Could you imagine living your entire life as a woman, only to realize you’re a man medically? Well, this rare instance actually happened in Kolkata. A 30-year-old married woman, who was admitted to the hospital for abdominal pain, was told she is a man suffering from testicular cancer, reports NDTV.
The woman was diagnosed with a rare condition called ‘Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome’, where a person is genetically male by birth but has all the physical traits of a woman. The 30-year-old Birbhum resident, who has been married to her husband for the last nine years, didn’t know she was a man.
She had visited a city-based hospital with severe pain in the lower abdomen a couple of months ago. After her medical tests were conducted, clinical oncologist Dr. Anupam Dutta and surgical oncologist Dr. Soumen Das found out her “true identity”.
“From her appearance, she is a woman. Starting from her voice, developed breasts, normal external genitalia, everything is that of a woman. However, uterus and ovaries have been absent since birth. She has also never experienced menstruation,” Dr. Dutta was quoted saying.
The doctor said it a very rare condition and can be found one in every 22,000 people. As her test reports suggested that she has a “blind vagina”, doctors decided to conduct the Karyotyping test on her. The results revealed that her chromosome complement was ‘XY’ and not ‘XX’, as found in a woman, reports News18. Dr. Dutta explained,
“We conducted clinical examinations, after she complained of abdominal pain, and found out she has testicles inside her body. A biopsy was conducted, following which she was diagnosed with testicular cancer, also called seminoma.”
“As her testicles remained undeveloped inside the body, there was no secretion of testosterone. Her female hormones, on the other hand, gave her the appearance of a woman,” Dr. Dutta added. The couple had even tried to conceive a number of times in the past but failed, reports Hindustan Times.
The woman is now undergoing chemotherapy and her health condition appears to be stable. However, it is a huge revelation for the couple and they are undergoing counselling for the same. Dr. Dutta was quoted saying, “The person has grown up to be a woman. She is married to a man for almost a decade. Currently, we are counseling the patient and her husband, advising them to continue living life as they have been.”
Surprisingly, her 28-year-old sister was also diagnosed with the same condition after she underwent necessary tests following the revelation, The patient’s two maternal aunts have also been diagnosed with the same condition in the past.
Well, we’re just glad the woman is healthy and recovering now. What do you think about the entire situation? Tell us in the comments below.
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