News / International
Man discovers he has fully functioning womb
08 Feb 2015 at 11:45hrs | Views
A businessman fearing he had cancer after discovering blood in his urine has been left stunned after doctors discovered he has a fully functioning womb - and the blood was from his period.
The 37-year-old man said he has experienced strange symptoms for years, such as a dull ache after sex, but his concerns were always brushed aside by medics.
Specialists have since discovered that, as well has having typical exterior male genitalia, he also has an interior uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
They say he has been having periods since his teens, has experienced PMT, and may even be able to get pregnant.
The man, from Lancashire, is now preparing for surgery to remove the womb having lived his whole life as a 'red blooded' male, according to The Sun.
Doctors say this is the best way to treat the condition, but have warned him that he could start the menopause once the operation is complete.
Persistent Mullerian duct syndrome (PMDS) is a rare genetic disorder which occurs when the body fails to produce or respond to certain hormones while developing during pregnancy.
Every foetus contains the beginnings of a womb, known as the Mullerian duct, but if the baby is male then it will produce hormones meaning this reduces and then disappears all together.
However in those with PMDS the body either does not produce these hormones, or does not react to them properly, meaning the duct develops into a functioning womb.
Because these hormones do not affect the growth of the penis, it means the child will also develop typical exterior male genitals.
The syndrome is believed to be extremely rare, although the exact number of cases each year is largely unknown. The condition is usually spotted in early childhood or around puberty.
The businessman, who is in a relationship with a woman who knows about his condition, says the first sign something was wrong came at six months old, when he had an operation on an undescended testicle.
He told Alison Smith-Squire: 'As a child I didn't have any other problems and went through puberty normally, developing a deep voice and body hair.
'But as I reached my teen and 20s I began experiencing a dull ache, during and after sex.'
When he was 18 blood first appeared in his urine, leading doctors to suspect he had bladder cancer, but a biopsy came back negative.
Eventually he was sent for an MRI, and the images revealed he has a uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and even a cervix.
A consultant has now told him that the ache after sex was caused by PMT, and the blood in his urine came from his periods.
As well as surgery to remove the female organs, he will also take part in genetic screening to find out how his gender balances out.
He added: 'It's possible tests will show I'm both male and female, but I feel completely right living life as a guy. Even if tests showed I was mostly a woman, I would still continue living as a man.'
The 37-year-old man said he has experienced strange symptoms for years, such as a dull ache after sex, but his concerns were always brushed aside by medics.
Specialists have since discovered that, as well has having typical exterior male genitalia, he also has an interior uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
They say he has been having periods since his teens, has experienced PMT, and may even be able to get pregnant.
The man, from Lancashire, is now preparing for surgery to remove the womb having lived his whole life as a 'red blooded' male, according to The Sun.
Doctors say this is the best way to treat the condition, but have warned him that he could start the menopause once the operation is complete.
Persistent Mullerian duct syndrome (PMDS) is a rare genetic disorder which occurs when the body fails to produce or respond to certain hormones while developing during pregnancy.
Every foetus contains the beginnings of a womb, known as the Mullerian duct, but if the baby is male then it will produce hormones meaning this reduces and then disappears all together.
However in those with PMDS the body either does not produce these hormones, or does not react to them properly, meaning the duct develops into a functioning womb.
Because these hormones do not affect the growth of the penis, it means the child will also develop typical exterior male genitals.
The syndrome is believed to be extremely rare, although the exact number of cases each year is largely unknown. The condition is usually spotted in early childhood or around puberty.
The businessman, who is in a relationship with a woman who knows about his condition, says the first sign something was wrong came at six months old, when he had an operation on an undescended testicle.
He told Alison Smith-Squire: 'As a child I didn't have any other problems and went through puberty normally, developing a deep voice and body hair.
'But as I reached my teen and 20s I began experiencing a dull ache, during and after sex.'
When he was 18 blood first appeared in his urine, leading doctors to suspect he had bladder cancer, but a biopsy came back negative.
Eventually he was sent for an MRI, and the images revealed he has a uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and even a cervix.
A consultant has now told him that the ache after sex was caused by PMT, and the blood in his urine came from his periods.
As well as surgery to remove the female organs, he will also take part in genetic screening to find out how his gender balances out.
He added: 'It's possible tests will show I'm both male and female, but I feel completely right living life as a guy. Even if tests showed I was mostly a woman, I would still continue living as a man.'
Source - DailyMail
