Married woman, 25, is shocked to learn she was born a man

Gender is a difficult thing. Some of us feel connected to the gender we were assigned to at birth, and some of us don’t. For those of us who do, however, it very much becomes a central part of our identity. Now imagine making it all the way to adulthood only to find out that the doctors got your biological sex wrong at birth. This is what happened to this Chinese woman, who, at 25 years old, found out that she was actually born a man. (1)

Woman Finds Out She Was Born A Man at 25 Years Old

Her entire life, 25-year-old Pingping grew up as a female. Now married and trying to have children, the only thing she knew that was different about her was that she had never had a period. She didn’t have male genitalia and did have a vagina, so she never really questioned it. (1)

Her mother took her to the doctor when she was younger, but they concluded that she was developing slower than other girls her age. The problem caused her to feel embarrassed as she got older, so she didn’t see anyone for it. (1)

Recently, she injured her ankle and went to visit the doctor to have an x-ray. The doctor examining her ankle was surprised to find how underdeveloped her bones were, so they decided to dig a little deeper. It was then that he discovered that Pingping was actually biologically born a man. (1)

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‘46 XY Disorder

The doctors informed Pingping that she has what’s called ‘46 XY Disorder, sometimes referred to as intersex. This is a rare, hereditary disorder of the sex hormones that cause biological males to have little or no male genitalia, along with some, none, or all female reproductive organs. (2) In Pingping’s case, she had no male genitalia and no ovaries or uterus – just a vagina. (1)

This explains why she has been unsuccessful in her attempts to get pregnant with her husband. The doctors said that her parents, who were closely related, should have taken her to the doctors years ago. (1)

Born a Man, But Identify as a Woman? There are Big Decisions to Make

The doctors gave her medications to help her bones and blood pressure. They then suggested that she get professional help to come to terms with her identity moving forward. So far, the doctors do not yet know what Pingping has decided in this regard. (1)

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“It takes a long time to rebuild the social role and reconstruct the family and it’s going to be a painstaking process, where psychological intervention is necessary. But Pingping has not asked for help from us so far” said one of her potential mental health doctors. (1)

Lack of Sex Education Partly To Blame

This discovery has opened up a wider discussion in China about the need for more comprehensive sex education. (3) Had Pingping been taught more about the biology of sex, she may have felt more comfortable seeking out why she was not getting a period.

For now, Pingping has to decide whether she wants to continue to identify as female, as she has her whole life, or if she wants to change how she orients herself. 

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