Hermaphrodite people. A true hermaphrodite. Above is a diagram of the structure of the dual reproductive system of a hermaphrodite; below - the similarity of the reproductive systems of men and women
...no matter how you fight,
You can't run away from me! Order it, high gods,
I will not part with him for the rest of my life, and he will not part with me!”
The gods heard her prayer: mingled, both
Their bodies united, and their faces became one.
Publius Ovid Naso
Έρμαφρόδιτος - in Greek mythology, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, a young man of extraordinary beauty, raised by naiads on Mount Ida in Phrygia.
When Hermaphroditus was fifteen years old, he set off to wander around Asia Minor.
Once in Caria, when Hermaphroditus was bathing in the waters of a spring, the nymph of this spring, Salmacis, passionately desired a beautiful young man, but her pleas for reciprocity were unsuccessful.
At the request of Salmacis, the gods merged her with Hermaphrodite into one bisexual creature.
Similar legends existed among many peoples of the world.
In western Sudan there is a legend about undivided, bisexual ancestors from which humans are descendants.
But here is what the legend of the Paraguayan Indians of the Lengua tribe says: God, in the form of a winged beetle, created a man and a woman in one body.
They lived like Siamese twins, but one fine day they wanted to have offspring and began to ask God to give them such an opportunity.
God granted their desire and separated them.
After this, a man and a woman became the ancestors of all humanity...
The phenomena of hermaphroditism underlie the widespread beliefs in the East and West about androgynes, creatures capable of changing their gender.
In the Middle Ages, sexual metamorphosis was considered the work of evil spirits; Inquisition practice of the 16th - 17th centuries. is rich in cases of persecution of hermaphrodites.
So, in Darmstadt in the 16th century. there was a case of baptism of a baby of dubious gender in the name of Elizabeth, then John, and the transformation of John again into Elizabeth, who was finally burned at the stake.
In the Middle Ages, hermaphrodites were brutally persecuted: they were killed and burned. It was believed that they were in league with the devil, since the devil was also portrayed by believers as a bisexual creature.
Apparently, based on the fact that a double set of sexual characteristics gives twice as much pleasure, envious obscurantists declared hermaphrodites to be hypersexual and depraved creatures endowed with a supernatural sexual appetite.
In Rome in the 17th century, hermaphrodites had their own “club” and successfully practiced prostitution. Why not, since they were considered the dissolute spawn of Satan?
In the 18th century, attitudes towards hermaphrodites changed somewhat. Marie Dorothy (or rather, her male half) was even allowed to receive an inheritance (the will stated that only the man should receive the inheritance).
In the 19th century, neuter people became popular as circus performers. They let the hair grow on one side of the head and cut it short on the other, enhancing and emphasizing the differences.
In the 20th century, reconstructive genital surgery began to be used on hermaphrodites, bringing a person to a single sex.
Today, if a child is born with questionable gender characteristics, parents can undergo a hormonal analysis to determine whether hormonal treatment or surgical intervention is necessary.
Intersex people began to “come out of hiding” quite late - the social movement for the rights of intersex people appeared in North America and European countries only in the late 1990s.
For the first time, intersexuality, which has always existed, is no longer “invisible.” For example, intersex people have spoken out against unnecessary genital surgeries on children whose sole purpose is to make them “normal.”
It has been known since the 1930s that people with non-standard genitals, as a rule, do not experience any psychological problems because of this, but still doctors used operations to solve the problem of discomfort in their parents and themselves.
Intersex activists rarely identify themselves as part of the LGBT movement due to differences in goals. However, many of the goals of these movements unexpectedly overlap, for example, this relates to the issue of same-sex marriage.
After all, if you think about it, the necessary thesis for a ban on homosexual marriage is a clear and unambiguous division into men and women.
However, if we recall the case of Saidam, sometimes even a medical examination cannot decide how to distinguish a man from a woman.
Back in the 19th century, there were cases of fully legal same-sex marriages concluded by people who had the wrong gender recorded on their documents.
In 1843, Levi Saidam, twenty-three years old, a native of the small town of Salisbury (Connecticut), asked the local administration to allow him to participate in the elections: he wanted to vote for the Whig party. He was not a criminal and did not try to falsify the ballot, but representatives of the opposition party spoke out strongly against it. American democracy has not yet known such a precedent: they tried to deny Saidam the right to vote on the grounds that he... was more a woman than a man. Since the suffragettes did not have time to develop vigorous activity by the second half of the 19th century, Saidam could have received a whipping from the gate. Only gentlemen could vote. Members of the city council invited a doctor to help them settle the controversial issue. Dr. William Barry was supposed to examine the young man and confirm or refute the rumors. Aesculapius was somewhat confused, but made the final conclusion in favor of Saidam: he had an embryonic penis, so the client can be considered a man. By the way, Levy's participation was actually necessary for the Whig leadership: the party won the elections by a margin of one vote.
From a medical point of view
Male genital organs are formed outside the body of the embryo (penis and testicles), and female genital organs are formed inside the body in the form of the vagina and ovaries.
They purely morphologically repeat each other and develop from the same germinal germ cells.
In a 6-week embryo, both reproductive systems are present in the rudiment - male and female. In a nine-month-old male fetus, the uterus corresponds to the male prostate gland, which contains a rudiment of the uterus - i.e. "male uterus", the testes correspond to the ovaries, and the latter in the female sex have rudiments of male seminiferous tubules.
The seminal vesicles correspond to the fallopian tubes, and the clitoris is an undeveloped penis.
Male nipples can also be classified as undeveloped rudiments of the female body.
There are known cases of gynecomastia, when men develop mammary glands like women and cases of lactation.
A person’s gender is something that is not determined as straightforwardly as it might seem at first glance. It would not be an exaggeration to say that even the concepts of “man” and “woman” are very arbitrary, and the slightest glitch or deviation from the “course” gives many variations.
In the case of Caster Semenya, we are talking, perhaps, precisely in a case where these conventions are especially obvious.
Most people, from conception to adulthood, develop according to one of two genetic programs and under the influence of other people.
They receive a double set of sex chromosomes - either two Xs, or an X and a Y.
Along with chromosomes, they also receive certain genes.
If a Y chromosome is found, then the genes located on it begin to form the genital organs according to the male type, and the male reproductive system is obtained from the initially neutral rudiments.
And already at the stage of chromosome selection, other scenarios are possible, except for combinations of XX and XY. You may, for example, come across the combination XXY: then the person looks outwardly like a man, but he may have enlarged mammary glands.
An extra X chromosome will also result in infertility, increased height, and a high risk of obesity and mental retardation. There are other combinations, up to XXXXY.
It also happens that the genital organs will be formed according to the correct program, but the hormonal levels and the not yet fully studied features of the brain structure will be close to those of the other sex.
There are even examples of the presence of typically female organs inside the male body.
Since ancient times, hermaphrodites have been divided into two classes: male hermaphrodites (gynandrius) and female hermaphrodites (androgyny); the former with a predominance of the male type, the latter - with the female type.
In addition, they distinguish: hermaphroditismus lateralis, in which organs of one type are on one side and the other on the opposite side; hermaphroditismus transversalis, when the internal organs correspond to one type, and the external ones to another.
But such an accurate determination of the genus of a hermaphrodite was previously possible only after an autopsy, so it is not surprising that at all times, even experienced doctors, made mistakes when examining hermaphrodites.
For every 2000 (according to other sources, 200-300) newborns, one is a hermaphrodite.
There are true and false hermaphroditism.
In true cases, along with the simultaneous presence of female and male genital organs, there are female and male gonads capable of producing the corresponding hormones and reproductive products.
The testicles and ovaries can be located separately from each other, or they can be combined into one mixed gland, some parts of which produce eggs, others - sperm.
Self-fertilization is impossible due to the separate location of the sections in the gonads. The urogenital canal passes through the penis, so urination and ejaculation occur according to the male type.
