5α-Reductase 2 deficiency

Okay kiddo, let's talk about something called 5α-reductase 2 deficiency. This is a condition that affects boys and it means that their body doesn't make enough of a certain enzyme called 5α-reductase 2.

Now, just like how your body needs certain things to grow and work properly, your body also needs certain hormones to develop like a boy or a girl. One of these hormones is called testosterone, and it's what makes boys grow muscles, have deep voices, and grow facial hair when they get older.

But before testosterone does all of those things, it needs to be processed by the 5α-reductase 2 enzyme. When boys don't have enough of this enzyme, their body doesn't turn enough testosterone into a different hormone called DHT.

And DHT is what helps boys grow a penis and testicles before they're born, and it's also what makes their prostate gland grow when they get older. So when boys have 5α-reductase 2 deficiency, they might not grow a penis and testicles that are big enough, or they might develop a very small prostate gland when they get older.

But don't worry, kiddo! This condition can be treated and managed by doctors. They can give boys special hormones or medications to help their bodies make enough DHT, so that they can develop more normally.