Born into no man's land

In Malta, one baby a year is born with ambiguous genitalia, throwing parents into a quandary as to the sex of their child and how to bring it up in a society where everyone is either male or female.

The "victim" of the condition known as intersex (or hermaphrodite) is also plunged into a state of confusion, mental and emotional torment, but nobody seems to talk about these issues for fear of being shunned by society.

The 30th edition of Pink, which will be distributed with The Times tomorrow, attempts to shed light on the subject in the hope of shattering the existing taboo.

It finds that while the whole range of surgical options to amend an unidentifiable sex is available in Malta, there are no self-help groups and very little in the way of counselling for the children and their families.

In its PrivateEye section, Pink also gathers first-hand accounts of those who suffer from what is also known as Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, as well as the founder of the AIS Support Group in the US.

Tomorrow's edition also tackles the subject of menopause in its health section, in an attempt to explain what female bodies are experiencing and why. Until some time ago, even this subject was almost taboo and approached with a grin-and-bear-it attitude.

Among the valid information that is highlighted, Pink points out that in the 10 years after menopause, a woman may lose as much as 10 to 20 per cent of her bone mass, which puts her at an increased risk of osteoporosis.

Hormone Replacement Therapy has been one of the most common treatments to deal with menopausal symptoms. However, despite its benefits, it received lots of bad press with the release of the Women's Health Initiative study five years ago, which showed an increased cardiovascular risk.

But new data released this month look set to restore confidence in HRT as the WHI study has been revisited. Pink delves into the findings...

And more, with its usual dose of beauty, fitness and food tips, plus horoscopes, humorous columns, and a mix of informative and light-hearted features.

The fashion pages are strongly dominated by metallics - from clothing to accessories, including sunglasses, while a plethora of prizes are waiting to be won by the writer of the letter of the month, with feedback on stories that have touched them and why.

Pink is published by Allied Newspapers Ltd, printed by Progress Press Ltd and produced by Mediamaker.

It is edited by The Times' journalists Fiona Galea Debono and Ariadne Massa and designed by Helen Cassar Torreggiani and Joseph Schembri.