Below the penis is the entrance to the vagina.
The uterus and fallopian tubes are present.
Usually the organs are not only doubled, but also underdeveloped compared to the average.
There are examples when the mental makeup and sexual orientation of hermaphrodites changed several times during their lives, but more often hermaphrodites are bisexual.
American sociologists have revealed that hermaphrodites experience a preferential attraction to their own “third” sex, if, of course, they manage to meet a representative of such a person.
Compared to ordinary people, “bisexuals” exhibit noticeably less sexual activity. The Americans suggested that by combining both sexes, hermaphrodites quench their sexual desire only by this alone. Although, most likely, a somewhat reduced sexual temperament is explained by hormonal reasons and underdevelopment of the reproductive system. Observers deduce the structure of the psyche of hermaphrodites from their anatomical structure: their preferential choice of each other explains the desire of like for like in conditions where for these people there is no opposite. Prejudice and speculation have always surrounded hermaphrodites. They are usually sterile, and, unlike plants, are not at all capable of self-fertilization. But nevertheless, articles regularly appear in the press on the topic: a hermaphrodite impregnated himself and became pregnant.
False or pseudohermaphroditism occurs when there is a contradiction between the internal (chromosomal and gonadal) and external (structure of the genital organs) signs of sex (bisexual development), i.e. the gonads are formed correctly according to the male or female type, but the external genitalia have signs bisexuality.
False hermaphrodites are much more likely to encounter psychological problems than physiological ones. Since childhood, they have been embarrassed by their “peculiarity,” and this complex is developed by their school and playmates. Children, unfortunately, often lack tact and are capable of driving a hermaphrodite child to suicide with ridicule. But, as a rule, the period of teenage self-doubt passes, and they meet a person who is able to accept him and his physiology. In appearance and behavior, false hermaphrodites do not differ from ordinary people. They tend to develop in accordance with the dominant sex and develop a heterosexual orientation. However, mistakes are also possible: for example, when a hermaphrodite child is raised as a boy, and, having become a teenager, he begins to feel like a girl. Among them there are bisexuals and any other variants of sexual preferences.
Who knows, if the topic of “two-sex” were not so taboo in society, and “two-sex” were not under the yoke of the “same-sex” ideology, then they could, perhaps, expand the number of their representatives. Moreover, there is an opinion (or legend) that true hermaphrodites can give birth to hermaphrodites.
Despite the fact that hermaphroditism in our society is considered a pathology, we must still admit that we all carry in our bodies and souls some other principle that is opposite to and complements our own nature. According to legend, as already mentioned, we borrowed both principles from our distant ancestors. The question comes down to this: should we today make up for what we have lost, at least in our thoughts, or close ourselves within the framework of prescriptions?
The very craving for the opposite sex inherent in us, this great instinct of love, without which life seems meaningless to us, is precisely the replenishment of what once disappeared. But, apparently, the absence of what we desire adds much more pleasure than its presence in our bodies and souls. So our mythological ancestors chose the intoxication of passion over cold narcissism and gradually turned from “bisexual” into men and women in order to fully experience all the torments and pleasures of the Great Illusion - romantic love.
From a legal point of view
From a legal point of view, in a modern binary society, the question of whether hermaphrodites belong to one or the other sex is of great practical interest, since the social status, validity of marriage, inheritance and other rights of a given person depend on its resolution.
Muslim jurists have developed this issue in particular detail. Their instructions about hermaphrodites (hunsa) boil down mainly to the following: hermaphrodites generally approach the male or female sex, according to which they follow the legal status of one or the other sex. If such an approximation to one of the two sexes does not exist, then they occupy a middle position. During prayer in the mosque, they must stand between men and women and pray like women; during pilgrimage they must wear women's clothing. As a co-heir, the hermaphrodite receives half the male and half the female.
Roman law does not allow a legal middle ground between the two sexes: the rights of a hermaphrodite are determined by the sex that predominates in him. This principle is followed by some modern European legislation (Russian legislation is completely silent on this subject). Prussian law leaves it to parents to decide the sex of the hermaphrodite; but the latter, upon reaching 18 years of age, can choose the gender to which he wishes to join. Third parties whose rights are violated by such a choice have the right to demand a medical examination.
In France, the question of the ability of a hermaphrodite to marry comes down to the question of impotence; if impotence cannot be proven, then the marriage is considered valid. Due to primogeniture, hermaphroditism is of particular importance in England, even in all other states where citizens participate in government. Thus, in 1843, in the state of Connecticut in North America, 23-year-old voter Lavy Swydom, at the request of a hostile political party, was subjected to forensic examination several times and was recognized as a man, but it was later discovered that he had regular, albeit insignificant, menstruation, yes and the whole type of build was female.
When a child is born with gender ambiguity, it is usually recorded as a girl. And as an adult, he can change his civilian gender if it does not correspond to his sense of self.
In the history of big sports
In 1966, Austrian skier Erika Schineger became the world champion in downhill skiing and took the gold medal from French celebrity Mariel Goechel. Two years later, a medical examination confirmed her true gender: Erica is a hermaphrodite, endowed with male genes. After six months spent in the hospital, Mr. Erik Schineger began a new life. He got married and has an 11-year-old daughter. In his house there are 70 medals and cups won by Erica, who disappeared 20 years ago. The remaining 280 awards were won by skier Eric, who continued his competitive activities after the operation. “The newspapers started talking about me again,” says Scheineger, “when at the end of ’88 I returned my gold medal to Goichel.”
Sex controls were introduced at the Olympic Games in 1968 in Mexico City. However, before the Sydney 2000 Games, the IOC suspended genetic testing. At the same time, the Olympic Council of Asia is still holding them.
Princess Anne, a member of the British equestrian team, was exempted from taking a gender test during the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
During the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, eight athletes failed the initial gender test. Later, based on the results of a physiological medical examination, all of them were restored to their rights.
Indian 800m runner Santi Soundarian was stripped of her silver medal at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha due to sex control. She tried to commit suicide last September but was saved. Soundarian currently works as a trainer.
In esotericism and mythology
Hermaphrodite is a bisexual creature in esotericism associated with cosmic myth. Hermaphrodite is the result of applying the symbolism of number to a human being, creating a holistic personality, despite its duality.
Among the gods, such a state of unity is symbolized by the androgynous Zervan, the Persian god of endless time, the Greek Chaos and Erebus, who are considered gender neutral.
Orphic cosmology stated that the infinite and eternal Chronos gave birth to Chaos and Ether, and then fashioned from them the silver egg of the world. From him hatched the hermaphrodite Fan, the god of light and love, who gave birth to Night, and later with it other living beings and gods.
Zeus and Hercules often dress in women's clothing.
In Cyprus there is a bearded Aphrodite.
Dionysus has feminine characteristics.
The Chinese god of day and night is also bisexual.
In pre-Columbian Mexico, the hermaphrodite was personified by Quetzalcoatl, the god in whom the principles of opposites and separate sexes are ultimately united.
In shamanism, transvestism is practiced during initiation ceremonies.
Baal and Astarte are also androgynous.
Early midrashim show Adam as a hermaphrodite.
Plato, in the Symposium, states that man was originally bisexual.
Before the Great Mother, the Tellur Mater was either androgynous or had no gender at all.
Hermaphroditism in archaic form expresses the divine form of duality.
In India, such a dualistic being - the union of two sexes in one individual - was the main force, the light that radiates life, that is, the lingam.
In alchemy, the hermaphrodite is Mercury.
In philosophy and psychology
C. G. Jung, who had a special interest in ancient esoteric doctrines, drew attention to the interest of alchemists in the image of Hermaphrodite.
However, he believed that the alchemists were mistaken in expressing the goal of their spiritual quest with this symbol.
Jung considered the image of Hermaphroditus rude and ugly and contrasted it with another symbol of integrity (also borrowed from ancient Greek mythology) - the image of the Androgyne.
