Female at birth, Male at puberty

Jinzang

Member
There's a village in the Dominican Republic where, due to a genetic disorder, children have a strange form of hermaphroditism. They appear female at birth, but when they hit puberty their penis develops and they continue development as normal males.

The rare genetic disorder is caused by a missing enzyme which prevents the production of a type of male sex hormone - dihydro-testosterone - in the womb.

All babies in the womb, whether male or female, have internal glands known as gonads and a small bump between their legs called a tubercle.

At around eight weeks old, male babies who carry the Y chromosome start to produce dihydro-testosterone in large amounts - this turns the tubercle into a penis. For females, it becomes a clitoris.
But some male babies are missing the enzyme 5-α-reductase which triggers the hormone surge. This means they appear to be born female with no testes and what looks very much like a vagina.

Then when puberty hits, a large surge of testosterone is triggers the male reproductive organs to grow. This causes their voices to deepen and the development of a penis.
Essentially, the development that should have taken place in the womb with these children happens around 12 years later.


 

Online statistics

Members online
7
Guests online
285
Total visitors
292

Latest posts

Back
Top