In 1953, American gynecologist John Morris provided the first full description of what he called "testicular feminization syndrome" based on 82 cases compiled from the medical literature, including 2 of his own patients.

After getting an MRI of Alex's pelvic area, he determines that Alex has male pseudohermaphroditism (specifically, androgen insensitivity syndrome, also known as testicular feminization syndrome), and the tumor is located in her testes which, due to the syndrome, had never dropped.