The hermaphrodite, according to C. G. Jung, rather personifies the original integrity, when the masculine and feminine are simply not yet separated from each other.
Another symbol of this state is the ouroboros, the serpent biting its own tail.
In this sense, Hermaphrodite rather symbolizes that state of original harmony, which exists even before the emergence of consciousness, and precedes the appearance of opposites and conflicts.
Therefore, he is rather the “starting point” of the path of individuation, and not at all its goal.
Jung considered the use of the image of the Hermaphrodite appropriate only in the very initial stages of working with a client. He believed that the true goal of spiritual work was not the unconscious unity of opposite principles, but their conscious synthesis. The fact is that it is impossible to find your unique “spiritual Self” without going through all the stages of alchemical transformation, without living in your personal experience all the contradictions inherent in the world and without finding your own way to cope with them. Or, using the terms of C. G. Jung, in order to come to one’s self (analogue of the “spiritual self”) it is necessary to completely go through the entire path of individuation with all its steps. If Androgyne symbolizes harmony between consciousness and the unconscious, and achieving this state requires concerted efforts of the mind and intuition, then the image of Hermaphrodite is rather a passive dissolution in the unconscious. The images of Androgyne and Hermaphrodite are in many ways similar to each other; they symbolize states of the soul that are very similar in their inner feeling, but correspond to different stages of a person’s spiritual path.
In literature
Writers love the image of Hermaphroditus. It is found in a variety of authors, from Ovid to Pelevin.
Herculine Barbin “Memoirs of a Hermaphrodite”, Gustav Meyrink in the novel “Golem”, German Sadulayev “AD”, James Rees “Book of Shadows”... And, of course, Lautreamont “Songs of Maldor”
In the forest, in a flowering clearing, a hermaphrodite has forgotten himself in sleep, and the grass is wet with his tears, like dew.
Breaking through the thickness of the clouds, the moon caresses with its pale rays the young and handsome face of the sleeping man, a face in which there is as much manly strength as girlish meekness.
Everything about this creature is absurd: the strong muscles of an athlete do not adorn the body, but with rough bumps
disrupt the smooth roundness of feminine lines.
He covered his eyes with one hand, pressed the other to his chest, as if he wanted to calm the hysterical beating of his heart - a heavy eternal secret oppresses him, it is overflowing and cannot be poured out.
Previously, he lived among people, painfully ashamed of the fact that he was different from everyone else, a freak, and finally despaired, could not bear it and ran away, and now he wanders through life alone, like a beggar along the high road.
You ask: how does he live, how does he get food?
Well, the world is not without good people, not everyone has left it, and some, although he doesn’t know it, lovingly care for him.
And how can you not love him: after all, he is so gentle and so humble.
Sometimes he is not averse to talking to a warm-hearted person, but he avoids all touch and always stays away.
However, if anyone asks why he chose the lot of a hermit, he will leave the careless question unanswered and will only turn his gaze to heaven, barely restraining himself from crying out of resentment at the Providence of the Lord - and the white petals of his eyelids will turn the color of a scarlet rose.
And if the interlocutor does not back down, the hermaphrodite will become worried and begin to look around anxiously, as if
sensing the approach of an invisible enemy and looking for somewhere to hide, and finally, hastily saying goodbye, he rushes into the thicket of the forest, driven by disturbed modesty.
No wonder he is mistaken for a madman.
And then one day they sent four masked guards after him, who pounced on him and tied him tightly with ropes, leaving only his legs free so that he could walk.
The belt whip had already burned his shoulders, and shouts were heard as the guards prepared to drive him to Bicêtre.
But he only smiled in response to the blows and spoke to his tormentors, revealing a rare depth of mind and feeling: his knowledge in a variety of sciences was amazing for an immature youth, and his thoughts about the destinies of mankind were sublime and poetic.
And the guards were horrified by what they had done, immediately untied the ropes that entangled him and threw themselves at his feet, begging for forgiveness, and, forgiven, they left, expressing signs of such enthusiastic admiration, which few mortals are honored with.
When this case became public, the secret of the hermaphrodite was unraveled, but in order not to aggravate his suffering, no one told him about it, and the authorities assigned him a considerable allowance, wanting to make amends and make him forget about that regrettable day when he was almost killed. They put me in a madhouse.
Of this money he takes only half for himself, and distributes the rest to the poor.
If a hermaphrodite happens to see a couple walking somewhere in the thick shade of plane trees, something terrible happens to him, as if two different creatures living in him are tearing him apart: one is eager to embrace a man, the other is just as passionately lusting for a woman.
And although he quickly pacifies this madness with the effort of reason, he prefers to avoid any society: both male and female. He is ashamed of his ugliness, he is excessively ashamed, so that he does not dare to have a heartfelt inclination towards anyone, convinced that this would defile both himself and the one who is dear to him.
“It’s better for everyone to follow their own nature,” pride tirelessly tells him.
Out of pride, he does not want to connect his life with any man or woman, fearing that sooner or later he will
they will reproach him for his terrible flaw and blame him for something over which he has no control.
And although this fear is nothing more than his own conjecture, an imaginary insult also torments his pride.
That is why, suffering and inconsolable, he so stubbornly avoids all people.
In the forest, in a flowering clearing, a hermaphrodite has forgotten himself, and, like dew, the grass is wet with his tears.
From the tree branches, fascinated, having forgotten about sleep, daytime birds look at the mournful face, and the nightingale does not begin her crystal trills, so as not to wake him up.
The silent night forest above the prostrate body is like a solemn vaulted crypt.
To you, traveler, who wandered here inadvertently, I pray: for the sake of everything that is sacred to you: that passion for adventure that made you run away from under your parental roof as a child; those terrible torments that you endured in the desert, languishing with thirst; for the sake of your long-abandoned homeland, which you, a restless exile, would like to find in foreign lands; for the sake of the faithful steed, who shared with you all the hardships of wandering, who endured the bad weather of all latitudes, wherever your irrepressible vagabond character drove you; for the sake of that special, imperturbable fortitude that is acquired in wanderings through distant countries and uncharted seas, among polar ice floes and under the scorching sun - I pray you, do not touch the hair of the hermaphrodite, even if your touch is lighter than the breeze, still, stop, do not touch it hair that wildly scattered across the grass and woven gold into her green silk.
Oh, be pious, stop, step back.
You cannot touch these strands - this is the vow of a hermaphrodite.
He wished that no one living on earth would press his curls, fanned by the breath of the mountain heights, to his rapturous lips, no one would kiss his purest brow, shining here in the darkness, like a star in the heavens. Or indeed one of the stars, leaving its eternal path, descended from the sky onto the beautiful forehead of the hermaphrodite and crowned his head with a radiant halo. He is chastity itself, he is like a sinless angel, and even the gloomy night softens and wants to muffle the noise and rustle of midges, protecting his sleep.
Thick branches closed over him like a canopy, protecting him from the dew; the wind plucks the strings of its sweet-sounding harp and caresses the sleeper’s ears with harmonious chords, and it seems to him that he is listening to the music of the celestial spheres. http://shemale.ruforums.net/--vt156.html
The concept of “hermaphroditism syndrome” refers to a group of disorders of sexual differentiation that accompany many congenital diseases and are manifested by quite diverse symptoms. Patients suffering from this pathology have characteristics of both men and women.
Below we will talk about why hermaphroditism occurs, what clinical manifestations it can be accompanied by, and also introduce the reader to the principles of diagnosis and treatment of this pathology.
False hermaphroditism is distinguished when the structure of the genitals does not correspond to the gender of the gonads (gonads). In this case, the genetic sex is determined by the affiliation of the gonads and is called pseudohermaphroditism, male or female, respectively. If a person has elements of both the testicle and ovary at the same time, this condition is called true hermaphroditism.
