complete androgen insensitivity syndrome An older term for the complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, a genetic disorder that makes XY fetuses insensitive (unresponsive) to androgens (male hormones). Instead, they are born looking externally like normal girls. Internally, there is a short blind-pouch vagina and no uterus, fallopian tubes, or ovaries. There are testes in the abdomen or the inguinal canal. The complete androgen insensitivity syndrome is usually detected at puberty when a girl should but does not begin to menstruate. The gene for the syndrome is on the X chromosome and codes for the androgen receptor (also called the dihydrotestosterone receptor). There are also partial androgen insensitivity syndromes.
