Three in a family have male and female genitals each

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JAKARTA: Three members of a family aged 23, eight and one, at a village in the Tegal district, Central Java, have both male and female genitals each.

To date, only the 23-year-old, named Santi, has been examined by a doctor and was confirmed
with the condition while Zakaria (eight) and Topan (one) have yet to do so due to financial constraints.

The doctor who examined Santi, Dr Silvan Wahyudi from the Bumijawa Community Health Centre, said Santi’s case had been referred to the district hospital to determine the more dominant hormone in her body.

A physical check found Santi as having two functioning sex organs but she could decide her sex through an operation, said Dr Silvan as quoted by Kompas Daily, Wednesday.

Santi’s mother, Poniah, 46, said Santi was a female at birth but started developing male genitals too at the age of nine months.

Santi was also reported to have undergone bitter experiences such as being assaulted after being accused of impersonating awoman when she joined female students for studies.

Santi said she chose to be a female because she menstruated each month and her male sex organ was not fully developed. But her voice is like a man’s and her chest is flat.

The report said that Zakaria and Topan, who are children of Santi’s cousin,experienced almost the same condition as Santi.

In Zakaria’s case, his female organ was starting to close while his male organ is imperfect.

Dr Silvan said the condition experienced by Santi, Zakaria and Topan was due to genetic factors. — Bernama