In the structure of urological and gynecological pathology, hermaphroditism is recorded in 2-6% of patients. There are no official statistics regarding this pathology today, but it is unofficially believed that hermaphroditism occurs more often than doctors register it. Such patients are often hidden under other diagnoses (“gonadal dysgenesis”, “adrenogenital syndrome” and others), and also receive therapy in psychiatric departments, since their sexual disorders are incorrectly assessed by doctors as diseases of the sexual centers of the brain.
Classification
Depending on the mechanism of development of hermaphroditism, there are 2 main forms of it: impaired differentiation of the genitals (genital organs) and impaired differentiation of the sex glands, or gonads.
There are 2 types of genital differentiation disorders:
- Female hermaphroditism (partial appearance of male sexual characteristics, the set of chromosomes is 46 XX):
- congenital dysfunction of the adrenal cortex;
- intrauterine virilization of the fetus under the influence of external factors (if the mother suffers from any tumor that produces male sex hormones - androgens, or takes medications that have androgenic activity).
- Male hermaphroditism (inadequate formation of male sexual characteristics; the karyotype looks like this: 46 XY):
- testicular feminization syndrome (tissues are sharply insensitive to androgens, which is why, despite the male genotype, and therefore the person’s belonging to this sex, he looks like a woman);
- deficiency of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase;
- insufficient testosterone synthesis.
Disorders of differentiation of the gonads are represented by the following forms of pathology:
- bisexual gonad syndrome, or true hermaphroditism (the same person combines both male and female gonads);
- Turner syndrome;
- pure agenesis of the gonads (complete absence of the sex glands in the patient, the genitals are female, underdeveloped, secondary sexual characteristics are not determined);
- dysgenesis (disorder of intrauterine development) of the testicles.
Causes of occurrence and mechanism of development of pathology
Both hereditary factors and factors affecting it from the outside can disrupt the normal development of the fetal genital organs.
The causes of disembryogenesis, as a rule, are:
- mutations of genes in autosomes (non-sex chromosomes);
- pathology in the area of sex chromosomes, both quantitative and qualitative;
- external factors affecting the fetus’s body through its mother at a certain stage of development (the critical period in this situation is 8 weeks): tumors in the mother’s body that produce male sex hormones, her taking medications with androgenic activity, exposure to radioactive radiation, various types of intoxication .
Each of these factors can affect any of the stages of sex formation, as a result of which one or another set of disorders characteristic of hermaphroditism develops.
Symptoms
Let's look at each form of hermaphroditism in more detail.
Female pseudohermaphroditism
This pathology is associated with a defect in the enzyme 21- or 11-hydroxylase. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner (that is, it is not related to gender). The set of chromosomes in patients is female – 46 XX, the gonads are also female (ovaries), and are formed correctly. The external genitalia have characteristics of both male and female. The severity of these disorders depends on the severity of the mutation and varies from mild hypertrophy (increase in size) of the clitoris to the formation of external genitalia, almost similar to male ones.
The disease is also accompanied by severe disturbances in the level of electrolytes in the blood, which are associated with a deficiency of the hormone aldosterone. In addition, the patient may be diagnosed with diarrhea, which is caused by increased blood volume and high sodium levels in the blood, resulting from a deficiency of the 11-hydroxylase enzyme.
Male pseudohermaphroditism
As a rule, it manifests itself as androgen insensitivity syndrome. The pattern of inheritance is X-linked.
Testicular feminization syndrome may develop due to a mutation in the androgen receptor gene. It is accompanied by insensitivity of the tissues of the male body to male sex hormones (androgens) and, on the contrary, good sensitivity to female hormones (estrogens). This pathology is characterized by the following symptoms:
- chromosome set 46 XY, but looks sick like a woman;
- aplasia (absence) of the vagina;
- insufficient hair growth for a man or complete absence of the latter;
- development of mammary glands characteristic of women;
- primary (although the genitals are developed according to the female type, they are absent);
- absence of a uterus.
In patients with this pathology, the male sex glands (testicles) are formed correctly, but are located not in the scrotum (it is missing after all), but in the inguinal canals, the area of the labia majora, and in the abdominal cavity.
Depending on how insensitive the patient’s body tissues are to androgens, complete and incomplete forms of testicular feminization are distinguished. There is a variety of this pathology in which the patient’s external genitalia look almost normal, close in appearance to those of healthy men. This condition is called Reifenstein syndrome.
Also, false male hermaphroditism may be a manifestation of disorders of testosterone synthesis caused by a deficiency of certain enzymes.
Disorders of gonadal differentiation
Pure gonadal agenesis syndrome
This pathology occurs due to point mutations on the X or Y chromosome. Patients are of normal height, their secondary sexual characteristics are underdeveloped, there is sexual infantilism and primary amenorrhea (initially no menstruation).
The external genitalia, as a rule, have the appearance of a woman. In men, they sometimes develop according to the male pattern.
Turner syndrome
It is caused by a genetic mutation - monosomy (full or partial) on the X chromosome. There are also anomalies in the structure of this chromosome or mosaic variants of the mutation.
As a result of this anomaly, the processes of differentiation of the gonads and the function of the ovaries are disrupted. On both sides there is dysgenesis of the gonads, which are represented by striae.
Genes on non-sex chromosomes are also affected. The growth processes of somatic cells and their differentiation are disrupted. Such patients are always short and have many different other anomalies (for example, a short neck, pterygoid folds of the neck, high palate, heart defects, kidney defects, and others).
Testicular dysgenesis
There are 2 forms of it:
- bilateral (two-sided) – the testicles are underdeveloped on both sides and do not produce normal sperm; karyotype – 46 XY, however, abnormalities in the structure of the X chromosome are detected; the internal genital organs are developed according to the female type, the external ones can have characteristics of both male and female; the testicles do not produce testosterone, so the level of sex hormones in the patient’s blood is sharply reduced;
- mixed - the gonads are developed asymmetrically; on the one hand they are represented by a normal testicle with preserved reproductive function, on the other - by a testicle; in adolescence, some patients develop secondary sexual characteristics of the male type; When studying the chromosome set, as a rule, anomalies in the form of mosaicism are revealed.
True hermaphroditism
This pathology is also called bisexual gonad syndrome. This is a rare disease characterized by the presence of structural elements of both the testicle and ovary in the same person. They can be formed separately from each other, but in some cases, patients have so-called ovotestis - tissue of both sex glands in one organ.
The set of chromosomes in true hermaphroditism is usually normal female, but in some cases it is male. Sex chromosome mosaicism also occurs.
The symptoms of this pathology are quite varied and depend on the activity of the testicular or ovarian tissue. The external genitalia are represented by both female and male elements.
Diagnostic principles
Ultrasound allows you to assess the condition of the gonads. The diagnosis process, as in other clinical situations, includes 4 stages:
- collection of complaints, anamnesis (history) of life and current illness;
- objective examination;
- laboratory diagnostics;
- instrumental diagnostics.
Let's look at each of them in more detail.
Complaints and anamnesis
Among other data, in case of suspected hermaphroditism, the following points are of particular importance:
- whether the patient’s immediate family suffers from similar disorders;
- the fact of removal surgery in childhood (this and the previous points will lead the doctor to think about testicular feminization syndrome);
- characteristics and growth rates in childhood and adolescence (if the growth rate in the first years of a child’s life was ahead of that of peers, and at 9-10 years old it stopped or slowed down sharply, the doctor should think about the diagnosis of “dysfunction of the adrenal cortex”, which arose against the background of increased levels of androgens in blood; this pathology may also be suspected in a child with).
Objective examination
The most important point here is to assess the patient's sexual development and body type. In addition to sexual infantilism, the detection of growth disorders and minor anomalies in the development of other organs and systems allows us to make a diagnosis of “Turner syndrome” even before karyotyping.
