Boy or a girl? Parents chose a daughter!

Palanpur: One and half years ago, parents of eight-year-old Shamima (name changed) were surprised to see male organs developing within their daughter’s private parts. Was she a girl or a boy? Upon investigations, doctors found that she was genetically a boy as she had XY chromosomes but she could be both as she had a vagina as well as a penis developing from her clitoris.
Finally, the parents decided that as they had raised their beloved child as a daughter, they would want to retain female as the primary sex for her. Doctors at Palanpur Civil Hospital said that they have performed a surgery wherein the penis growing out of her clitoris was removed.
“It is good that the parents wished her to be a daughter. It would have been tough if they had wished her to be a boy because while she had XY chromosomes, she does not have testicles or scrotum. She has a fully developed vagina and urethral opening from where she passes urine,” said Palanpur Civil Hospital superintendent Dr Sunil Joshi. He is a urologist and had performed her surgery.
Doctors said Shamima belongs to a poor family and was born with pseudohermaphroditism, a rare condition of having both male and female genitals.
She is studying in Class III and is a brilliant student.
The surgery was performed four months ago and the girl was under strict observation. Dr Joshi said that the girl will have to be carefully monitored over the years to provide much needed interventions when she reaches puberty.
“Since she has XY chromosomes, it is possible that she may start producing testosterone. This will have to be controlled to avoid her voice getting cracked or her developing moustache or facial hair. If she develops testicles or scrotum, they may have to be removed through treatment,” said Dr Joshi.
Meanwhile, the parents are aware that the girl does not have a uterus. Whether she will have ovaries will only be revealed with time as ovaries are not currently perceptible in the girl, said Dr Joshi.
The worried family went to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital many years ago and were advised that the surgery need not be imminent and can be performed when the child had matured.
“We had to remove the male organ because the parents wanted a girl child,” said Dr Joshi.