In Which Cases Can a Child's Gender Be Listed as 'Unspecified' in Medical Records?

The child's medical record and the term 'unspecified' used in relation to the child's gender is exclusively for healthcare professionals. This was stated by the Ministry of Health of Armenia to Sputnik Armenia, addressing the new form of the child's medical record that came into effect on January 1 of this year, following the order of Armenia's Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan.

Since yesterday, this topic has sparked intense discussions on social media. For example, lawyer Ara Zohrapyan wrote on his Facebook page that the health minister essentially believes that the sex of children in Armenia can also be 'unspecified.'

The fact is that in point 21 of the child’s medical record, there are three options for indicating the child's gender: female, male, and unspecified (pending genetic testing for gender determination). The ministry clarified: 'The term 'unspecified' is for cases where the gender of the child cannot be determined from the appearance of external genitalia at birth.'

According to the Ministry of Health's message, this issue can arise due to several pathologies, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Turner syndrome, pseudohermaphroditism, congenital development defects, chromosomal aneuploidies, and others. In these cases, additional laboratory and instrumental examinations are required, including genetic testing (karyotyping).

'Children with the mentioned medical issues are unique, but they do exist; therefore, there should also be a note regarding their gender during the time of their hospitalization, necessary examinations, and treatments. Only after the results of the investigations clarify the gender can the 'male' or 'female' fields in the record be filled in,' the Ministry noted.

The Ministry of Health reminds that in the excerpt of the 'Medical Certificate of Birth' that was in effect in the USSR, there was also a note regarding boy, girl, or unspecified. The 'Medical Certificate of Birth' confirmed in 2009, which was revised and reaffirmed in 2017, also mentions male, female, and unspecified.

Thus, the ministry assures that the child's medical record has been aligned with current legal acts.