To be accurate though, this person wasn't "born a man." They were born intersex/hermaphrodite.
The article doesn't say what sex the person is chromosome-wise. He/she could well be a female chromosome-wise, with some male genitalia.
46, XX Intersex. The person has the chromosomes of a woman, the ovaries of a woman, but external (outside) genitals that appear male. This usually is the result of a female fetus having been exposed to excess male hormones before birth. The labia ("lips" or folds of skin of the external female genitals) fuse, and the clitoris enlarges to appear like a penis. Usually this person has a normal uterus and Fallopian tubes. This condition is also called 46, XX with
virilization. It used to be called female pseudohermaphroditism. There are several possible causes:
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (the most common cause).
- Male hormones (such as testosterone) taken or encountered by the mother during pregnancy.
- Male hormone-producing tumors in the mother. These are most often ovarian tumors. Mothers who have children with 46, XX intersex should be checked unless there is another clear cause.
- Aromatase deficiency. This one may not be noticeable until puberty. Aromatase is an enzyme that normally converts male hormones to female hormones. Too much aromatase activity can lead to excess estrogen (female hormone); too little to 46, XX intersex. At puberty, these XX children, who had been raised as girls, may begin to take on male characteristics.
ointer:
