A Chinese man by the name of Chen Li, 33, received the shock of his life after learning that he had ovaries and a uterus and that the persistent urinary problems he faced was actually menstruation.
Although the man had male external genital organs, he was actually born intersex, meaning that he had female sex chromosomes, ovaries, and a uterus.
For around twenty years of his life, Li had suffered from urinary problems, including blood in his urine. These issues brought him to a urologist, who informed the man of his internal anatomy.
The man, who is from a very small town in the Sichuan province, which is located in Southwestern China, has since opted to have his ovaries and uterus removed.
The term “intersex” is used for a variety of conditions in which one’s chromosomes, reproductive organs, and sexual anatomy do not fit into the standard categories of male or female.
Man discovers he is intersex and has ovaries and uterus
In the past, intersex people were referred to as “hermaphrodites,” which comes from the Ancient Greek figure “Έρμαφρόδιτος,” or Hermaphroditus, who was the son of Hermes and Aphrodite.
According to Greek mythology, Hermaphroditus was incredibly handsome, and the naiad Salmacis tried to rape him, hoping for the two to be united forever. The naiad called out to the gods, asking that they never part. The gods answered her prayer and united the man and woman in the same body.
The term “hermaphrodite” is no longer used and is widely considered pejorative.
Intersex people may have any combination of chromosomes and reproductive organs. Many people may be intersex and not even realize it. Due to the fact that many variations of intersexuality may never be discovered unless some health issue arrives later in life, such as in the case of Li, the true figures of intersex people may be much higher than the current officially reported numbers.
Most experts believe that the number of intersex births can range anywhere from three in every 200 births to one in every 2,000.
According to the UN, about 0.05 to 1.7 percent of the world’s population is intersex, roughly the same number of people with red hair.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
