Chapter 287: Four-Year Girlfriend is Male, Spill the Beans_2
Zhou Can decided to ask a doctor from obstetrics to help out.
Director Zhang was busy at the moment, so she had her apprentice take a look first.
Yang Chan hurried over.
She took one look at the x-ray and her expression became just as strange.
"Indeed, there is no uterus! The abdominal x-ray feels slightly masculinized, significantly different from that of an ordinary woman's. Plus, there is a tube leading to the mass, somewhat resembling a vas deferens."
The female patient heard this, immediately feeling overwhelmed.
How could her uterus suddenly be gone?
"Have you ever had a menstrual period?"
Yang Chan asked the woman.
"Never!"
The woman shook her head.
"That's right, you may very well have Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. I'll have my teacher take a look after she's done with her current work." Yang Chan, as a prime student of obstetrics Director Zhang, quickly diagnosed the woman's condition after reviewing the x-ray.
Upon hearing about Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, Zhou Can's face immediately showed a look of sudden realization.
When he looked back at the woman, his eyes were filled with curiosity and sympathy.
"Doctor, what exactly is Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome? We don't understand such professional medical terms."
The woman's boyfriend asked.
"If your girlfriend really has this condition, it's very likely that you can't be husband and wife, but only siblings," answered Deputy Director Shi.
This condition is extremely rare.
The likelihood of occurrence is one in several tens of thousands, primarily caused by genetic mutations.
Some women eat whatever comes to mind during pregnancy without any dietary restrictions. Additionally, under the influence of a preference for males over females, some ignorant mothers-in-law might provide so-called folk remedies meant to ensure the birth of a boy to their pregnant daughters-in-law.
All of these could potentially lead to the birth of an infant with this condition.
And many infants appear no different from normal at a young age. As they grow and secondary sexual characteristics begin to develop, patients may distinctly feel physiological phenomena that are different from those of normal males or females.
Like this woman, who has never had a period.
Under normal circumstances, girls around the age of thirteen would experience their first menstruation.
Zhou Can picked up the woman's radiology report again, and sure enough, there was an inconspicuous little tube connected to the mass. He followed the tube with his eyes, his expression growing even stranger.
He had a vague understanding of what this mass might be?
If not mistaken, it should be an atrophied testicle.
She likely belongs to the clinical presentation of an individual with an XY karyotype developed into an apparently normal but infertile female, with testes usually located inside the abdominal cavity and without the process of spermatogenesis.
This young couple had been dating for four years and had already been living together for a while, but no abnormalities had been discovered.
This shows that the woman's other physiological structures were not much different from those of a normal female.
Such as breast development and the external appearance of the genitalia.
Director Zhang had by then finished diagnosing her current patient, and Yang Chan quickly brought the results to her.
"Teacher, look at this patient's results, there's no uterus, it's very much like Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome."
After Director Zhang carefully reviewed the findings, she called the girl into a small room in the back for a physical examination.
Yang Chan also accompanied them in.
They were likely checking the woman's physiological structure and developmental status.
After a short while, the three of them came out.
The woman's boyfriend quickly stepped forward to support her. However, one could see that the woman seemed somewhat resistant.
"Doctor, what exactly is wrong with my girlfriend?"
Sensing a change in his girlfriend's attitude, the boyfriend was somewhat panicking.
Even though he had some mental preparation after hearing the doctors' explanations, the confirmation of the diagnosis shattered all his hopes. He was facing a difficult decision.
The female patient herself needed to overcome significant psychological and physiological hurdles and choose an acceptable outcome, then move on with a new life.
"This condition is called Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. Patients with this disease typically live as females from a young age. Some may seek medical attention during infancy or early childhood due to a mass in the labia majora or groin. Sometimes, it is discovered during hernia repair surgery that the hernia contents are testes. Her mass is likely not a tumor but an atrophied testicle."
Director Zhang paused here, giving the couple a moment to digest the information.
"I just examined the patient, and while a few parts of her body are not as clearly developed, the rest are no different from those of a female. Moreover, since her testes have already atrophied, I suggest surgery to completely transition to female. However, because there is no uterus, she will be infertile for life."
For a woman, the ability to give birth is very important.
Being infertile, her marital life will face significant challenges.
"Of course, essentially, you were supposed to be male. If you wish to undergo surgery to become male, that is also possible. Making such a decision might be difficult, so you can be admitted to the hospital and think it over for a day or two. Once you've made up your mind, then choose. For such a big decision, it's best to communicate fully with your parents. I believe that no matter what choice you make, your parents will choose to understand and support you."
Zhang Bihua didn't say it explicitly, but she was essentially implying to the female patient.
In the face of such a situation, let alone being unmarried.
Even if they were married, the man might not necessarily be dependable.
The most reliable are the parents.
No matter what happens to the child or how they change, parents are the ones in the world who care the most about their children.