of life (QoL) of these patients in adulthood. The rarity of most DSD conditions makes it difficult to conduct a long-term follow-up of affected patients through adulthood. This review of papers on the QoL of DSD patients evaluated in developing and developed countries by qualitative and quantitative instruments revealed a large spectrum of QoL, ranging from very poor to similar to, or even better than, the normal population. A more adequate QoL was found in patients from tertiary centres, indicating that the medical care of DSD patients should be multidisciplinary and carried out by specialized teams.

Our large cohort of adult patients with DSD, which was followed by a multidisciplinary team in a single tertiary centre, had good QoL in adulthood; in addition, late treatment compromised the QoL of patients with DSD, whereas sexual performance has little influence on QoL.