A man was left stunned after surgeons found his hernia being operated on was actually comprised of a uterus with a cervix, a fallopian tube, and an ovary attached to an undescended testicle.
The 67-year-old father of three went to the hospital with a suspected hernia. The man told doctors the swelling he had on the left side of his groin had been there for 10 years.
The man knew that he had had an undescended testicle since birth, but the news that he had this rare condition was completely new information.
His unusual case was reported in the scientific journal Urology Case Reports where experts explained: “The patient had primary and secondary sexual normal characteristics. He was married and had three kids.”
They continued: “Physical examination presented a male with average male osteo-muscular and pilosity, well-developed penis with urethral opening in glans penis.”
The man’s case was labelled by doctors as “rare” and they determined it was type of hermaphroditism called persistent Mullerian duct syndrome, that was found coincidentally during hernia surgery.
In their report, doctors wrote: “Persistent Mullerian duct syndrome is a rare form of male pseudo-hermaphroditism detected coincidently during surgical operation on cryptorchidism or inguinal hernia.
“Ovarian tissue is well attached to the testis and epididymis, also located in other places resembling to a tumor of these structures.”
The condition is so rare, in fact, that only around 250 cases have been previously reported in medical literature. It is often only found accidentally during other procedures.
Surgeons were able to remove all of the man’s abnormal internal structures without complication.
That does not mean or is proof that a man can be a woman or vice versa.
No, but it is proof that there are in-between individuals. This particular man never knew that his missing, undescended “testicle” was an ovary (and connected to a uterus and Fallopian tube) until he had the surgery to repair what he thought was a “hernia.” And apparently that ovary didn’t produce enough estrogen to feminize either his features or his libido and fertility. But as the saying goes, “your mileage may vary,” and mileages can vary quite a bit for the small percentage of the population who are in between, either genetically, phenotypically, hormonally, or just psychologically. As long as they aren’t bothering others or committing violence, why hate them?
There once was a man in Racine
Who invented a screwing machine.
Both concave and convex,
It would serve either sex,
And all the nice folks in between!