Kolhapur ‘girl’ undergoes sex change

Medical history was created in the government managed Chhatrapati Pramilaraje Rugnalaya (CPR) at Kolhapur when an 18 year old ‘girl’ underwent a successful sex change operation.

The two-stage surgery on the standard XI student was performed over a period of one-and-half years. The second operation was performed four months back. The operation which could have cost heavily in any private hospital was performed free at CPR. The family had to spend about Rs1,500 for some tests.

The doctors of the hospital examined the patient and found that she was suffering from abnormality of Incomplete Testicular Feminization Syndrome.

Paediatric surgeon Shivprasad Hirugde, general surgeon Dr Vijay Kassa, the resident doctor Vasim Mulla under guidance of Dr MP Parchand, head of the surgery department Dr Vasant Deshmukh and senior paediatric surgeon Dr Dinesh Kitture treated the rare abnormality.

The patient was referred to CPR for the bilateral inguinal hernia one and half years ago. “Hernia in women is rare and it has to be dealt with detailed examinations,” said Kassa and Hirugde. Clinical history revealed absence of menstrual periods and non developed breasts and thin facial hairs.

“Testicles were inside the body and a small penis buried in the skin. The outer genital resembled a woman’s,” doctors said. The patient’s mother, a widow, and 20-year-old brother are labourers and did not consult doctors for the patient’s menstrual periods. After puberty, however, the full-grown testicles, looking like tumours, were presumed by the family as hernia.

Examinations done under general anaesthesia showed the urethral opening was not through the buried penis and the doctors diagnosed the opening resembling a vagina was urethra connected to the urinary bladder. Doctors also noticed absence of the uterus and ovaries. Detailed examination confirmed the patient to be a male.

“As a girl, the patient would not have been able to bear children,” doctors said adding that they sought the patient’s opinion whether she was willing to undergo sex change operation.

The patient told doctors that 'she' always liked playing and interacting with boys and decided to become the boy. After three months counselling, the operation was carried out.

The surgery was performed in two stages. In the first stage, the correction of the curvature of the penis was done and the testicles were positioned properly. And after a gap of six months another surgery was performed for creating urethral passage through the penis. The erectile function and the semen ejaculation are now normal.

“We will conduct a test for the sperm count and a minor surgery for correcting bifid scrotum,” Kassa said.

“He could live a normal marital life,” Hirugde said.