Question:hard
Which of the following conditions presents with absence of both Mullerian and Wolffian duct structures?
Which of the following conditions presents with absence of both Mullerian and Wolffian duct structures?
Show Hint
AMH removes Mullerian ducts; a broken androgen receptor stops Wolffian ducts from forming.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Antimullerian hormone deficiency
- Androgen insensitivity syndrome
- FSH receptor defect
- Ovotesticular syndrome
Show Solution
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Think about what each duct needs to either form or regress. The Wolffian duct needs testosterone acting through a working androgen receptor to grow into the male internal tract. The Mullerian duct needs anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) from Sertoli cells to make it shrink away.
In complete androgen insensitivity, the patient is 46,XY with intra-abdominal testes. Those testes do two things: they pour out AMH and they pour out testosterone. The AMH does its job, so the Mullerian duct disappears. But the androgen receptor is broken, so even high testosterone cannot reach the Wolffian duct, which then never matures and is absent. Result, neither set of internal ducts is present.
Now scan the distractors. If AMH alone were missing, the testes still produce androgens, so the Wolffian system would be present and the Mullerian system would persist, the opposite of what is asked. An FSH receptor defect hits ovarian follicle response, not duct anatomy. An ovotesticular disorder mixes ovarian and testicular tissue, giving variable duct development rather than total absence. Only androgen insensitivity wipes out both duct lines.
$Mullerian\ gone\ via\ AMH + Wolffian\ gone\ via\ receptor\ failure$
\[\boxed{Androgen\ insensitivity\ syndrome}\]
In complete androgen insensitivity, the patient is 46,XY with intra-abdominal testes. Those testes do two things: they pour out AMH and they pour out testosterone. The AMH does its job, so the Mullerian duct disappears. But the androgen receptor is broken, so even high testosterone cannot reach the Wolffian duct, which then never matures and is absent. Result, neither set of internal ducts is present.
Now scan the distractors. If AMH alone were missing, the testes still produce androgens, so the Wolffian system would be present and the Mullerian system would persist, the opposite of what is asked. An FSH receptor defect hits ovarian follicle response, not duct anatomy. An ovotesticular disorder mixes ovarian and testicular tissue, giving variable duct development rather than total absence. Only androgen insensitivity wipes out both duct lines.
$Mullerian\ gone\ via\ AMH + Wolffian\ gone\ via\ receptor\ failure$
\[\boxed{Androgen\ insensitivity\ syndrome}\]
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