If, upon palpation of a man’s testicles, they are detected in the inguinal canal or in the thickness of the labia majora, male pseudohermaphroditism can be suspected. The discovery of the absence of a uterus will further convince the doctor of this diagnosis.
Laboratory diagnostics
The most informative method for diagnosing this pathology is karyotyping - a cytogenetic study of chromosomes - their number and structure.
Also, in patients with suspected hermaphroditism, the concentration in the blood of luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones, testosterone and estradiol, and, less often, mineralo- and glucocorticoids is determined.
In difficult diagnostic situations, a hCG test is performed.
Instrumental diagnostic methods
To assess the condition of the genital organs, the patient is prescribed an ultrasound of the pelvic organs, and in some cases, computed tomography of this area.
The most informative is an endoscopic examination of the internal genital organs and their biopsy.
Principles of treatment
The main direction of treatment for hermaphroditism is surgical intervention to correct the patient’s gender. The latter chooses his gender, and in accordance with this decision, surgeons reconstruct the external genitalia.
Also, in many clinical situations, such patients are recommended to undergo a bilateral gonadectomy - completely remove the gonads (testes or ovaries).
Female patients, if they have hypogonadism, are prescribed hormonal therapy. It is also indicated for patients whose gonads have been removed. In the latter case, the purpose of taking hormones is to prevent the development of post-castration syndrome (sex hormone deficiency).
So, patients can be prescribed the following drugs:
- estradiol (one of its trade names is Proginova, there are others);
- COCs (combined oral contraceptives) - Mercilon, Logest, Novinet, Yarina, Zhanin and others;
- drugs for hormone replacement therapy for disorders that arise after the onset (climodien, femoston, and so on);
- synthetic analogues of glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids (depending on which hormone deficiency occurs in a particular patient); they are prescribed for adrenal dysfunction, which results in sexual disorders;
- to stimulate the growth of the patient, people suffering from Turner syndrome are prescribed somatotropic hormone preparations (Norditropin and others);
- testosterone (omnadren, sustanon) – it is recommended to use it for the purpose of hormonal therapy for males.
Patients suffering from hermaphroditism, even after surgery, should be under the supervision of an endocrinologist. Also, many of them are advised to consult a psychotherapist, sexologist or psychologist.
“The queen gave birth to either a son or a daughter that night...” This excerpt from the work of A.S. Pushkin’s “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” is very consonant with the topic of hermaphroditism, which is relevant at all times. We sometimes wonder what it is like to be such a person? What does it feel like to be completely deprived of sex? And how does this affect your personal life?
First of all, it is worth understanding that hermaphrodite people are individuals who have the sexual characteristics of both men and women. The name goes back to when the passionately in love Hermaphroditus (the son of Hermes and Aphrodite) decided to unite with the nymph Salmacis. In mythology, they are called androgynes - the first humans, combining both the masculine and feminine principles. But this is just a mythology expounded by Plato, and in real life everything is different. After all, hermaphrodite people are completely sterile. And how can you live in our time, realizing that you are a person of the middle sex and cannot have children? There is only one known case in which a hermaphrodite was capable of normal sexual relations. This individual had a penis of 14 cm and a vagina of 8.5 cm. She also had both ovaries and testicles. She experienced menstruation and ejaculated, and could live both as and as a woman. But this is an isolated case. Often, hermaphrodite bisexual people have a mixture of testicular and ovarian tissue instead of ovaries, which cannot produce any hormones: there are no follicles and no eggs. Often there is a combination of penis and vagina or penis and size 4 breasts.
Most often, hermaphrodites are people whose genes contain a mutation that awards their chosen one with both female and male genital organs. Less commonly, the culprit is heredity. Also, hermaphrodite people are born in marriages between blood relatives. Overall, less than one percent are androgynous. Previously, it was almost impossible to identify them, as they tried to hide their belonging to the neuter gender. To confirm or refute the presence, it is necessary to conduct a series of tests and pass many tests, including chromosomal ones.
Many authors have addressed this difficult topic in their teachings. One of them - Eugenides Jeffrey - in his original work “The Middle Sex” clearly described the state of a person when he finds out that she is him, as well as the further life of a hermaphrodite among ordinary people. But all this happened in the 20s of the last century...
Time passes, morals change, and at the moment the attitude towards hermaphrodite people is quite tolerant. But there remains a church that to this day does not perceive them as full-fledged people, believing that a person must choose who he wants or a woman. But this is almost impossible, despite the fact that surgical plastic surgery gives results. This is because hermaphrodite people cannot know for sure which gender they belong to. They will make a woman out of them, but they are more reminiscent of a man - in strength, in the structure of the figure. Or, on the contrary, having become a man, they resemble a woman with the fragility of their figure and the tenderness of their face. There is and will always be a way out - this is to come to terms with who you are and accept it, no matter how bitter the truth is.
Hermaphroditism in humans (true) is a pathological disorder of a congenital nature, caused by the presence of two types of gonads - testicle and ovary (ant. dioeciousness). Sometimes an uncharacteristic gonadal set of mixed structure (ovotestis) is also found. The symptoms of true hermaphroditism do not have strictly typical characteristics; it all depends on which gonad in the body is most active. Treatment, causes and diagnosis are different in each specific case.
In general, “bisexuality” can be characterized as a developmental defect of the reproductive system, when the diagnosis reveals double symptoms (men and women). As a rule, doctors mean its false form, when there are signs of development of the internal sex glands of one sex, and the external organs of the other (or with symptoms of obvious “bisexuality”).
Duality: mysticism and reality
Even in times of complete equality, gender differences have not lost their relevance, and the possibility of combining male and female characteristics in one body is still considered amazing. Pathology has always been shrouded in a cloud of mysticism, and the very concept of deviation came from ancient Greek mythology as a result of the fusion of two names: Aphrodite and Hermes.
A hermaphrodite child has always been treated differently: with fear, with respect, as a curse or degradation of the family. Diagnosis of the causes, much less treatment of such “dissimilarity” was not carried out. Fortunately, in the modern world there is a scientific and reasonable explanation for everything.
True hermaphroditism. In total, there are no more than 200 descriptions of such patients in world medical practice. Much more often, gynecologists and andrologists describe the symptoms (and causes) of false hermaphroditism: when, during diagnosis, the patient is diagnosed with symptoms that determine simultaneous dioeciousness - the gonads of one sex, and the intimate external organs of the other.
True hermaphroditism, morphoforms (classification):
- When a male or female secondary sexual characteristic predominates.
- When clear signs of equal “performance” from both sexes are identified.
- When the genital organ of one sex is present, and the gonad is of the opposite sex (sexual type of transsexualism).
Variants of true hermaphroditism, accompanied by anomalies of the external genitalia:
- A complete set of external intimate organs of a man (woman) interspersed with one or more elements from the other sex.
- Incomplete set of genitalia from different sexes.
- A dual and complete sexual set of external intimate organs for both men and women.
But most often the diagnosis “shows” false hermaphroditism, and specifically female, with congenital adrenogenital syndrome.
Why is this happening?
The modern reasons for the birth of children “descendants of Hermes and Aphrodite” are quite prosaic. Spontaneous breakdown in hereditary information during pregnancy, when changes in chromosomes or genes occur (at an early stage of embryo formation), is associated with a number of the following reasons:
- Chemical and toxic poisons (abuse or use of illegal drugs).
- Irradiation.
- Exposure to biofactors (viruses, bacteria, toxoplasmosis).
- Changes in hormonal balance in mother and fetus.
An excess of androgens in a female fetus leads to the formation of male-type genitalia and vice versa, when a male fetus with a lack of testosterone develops female intimate characteristics, which happens when:
- Diseases of the adrenal glands.
- Pathologies of the hypothalamus or pituitary gland.
- Neoplasms in the gonads.
