Nature sometimes throws to mankind almost inexplicable secrets and mysteries. For example, who is hermaphrodite really? Why do such changes in fetal development occur? What factors determine this? Responses to these questions by scientists have not been found so far. The fact is that one of the 2,000 children born today has gender characteristics, both female and male.
Legend
So who is hermaphrodite? There is a very beautiful Greek legend about the son of Hermes and Aphrodite. Once this beautiful young man, whose name was Hermaphrodite, was seen by the nymph Salmakida. Falling in love, she invited him to marry her. However, the young man refused. Then the nymph waited for the moment when Hermaphrodite entered the water, and hugged him so tightly that they became one.
Who is hermaphrodite from a medical point of view
Hermaphroditism is a special kind of pathology in which a person has both female and male genital organs (external) and glands. Such deviations in development refer to one of the forms of intersexuality. There are two types of hermaphroditism - true and false.
In the first case, the gonads of both sexes are present in the human body at the same time. Such hermaphrodites (photos of organs can be found in the literature) are extremely rare. With the false type, the glands are formed correctly, that is, they are either male or female, but the external organs have signs of bisexuality. Of course, pathology is extremely unpleasant in any case. A person born not like everyone, of course, experiences some discomfort when communicating with other people.
The genitals of hermaphrodites can be similar at most to male or female. In the first case, the penis resembles a clitoris. The scrotum is bifurcated like the female labia. In the second case, between the labia may be present a male member in its infancy.
Diagnosis and treatment
A child with a suspicion of one of the forms of such a pathology is examined by a gynecologist, endocrinologist, urologist and geneticist. In each case, treatment is carried out individually. To determine the real sex, the functional prevalence of the gonad is taken into account primarily. After finding out who the hermaphrodite is in this particular case - a man or a woman, they perform an operation to remove the “wrong” genital gland (not always), as well as plastic correction of the genitals.
Interesting Facts
Hermaphrodites very often took part and, of course, won the Olympic Games. However, in 1968 mandatory sex control was introduced. After that, for example, Soviet athletes Irina and Tamara Press, Czech Zdenka Koubova, Polish runner Eva Klobukowska and many other female athletes stopped their performances.
A very interesting case related to hermaphroditism occurred in America. In 2004, the 28-year-old Gaylorda Reibourne, after a certain operation “turned” into a woman, suddenly became pregnant. Since she did not have sexual contacts, the conclusion suggests itself. Most likely, her own sperm got into her vagina. The suggestion that an egg suddenly spontaneously begins to divide by itself is too unbelievable. The woman refused to interrupt her pregnancy.