If a man discovers blood in his urine, he usually doesn’t think he’s on his period. But that’s exactly what happened to a 37-year-old British businessman. An MRI-scan pointed out he had a uterus and was menstruating regularly.
According to various newspapers, the man, who wishes to stay anonymous, had been suffering from strange symptoms such as pain after sex and blood in his urine since the age of 18. Eventually a scan revealed that, apart from his male genitals, he also had female genitalia and was menstruating. Specialists think this might be a case of the Persistent Mullerian Duct Syndrome (PMDS), a rare genetic disorder where the foetus doesn’t respond to certain hormones while developing during pregnancy. Usually this disorder is noticed in early childhood.
Mr Chen
A similar case is that of a Chinese man, Mr Chen, who went to the doctor with stomach pains. However, he turned out to be genetically female. The cramps were due to his periods, just like the monthly bouts of fatigue and bloody urine. A CT scan pointed out the 44-year-old man had two types of genitalia and a full set of female reproductive organs.
According to shanghaiist.com, further research proved he was suffering from Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, a genetic disease which causes the body to produce more androgen and male characteristics to appear. For the staff of the First People’s Hospital of Yongkang, where Chen was admitted, this also came as a surprise: ‘He was wearing men’s clothes and had short hair so we didn’t think that he would be a female at the beginning.’
More about men-struation:
Gender neutral menstruating?
Only women bleed?
Do men also have a cycle?
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