Despite almost perfect science, the reasons why “bisexuality” develops in its true form are not completely clear. Some scientists suggest hereditary causes, since diagnostics revealed some familial nature of such a pathology.
What does it look like?
The symptoms of sexual hermaphroditism are not always shown to the world in all their glory; in most cases, an ordinary person may not even realize that his best friend or work colleague is not exactly who he claims to be.
Symptoms of the pathology are different and appear depending on the causes or form of hermaphroditism:
- Underdevelopment of the penis.
- Inconsistency of physique and voice (female type) with the indicated gender in the passport (male).
- Changes in the structure of the genital organs or their complete discrepancy with the gender indicated in the passport.
- “Relocation” of the urethra from the head to other parts of the perineum.
- Early puberty.
- Cryptorchidism, curvature of the penis.
- Developed mammary glands in men.
- Infertility, lack of normal intimate life.
False male hermaphroditism is a condition where visually male genitals resemble female ones due to their abnormal development during intrauterine life. The child is often recorded as a “girl”, no treatment is carried out, the parents raise him accordingly, but when the fatal mistake is discovered, it brings a lot of psychological problems to the boy with false hermaphroditism.
Some reliable facts about hermaphroditism:
- This condition is more often congenital; in rarer cases, specialists are forced to note signs indicating the opposite sex during puberty.
- In adulthood, symptoms of “bisexuality” appear due to the use of hormonal drugs.
- Sometimes the pathology is not diagnosed for a long period, the person even gets married and is quite socially adapted. Diagnosis is carried out for infertility, difficulties in intimate life, with periodic complaints of pain in the abdominal cavity (testicles, male, not descending into the scrotum).
- Sometimes “bisexuality” is combined with mental disabilities, mental disorders, which manifest themselves in dementia, increased sexual desire and a complete decline in morality.
But since deviation is a combination of characteristics of two sexes, with the dominance of both male and female sex types, there are no exact symptoms of the disease; they will be radically different in each specific case.
In addition, symptoms in young children cannot fundamentally manifest themselves, either in the true or false form of pathology, as transvestism, homosexuality, bisexuality or transsexualism. Early detection of symptoms of hermaphroditism is complex and is entirely the responsibility of pediatricians, who must clearly understand this and know the detailed differences of a possible sexual anomaly. If there is any suspicion, children are sent for consultation to the urology or gynecology department. Based on the diagnostic results, the most appropriate treatment will be prescribed.
How is the examination carried out?
Diagnostics is carried out according to the following parameters:
- History of the disease.
- The course of pregnancy in the mother of the child.
- Were any abnormalities in the health of the newborn identified, were any anomalies observed.
- At an older age, they determine how puberty proceeded.
- For adult men (women): are there any problems in intimate life, infertility, decreased desire, etc.
- A physical examination will reveal the presence of secondary sexual characteristics.
- An examination by a urologist will help determine the presence/absence of a sexual anomaly.
- Karyotyping is a way to study a person’s chromosomes, their number and composition, which will make it possible to genetically determine the patient’s sex.
- Diagnostics based on ultrasound and MRI help to reveal what is hidden during an examination accessible to the doctor, and give an accurate conclusion about the true structure of a person.
- Testing blood and urine for hormones.
Diagnosis is individual, the patient will have to undergo a full examination using, if necessary, highly specific methods. Treatment involves the use of hormone therapy and surgical methods.
Therapeutic measures
Treatment of deviation is completely different from traditionally used therapy and is based on what the diagnosis has shown. The principles of treatment combine the basics of hormonal, surgical and psychotherapeutic techniques.
Hormonal treatment includes taking:
- Thyroid-stimulating hormones (thyroid gland).
- Sex hormones.
- Drugs acting on the regulatory function of the pituitary gland.
- Glucocorticoids.
Surgical treatment is carried out depending on which gender will be the priority - male or female. Psychotherapeutic treatment is necessary in order to form in the “new person” the correct ideas about the chosen gender, to adjust his behavior, way of thinking, and principles of choosing clothes.
- White rash due to lack of hygiene
- Ingrown hairs and incorrect underwear
- Acne due to hormonal changes
- Rash is not always a problem
- In rare cases this happens
Throughout their lives, sexually active men sometimes develop white pimples and bumps on the penis. The event is frightening for men, however, in most cases it is not at all dangerous if you detect the problem in time and begin to fight it. In most cases, small white rashes on the penis appear due to insufficient intimate hygiene and other everyday factors, so the question of how to cure such formations is relatively simple to solve. Provided - this should be repeated - a competent approach to treatment, as well as no desire to squeeze out and heal the rash on your own. In this case, treatment will be easy and fairly quick, and sometimes an examination by a doctor even shows that nothing needs to be done.
Small white pimples on the skin of the genitals differ from their red counterparts in that they very rarely reach large sizes, but they are dense, do not cause concern and practically do not become inflamed.
White rash due to lack of hygiene
Such small pimples appear, as it seems to men, for no reason, and do not disappear for quite a long time. In medical practice, such pimples on the penis are called comedones, in folklore - millet grains (in shape they resemble millet grains, only they look even smaller), but in fact, these are microscopic cysts formed due to a thick mixture of sebum clots and exfoliated epithelial cells , which clog the mouths of the sebaceous glands.
Strictly speaking, white pimples on the penis are just “clogged” sebaceous glands, formations that develop without an inflammatory process. Since these glands constantly produce sebum, they need to be constantly open to get rid of its excess, so clogged ducts contribute to the accumulation of the produced substance, stretching nearby skin with the formation of a characteristic vesicle. Such a tubercle can “jump up” on the skin of any area of the body, however, on the skin of the male penis it will be most noticeable due to the absence of a more or less thick layer of subcutaneous fatty tissue.
“Clogging” of the sebaceous glands with subsequent white rashes on the genitals (primarily on the penis) usually occurs for two reasons:
- with irregular or poor-quality hygienic treatment of intimate places;
- due to frequent changes of sexual partners (especially if a man enters into sexual contact with unfamiliar women).
Factors contributing to the appearance of white pimples on the skin of the penis are bad habits and poor lifestyle, leading to a decrease in the body's immune abilities and disruption of the healthy processes of sebum secretion. Various hormonal disorders, exposure to stress, physical and psychological exhaustion also play a significant role in this.
Treatment of white rashes formed on the penis due to insufficient hygienic care of the genitals is carried out by the simplest means - regular intimate hygiene with the use of antibacterial and antiseptic agents. Squeezing white pimples is dangerous - in this way you can introduce infections into the wounds, which will lead to much more serious problems with infection of the skin (and in the future - the whole body). To safely “open” the formations, you can use topical topical agents - Differin or Skinoren ointments, which are applied to the affected areas of the skin daily for at least 21 days. There are also mechanical and surgical methods for treating white comedones, however, you should definitely consult a dermatologist about these methods.
Normalizing the functioning of the sebaceous glands of the penis, preventing the reappearance of white rashes on the skin of the genital organs, will also help normalizing the man’s diet, in particular, excluding excessively fatty, salty, spicy and smoked foods from his usual diet. In some cases (quite rare, but still occurring), it is poor nutrition and problems with impaired metabolic processes in the body that lead to the formation of a rash on the genitals, so normalizing nutrition in any case will not hurt - both in terms of treatment and prevention .
Ingrown hairs and incorrect underwear
If small white pimples on the penis are localized mainly at the base of the organ and on the skin of the scrotum, this may mean that the man has traumatized his intimate area while shaving or is wearing too tight underwear made from non-natural fabrics. In the first case, due to rough removal of vegetation, some hairs grow into the skin, damaging it, which leads to a rash. This is quite dangerous, since microtraumas on the skin of the penis when pathogenic microflora enter them can lead to serious inflammation, and you can only protect yourself from this by using bactericidal hygiene products.
