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| Photo By An and Zivkan. |
There is a saying that “some things are not what they seem”. This is particularly true for certain women, who have XY chromosomes that are found in men. These women appear outwardly as females but genetically they are males. I don’t mean tomboys. The females I’m talking about don’t necessarily have to exhibit male traits. They are called “XY females” and have a condition known as XY gonadal dysgenesis; specifically, pure gonadal dysgenesis.
To read about XY gonadal dysgenesis, click on: All Men are Originally Females.
As a child, an XY female looks very much like a normal girl in every perceivable physical characteristic. In most cases, the parents may not even know that their daughter could have been a boy and the girl remains oblivious of her condition. It is when the girl reaches adolescence that she begins to realise that she may not be as much a female as other girls because while they go through puberty, she doesn't. So, why doesn't she experience puberty? The reason is that, even though her external genitalia resembles that of a normal female, she lacks ovaries that will produce hormones responsible for the changes seen on girls in puberty. Instead, in place of female gonads, she has a mass of non-functional fibrous tissue. Consequently, she will not be able to conceive, not naturally though.
However, puberty can be induced in an XY female by means of hormone replacement treatment using oestrogen and progestin. Also, the non-functional gonad is surgically removed because it has a high tendency of developing cancerous cells. Meanwhile, there may be an instance whereby an XY female has a womb but no ovaries, pregnancy will then be induced by implantation of an already fertilised egg from a donor. For now, this is the only way an XY female can get pregnant and bear children.
