Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

elleng

(131,063 posts)
Tue Aug 8, 2017, 12:58 PM Aug 2017

The astonishing village where little girls turn into boys aged 12

'In every way, Johnny is physically and biologically male. But, astonishingly he did not grow a penis until he hit puberty.

He is one of many children who live in Salinas, an isolated village in the southwestern Dominican Republic, who are seemingly born female, only to become men in their teenage years.

Although Johnny’s story may seem extraordinary, cases of little girls turning into boys are so prevalent in the village that it is no longer considered abnormal. The children are simply referred to as the ‘guevedoces’ – which literally translates as ‘penis at 12’ >>>

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/03/12/the-astonishing-village-where-little-girls-turn-into-boys-aged-1/

8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
The astonishing village where little girls turn into boys aged 12 (Original Post) elleng Aug 2017 OP
If the testes do not emerge until puberty, guillaumeb Aug 2017 #1
I'm sure you'll read it, guill, and learn nothing 'tabloid' about it. elleng Aug 2017 #2
I did read the article, and found it fascinating. guillaumeb Aug 2017 #3
Right. elleng Aug 2017 #5
I read that years ago and I don't read fiction much. Mostly Scientific American and like shraby Aug 2017 #7
More info. Eko Aug 2017 #4
Black Law, PC is committed to representing men who are struggling with the sexual side effects elleng Aug 2017 #6
Illustrating the power of advertising. guillaumeb Aug 2017 #8

guillaumeb

(42,641 posts)
1. If the testes do not emerge until puberty,
Tue Aug 8, 2017, 01:04 PM
Aug 2017

one would think that the boys affected would be sterile and/or suffer from other medical issues because of the higher body than air temperature.

Judging by the title, this sounded like a tabloid newspaper article.

elleng

(131,063 posts)
2. I'm sure you'll read it, guill, and learn nothing 'tabloid' about it.
Tue Aug 8, 2017, 01:08 PM
Aug 2017

'The rare genetic disorder occurs because of a missing enzyme which prevents the production of a specific form of the male sex hormone - dihydro-testosterone - in the womb.

All babies in the womb, whether male or female, have internal glands known as gonads and a small bump between their legs called a tubercle. At around eight weeks, male babies who carry the Y chromosome start to produce dihydro-testosterone in large amounts, which turns the tubercle into a penis. For females, the tubercle becomes a clitoris.

But some male babies are missing the enzyme 5-?-reductase which triggers the hormone surge, so they appear to be born female with no testes and what appears to be a vagina. It is not until puberty, when another huge surge of testosterone is produced, that the male reproductive organs emerge. What should have happened in the womb happens around 12 years later. Their voices deepen and they finally grow a penis.

For Johnny it happened at the age of seven. He claimed that he had never felt like a little girl and was far happier after he fully became a boy.

“When I changed I was happy with my life,” he said. . .

The guevedoces were first discovered by a Cornell University endocrinologist Dr Julianne Imperato in the 1970s who travelled to Dominican Republic after hearing strange rumours about girls turning into boys.

Further cases have since been seen in the Sambian villages of Papua New Guinea although the Sambians view the children as flawed males and they are often shunned, unlike the Dominicans who welcome the transformation with widespread celebration. . .

Around one in 90 children in Salinas are guevedoces and although they resemble sexually normal males, subtle differences do still exist in adulthood. Most have decreased amounts of facial hair and smaller prostate glands relative to the average male.

It is thought that the condition has persisted through generations because of the isolation of the villagers. Because the disorder is so widespread and accepted, the Dominican Republic now believes that there are three sexual categories, male, female, and pseudohermaphrodite.'

guillaumeb

(42,641 posts)
3. I did read the article, and found it fascinating.
Tue Aug 8, 2017, 01:13 PM
Aug 2017

One might also assume that this is more prevalent because of a small population of adults allowing these recessive genes to come forward.

shraby

(21,946 posts)
7. I read that years ago and I don't read fiction much. Mostly Scientific American and like
Tue Aug 8, 2017, 01:37 PM
Aug 2017

magazines. Not tabloid stuff.

elleng

(131,063 posts)
6. Black Law, PC is committed to representing men who are struggling with the sexual side effects
Tue Aug 8, 2017, 01:20 PM
Aug 2017

of Propecia.

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Health»The astonishing village w...