As for the wrong choice of underwear, synthetic fabrics contribute to the formation of a kind of “greenhouse effect” in such delicate places as the penis area. Lack of optimal air access to the genitals, as well as rubbing, lead to circulatory problems and the formation of a breeding ground for bacteria. Because of all of the above, the skin's sebaceous glands are unable to cope with the production of their secretions, and as a result, small white pimples appear. If bacteria get on the skin in such a favorable environment, you can fear not just irritation and inflammation, but serious diseases affecting the entire body.
Since infectious lesions of the genital organs often go hand in hand with sexually transmitted diseases, men should remember: they should run to the doctor immediately if small white pimples on the penis (especially on the head and foreskin) are accompanied by the following symptoms:
- skin itching and burning in areas of rashes and in the urethra;
- nagging pain localized in the lower abdomen;
- discomfort that accompanies the process of urination and sexual intercourse.
If you have such health problems, hygiene procedures and external products alone will not do. You will have to consult a venereologist who will conduct a full examination and prescribe the optimal course of treatment with antiviral, antibacterial and other appropriate drugs.
Acne due to hormonal changes
It is not always necessary to treat white pimples and pimples on the genitals, and here's why: such formations in adolescence are absolutely normal. Rashes on the penis are a consequence of overactive sebaceous glands in the skin, caused by a riot of hormones and complex hormonal changes. Excessive production of sebum, intended to lubricate the head of the penis, leads to the formation of tubercles under the skin, sometimes disappearing after puberty, sometimes remaining for life and not causing men any concern.
Naturally, a completely harmless white rash on a teenager's penis can cause big trouble if it is scratched or squeezed. Such actions, leading to skin damage and infection in wounds, will lead to health problems that are no longer childish. What you can do in such cases is to regularly wash your genitals with an antibacterial agent, wash your hands before each touch of the genitals, lubricate pimples, if they cause concern, with local antiseptic ointments and creams.
How can you remove the consequences of the rampage of teenage hormones from the penis or prevent their manifestation at all? Experts recommend the following measures:
- carefully choose cosmetics for the care of intimate areas (or completely abandon cosmetics in favor of antibacterial soap);
- wear only loose underwear made from natural materials;
- observe the rules of personal hygiene - regularly and thoroughly;
- apply moisturizing, vitamin-rich creams as necessary, so that the skin of the genital organs does not dry out;
- eat right and engage in reasonable physical activity (sports) to clean the pores and ducts of the glands, as well as strengthen the immune system;
- visit public places such as a swimming pool, saunas or toilets only if they are kept clean, and after visiting, you should definitely take a shower or at least wash your hands.
For young people who are starting to have sex and have only recently gotten rid of teenage acne, it is recommended to carefully choose sexual partners and not forget about contraception, so as not to risk contracting a host of unpleasant diseases. In addition, you should definitely visit a doctor regularly, who will assess the condition of the genital organs and, if necessary, tell you how to treat white pimples on the penis.
Rash is not always a problem
The appearance of a white rash on the skin of the genitals is rarely a serious cause for concern. With the use of local remedies or even without any therapeutic effects, they can go away on their own. However, if the rashes do not disappear within 1-2 weeks, you should definitely consult a doctor - although acne and pimples on the penis signal the presence of sexually transmitted diseases in an extremely small number of cases, there is always a chance of “being included in the statistics”. And in such situations, delay can lead to big problems.
You should consult a specialist when white rashes on the skin of the penis are accompanied by the following factors:
- formations do not disappear for a long time or during the first 7-14 days they noticeably increase in size;
- the genitals are affected by itching and burning, swelling and inflammation occur, due to pain, sexual intercourse and urination are complicated;
- pain appears in the lower abdomen, and the lymph nodes in the groin become enlarged;
- body temperature rises;
- Not only does the area of the penis covered with acne increase, but the rashes themselves are filled with cloudy (sometimes with bloody inclusions) liquid;
- pimples on the skin of the penis open up and turn into non-healing ulcers, painful or not manifesting themselves at all.
Even if these symptoms and manifestations are not evidence of a sexually transmitted disease, they in any case indicate that something is wrong with the man’s health, so consulting a doctor will not be superfluous. And you shouldn’t even think about how to remove such white pimples on the penis yourself - self-medication will only cause more harm to the man’s body.
In rare cases this happens
In medical practice, there have been cases where white pimples merged into whitish spots, or inconspicuous small white dots were evidence of the development of a benign neoplasm. At first glance, such formations looked like a rash that accompanies the puberty period in boys, however, their occurrence and maturation causes a certain discomfort, even pain. The difference between relatively safe acne and one that threatens the health and life of people is only one thing: the latter do not disappear after performing hygiene procedures and lubrication with local ointments. Such white rashes on the skin can threaten the development of cancer, so a man with a similar problem should consult a doctor and undergo a histological examination to identify tumor cells.
He is the head of the urology department. Specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney and bladder diseases, including cystitis, urolithiasis, prostatitis, urethritis and pyelonephritis.
Profile in G+
Go to doctor's profile
Watery purulent pimples on the penis
Red pimples on the penis
Pimples on the penis
Pimples on the head of the penis
BPH
Benign hyperplasia
Alopecia
Baldness and hair loss
Infertility
Reproductive dysfunction
MPS diseases
Common male diseases
- Balanitis
- Varicocele
- Vesiculitis
- Hemospermia
- Herpes
- Gynecomastia
- Gonorrhea
- Testicular cyst
- Thrush
- Orchitis
- Problems with urination
- Pimples on the penis
- Trichomoniasis
- Ureaplasmosis
- Urethritis
- Phimosis
- Chlamydia
- Cystitis
- Epididymitis
Potency
Male power
- Aphrodisiacs
- Potency products
- Erection
- Ejaculation
Prostate
Male prostate
- Prostate massage
- Prostate cancer
Prostatitis
Prostate inflammation
- Treatment
- Medicines
Pimples on the penis
How to get rid of acne on the penis
Ointments for acne on the penis
Surgery to remove prostate adenoma - everything you need to know
The disease prostate adenoma is the formation of a benign tumor in the prostate gland.
The disease has three stages:
- It is characterized by the fact that the patient feels a frequent urge to go to the toilet, the stream of urine weakens, and when urinating, it flows down vertically, and not in an arc. Patients begin to be bothered by frequent urges during night sleep.
- At this stage, urination does not occur completely; residual urine is retained in the bladder, causing it to begin to stretch and increase in size.
- The stage is characterized by dysfunction of the bladder. It empties very poorly and is filled almost all the time. The person feels the urge to urinate, but complete urination does not occur. The liquid is released in drops or little by little at random depending on the person’s desire.
Removal of prostate adenoma is one of the most common operations performed on men over 45 years of age. In most cases, it is performed using transurethral resection. The symptoms of prostate adenoma at the initial stage can be quite mild, therefore, when a patient is diagnosed with a benign neoplasm, drug treatment is no longer sufficient.
Purpose of the operation and indications for its implementation
Surgery to remove prostate adenoma is prescribed so that the tumor does not put pressure on other pelvic organs, such as the bladder, ureters, etc.
The main symptoms indicating that surgery is necessary are:
- disruption of the normal process of urination (urinary retention, urgency, the appearance of bloody discharge in the urine, incontinence, etc.);
- severe pain in the genital area and suprapubic area;
- swelling of the genital organs;
- chronic prostatitis;
- chronic urethritis.
Preparation for surgery for prostate adenoma
An operation to remove prostate adenoma, like any surgical intervention, requires a series of examinations. In particular it is necessary:
- Take general blood and urine tests, a blood clotting test, a blood group and Rh factor test, as well as a biochemical blood test.
- Undergo kidney function tests and urodynamic diagnostics;
- Get advice from a surgeon and anesthesiologist.
Also, it is very important that 12 hours before surgery, you should not consume any food, liquid, or medications.
How is the tumor removed?
