Sexual behavior of an androgenized female rhesus macaque with a surgically constructed vagina

A 17-year-old, prenatally androgenized (ovariectomized) female rhesus macaque was studied. She had achieved penile intromission and ejaculated when treated with testosterone propionate and paired with a receptive female. To test the extent of behavioral defeminization, a vagina was created through surgical intervention and daily injections of 20 micrograms of estradiol benzoate were given. When she was paired with a male on Day 28 of treatment, she proved receptive to his invitations to copulate and the male achieved intromission. The results indicate that prenatal testosterone may morphologically and behaviorally masculinize the genetic rhesus female without eliminating the capacity to respond as a female under appropriate hormonal and environmental stimulation.