Man born with a womb prepares for hysterectomy

Authored by telegraph.co.uk and submitted by ThatBoiRen

A businessman is preparing to have a hysterectomy after doctors discovered he was born with a womb.

The 37-year-old Lancashire man discovered he has a full set of female reproductive organs after undergoing scans for suspected bladder cancer.

Now the man, who is being called Rob in order to protect his identity, has reportedly been advised by medical staff to have the organs surgically removed, even though it could trigger the menopause.

Doctors believe Rob has a rare condition called persistent Müllerian duct syndrome (PMDS). This results in men developing both external male genitalia and internal female reproductive organs.

Most cases are diagnosed at birth or puberty, although people can discover they have intersex bodies — also known as differences of sex development (DSD), at any age.

Rob's condition was revealed when he underwent an MRI scan after complaining about blood in his urine.

He said: "The diagnosis came as a bombshell. I've never seen myself as anything but an ordinary bloke who has a normal sex life. I was shocked when the consultant said I had a fully functioning set of women's reproductive organs, and I was even having periods.

"It appears I could even potentially get pregnant. But I've been told by doctors I'll be having a hysterectomy in the next few weeks. Bizarrely, that could lead to menopause."

He added "In hindsight I can now see I've been having odd symptoms for years. But when I saw doctors they always fobbed me off as if it were all in my mind."

When Rob was six months old he had a successful operation on an undescended testicle.

"But as I reached my teens and 20s I began experiencing discomfort, a dull ache, during and after sex,” he said.

When he was 18 Rob began noticing blood in his urine, but nothing was detected up despite repeated tests and trips to his GP.

Doctors eventually began to suspect bladder cancer, but a biopsy came back clear so Rob was sent for an MRI scan, at which point it was found that he had a fully functioning uterus, ovaries and even a cervix.

Because he has ovaries it is possible Rob could produce eggs, and since he has a uterus it is conceivable he could even carry a baby himself.

Further tests are needed to discover why blood was appearing in his urine, though this could be a form of periods and that Rob's post-coitus ache could be a form of pre-menstrual tension.

Rob, who is in a relationship with a woman, said: "I was shocked, but relieved it was something that could be treated. I was also relieved because all my life I'd believed something wasn't quite right. Now I knew I hadn't been imagining all the strange symptoms."

But he said: "Much as I long to be a dad, even if this is possible it's not something I could ever do — it would just feel too weird."

Rob has now been referred to a specialist in Manchester for further tests and a full hysterectomy.

He is concerned, however, that his condition was not picked up earlier. He said: "I believe fertility doctors should have at least done a scan to see if there was a reason why I have such poor sperm quality."

Rob will also have DNA tests to discover his full gender balance. He told The Sun: "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.

"And while there's a risk that removing the female reproductive organs could negatively affect my sperm, I am hoping it will improve it, and I will become a dad."

Rob said he wanted to talk about his condition in the hope of helping others with a similar problem, adding: “I can't believe I'm the only person with this. And I hope any other man with similar symptoms will get checked out."

Experts say about 120 babies a year are born in Britain with the same condition as Rob, but it is exceptionally rare for cases to be uncovered so late in life.

Each foetus starts off with the potential to be a boy or girl. The default setting is female but if they have XY chromosomes testes form, prodcuing hormones that cause male genitalia to grow. This also triggers degeneration of internal female organs.

But in rare cases, those with PMDS do not produce the hormone, or they fail to respond to it.

Prof Richard Sharpe, who leads Edinburgh University's research team on male reproductive health, said: "This results in some female reproductive organs surviving, as well the growth of male genitalia. It is even more unusual for it not to be spotted until adulthood."

Tam Fry, of the Child Growth Foundation — Britain's leading charity on hormonal issues — said: "It would be very rare for this condition to be picked up in someone's 30s.

"Most people with intersex bodies are identified as babies or during puberty. It's one in 100,000 cases. There would only be a handful of such adults in the country."

a_white_american_guy on May 20th, 2019 at 14:22 UTC »

Patient: “Give it to me straight doc, it’s cancer isn’t it”

Doctor: chuckles “No”

maxdembo on May 20th, 2019 at 11:38 UTC »

“Now the man, who is being called Rob in order to protect his identity, has reportedly been advised by medical staff to have the organs surgically removed, even though it could trigger the menopause.”

That’s bananas

Crule123 on May 20th, 2019 at 11:30 UTC »

Hate it when that happens