Surgical intervention is always preceded by a thorough diagnosis, which is carried out using endoscopic equipment and allows you to examine a specific organ without disturbing the normal functioning of the body as a whole.
If the patient, in addition to prostate adenoma, is diagnosed with obesity, heart or vascular disease, respiratory tract diseases, endocrine disorders, surgical intervention is necessary. The operation is also recommended for those patients who have already undergone surgical interventions in the treatment of other pelvic organs (for example, the bladder) or intestines, young men for whom it is important to restore reproductive function, as well as in cases where the volume of the prostate gland is more than 70 cubic meters. mm.
Surgery to remove prostate adenoma is performed in three ways:
Transurethral resection is an innovative method that involves removing tumors using high-frequency electric current pulses. It is used when the prostate size does not exceed 80 ml.
The method involves inserting a special instrument called a resector through the urethra, with which the doctor plucks or scrapes pieces of prostate tissue. The scraped areas are immediately cauterized. The doctor thus expands the urethra. Next, a catheter is installed in the canal, and if necessary, a drainage tube. Drainage is installed through the surgical wound.
However, now the skills of modern doctors are sufficient for the operation to be carried out quickly and bring a truly effective result.
Transvesical adenomectomy
Transvesical adenomectomy is an open surgical procedure. Prostate adenoma is removed through the abdominal cavity, muscle tissue and bladder. It is used in cases where the disease is advanced, the adenoma is of impressive size, or the course of the disease is accompanied by complications. After the incision, the surgeon removes the adenoma tissue by hand, then a catheter is installed in the ureter, as well as a drainage that is brought out.
Laser vaporization
Laser vaporization of prostate adenoma is the removal of overgrown prostate tissue by evaporation. For patients with poor blood clotting, prostate adenoma is removed using a laser (endoscopically).
The essence of the laser is that its rays are not absorbed by water, but are absorbed by hemoglobin. Therefore, it acts selectively on tissue.
A laser beam hitting the adenoma tissue causes the liquid in it to boil. The liquid turns into steam and destroys the adenoma tissue. The blood vessels seem to “automatically” thrombose, so no blood loss occurs.
The rehabilitation period after surgery to remove the prostate gland
The operation itself to remove prostate adenoma lasts about an hour. The rehabilitation period is also quite short. In most cases, in the next 1-2 days the patient undergoes lavage of the bladder, thereby ridding the organ of blood clots that have entered it. In addition, it is recommended to take antibacterial drugs for 7-14 days (in some cases, the course of taking antibiotics can be extended to 25 days).
For the first few days after surgery, the patient continues to remain in the hospital under the supervision of doctors. After a few days, the catheter can be removed from the bladder and the patient can be prepared for discharge.
After the operation, a person feels frequent false urges; the ureter is irritated by the installed catheter.
Bloody discharge may continue to appear in the urine for 7-10 days - this is not considered a complication and is part of the normal postoperative recovery process.
However, there are a number of cases in which surgery to remove a benign prostate tumor is contraindicated.
These include:
- the patient has various severe intestinal diseases;
- advanced state of the neoplasm itself;
- problems with blood clotting;
- exacerbation of the inflammatory process in any of the patient’s body systems;
- varicose veins in the reproductive system;
- heart failure and other pathologies of the heart;
- the presence of various factors that do not allow the introduction of endoscopic equipment into the bladder cavity.
Possible complications during surgery to remove prostate adenoma
After any surgical intervention there is always a risk of complications.
Their types in the postoperative period:
- TUR syndrome - is associated with the ingress of washing fluid into the patient’s vessels during surgery; this can occur during the process of flushing the bladder when the vessels are open. This type of complication directly depends on the timing of the operation.
- The occurrence of bleeding. Bleeding occurs because the surgeon may touch a large vessel during tumor removal. Using the device, the doctor cannot examine it. If there is significant blood loss, a blood transfusion will be required.
- Delay in urine output. It can be caused by concomitant bladder disease, the person's age, or inaccuracy in the procedure. In the latter case, the operation must be repeated.
- Infection is possible when one’s own microflora is excited during surgery or infection comes from outside.
- Complications caused by common causes: damage to the urethra, bladder, ureters, rectum. Development of bladder inflammation.
Postoperative complications even in the longer term can be expressed in the following:
- The patient's urinary incontinence. The causes are neurogenic disorders, disruption of the urethra, which is responsible for urinary retention.
- Sexual dysfunction lies in the fact that the vast majority of people have retrograde ejaculation. That is, the seed does not come out, but is pushed into the bladder. There is also a weakening of sexual functions and insufficient erection, which depend on the age of the man, the effects of medications during treatment, and the effects of surgical instruments.
- Narrowing of the urethral canal. This deviation often occurs after TUR surgery. It may manifest itself as a result of incomplete removal of the adenoma or in the form of a pure relapse (repetition).
Remember that timely surgery is almost a guarantee of recovery. Therefore, it is best to consult a doctor at the first signs of the disease and if surgery is recommended, do not refuse.
Often, only with the help of this type of treatment can one preserve the reproductive function of the body (which is especially important for young men), quickly restore the normal process of urination, thereby relieving oneself of constant pain and discomfort, and also avoid serious consequences.
Hermaphrodite individuals are simultaneously characterized by the sexual characteristics of both men and women. These organisms have both male and female reproductive organs. Such pathology can be normal, natural (hermaphroditism) and pathological (intersexuality, gynandromorphism). Hermaphrodites are found among both animals and humans. True hermaphrodites are individuals whose bodies simultaneously produce male and female reproductive cells. This phenomenon is very rare in nature and poorly studied by science. The second option, false hermaphroditism, is a condition when the body has both genital organs, but gametes are produced only in one of them.
What do hermaphrodites look like in the animal world?
Among animals there are species that can change their gender from one to another. They are sequential hermaphrodites. Some representatives of the animal world become only superficially similar to the opposite sex, while others actually turn from female to male, and vice versa. Changing sex can be a protection, camouflage; many hermaphrodites can reproduce without a partner. Here are examples of several hermaphrodite animals:
- African snail Achatina. She is able to change her gender as she pleases. She reproduces both with a partner and is capable of laying eggs with hundreds of small snails several times a year.
- Cuttlefish. Males become outwardly similar to the female during the period when they fight for her in order to outwit the other males.
- Garter snakes. Males camouflage themselves as females to bask among other males who want to reproduce.
- Hyenas. Females are very similar to males with their genitals. Because of this body structure, childbirth in hyenas is very difficult and often leads to the death of mother and baby.
- Clownfish and more than 320 other species of fish are hermaphrodites.
What do hermaphrodites look like among people?
Those born with a set of male and female reproductive organs very rarely have the ability to reproduce and be sexually active as both men and women. Although there are exceptions. But most often one of the genital organs is removed surgically. Cosmetic surgery leaves almost no traces. And after taking a course of hormones, a hermaphrodite woman can even carry and give birth to a healthy child.
How is the true sex of false hermaphrodites determined?
It happens that a person himself cannot understand his gender, since he has both female and male characteristics. Using a DNA test, the exact gender of such an individual is quickly determined. Next, the genitals corresponding to the identified gender are left, and a set of the second ones is removed by the surgeon. The operation is not very difficult, and recovery is quite fast. After treatment, the hermaphrodite will no longer be any different from other people and will be able to live a full life.
What is pseudohermaphroditism?
There is a concept of pseudohermaphroditism, when the internal genital organs of men and women are in order, but the external ones resemble the opposite sex. Pseudohermaphroditism is less common in women than in men. In addition to having genital organs similar to those of women, a man can have a feminine figure. Surgical intervention can completely rid such an individual of feminine traits, but such a man will forever remain infertile.
The exact reasons for the appearance of hermaphrodites among people are unknown. This is not a common phenomenon, which can be treated with surgery and is rarely told to others. Among animals and plants, hermaphroditism is quite common and serves mainly for protection and reproduction without a partner.
