Woman with male and female sex organs thought she was boy until she grew breasts
A woman has shared the incredible story of how she was born with both female and male sex organs - and believed she was a boy for almost two decades.
Emma Lynn Dowd was raised as a stereotypical boy, but her life transformed when she reached 18 years of age. She found out that she was a hermaphrodite - meaning she had both ovarian and testicular tissue on the out and inside.
Now a fully-grown woman, the 44-year-old says she has “no idea” why her parents chose to bring her up as a boy, but says it “doesn’t really matter”. Emma sees the benefits, too: "Had I not had that experience I couldn't have seen life through a man's eyes, which at times has proven to be extremely helpful.”
READ MORE:
But things weren’t so easy as a child when Emma had always had the feeling she was different to other children. She says she had “girly” interests and thoughts, so would have to mimic the boys around her to learn how to fit into a male world.
Nursery apologises after child with Down's syndrome ‘treated less favourably’
In 2018, Emma was still living as a man (Jam Press/Emma Lynn Dowd)
Emma, 44, is now comfortable as a fully-grown woman (Jam Press/Emma Lynn Dowd)"I never had gender dysmorphia, I was always okay with how I looked, but I would always be accused of being a 'chick',” she recalled. “I was also severely bullied because people thought I was gay. And high school was difficult, as my body finally decided to go into puberty, and that was when I started seeing signs that I could be female."
Emma got her first period and began to develop breasts, so she was given testosterone tablets to help halt this process. She says it was “very common” despite some activists arguing you should wait for the child to make the choice - “this is just what my parents thought of doing at the time”, she said.
Emma looked very similar to her mother when growing up (Jam Press/Emma Lynn Dowd)And when Emma headed to college aged 18, it dawned on her that she had a very different anatomy to most other boys. "It was then I fully realised I was female. I had mixed emotions; it validated the internal feelings and desires I had, and it confirmed for me that I wasn't gay.
It was difficult for Emily to process, creating a sense that she was an outsider and a “freak” "At the same time, I was horrified as I felt I had to hide my condition. I felt like a hybrid and a freak,” she said.
Emma’s father (Jam Press/Emma Lynn Dowd)Emma continued to live as a man as she felt it was “too late” to reverse her gender - but an accident in 2019 transformed her life. "It was early in the morning and I was going to the playpen where I put my dog,” she began.
"All of a sudden I slipped and hit my head on a piece of PVC pipe sticking out of a rack. It hit the very base of my skull, splitting it open. I was still awake, so I immediately took myself to the doctor."
Emma was born with both male and female organs (Jam Press/Emma Lynn Dowd)The doctors informed her the testosterone production in her body was being weakened by the trauma in her head. She thought that would be a sign to discuss her condition, and during her recovery she decided to be put on hormone replacement therapy to transition into a woman.
"[When doctors told me the news], I was confused, as I thought it was just a concussion,” she said. "But I was also happy, I was about to enter this new way of life as a woman. I was shocked when they told me I could be a woman, but it made sense. I was put on HRT and told to let my body do its own thing."
Emma fully transitioned into a woman after an accident in 2019 (Jam Press/Emma Lynn Dowd)Two years later, Emma had long hair, was once again getting a period and had developed breasts. She also changed her name - to the name her mother had planned to give her if she had been born a girl.
“I have never spoken to my parents about why they brought me up as a boy, because in my mind, they made a choice out of love. I do not blame anyone for it. My parents have been supportive of my transition and we've talked about things, we're on good terms now.
Striking teacher forced to take a second job to pay bills ahead of mass walkout
Emma as a man in 2017 (Jam Press/Emma Lynn Dowd)"My friends have been very supportive - there were a few who were 'weirded out' but I don't speak to them anymore. I am me now, I want to live an anger-free and happy life without any grudges towards anyone,” she said.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
