Comments | little_details: Development Effects of Removing Gonads from a Female Infant

lb_lee in little_details

Development Effects of Removing Gonads from a Female Infant

Jul 31, 2009 00:45

Okay, this comm is awesome, and here is one thing I always wished I could find an answer to way back when, but was never able to.

Searches tried: besides Wiki and a couple 70s-era medical textbooks (hey, I was thirteen, I wasn't Net-savvy), I've since Googled "TAH-BSO + puberty," "TAH-BSO + children," "total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral ( Read more... )

~medicine (misc), ~body modification (misc), ~body size/shape

Comments 13

subluxate July 31 2009, 21:27:32 UTC

I believe that she would at least get taller than she would otherwise.

enismirdal July 31 2009, 21:47:18 UTC

I'm not a doctor, but I do wonder if this would result in a suite of characteristics resembling Turner syndrome...?

You could also research the case of Ashley X and how she's doing, having had a complete hysterectomy whilst still young, although she's also had hormone treatment.

Removing gonads from a female infant dragon_hills July 31 2009, 22:40:17 UTC

I had a co-worker who was born without ovaries, and she looked and sounded feminine. She didn't develop breasts or have menstrual periods, but she didn't have facial hair, a voice change, or any other masculine characteristics. She looked like a perfectly normal, if flat-chested, young woman, with a narrow waistline and hips suggesting maturity. I certainly wouldn't have suspected that she had an endocrine problem if she hadn't wanted someone to go with her to get the results from the endocrinologist she was seeing, and asked me.

Re: Removing gonads from a female infant lb_lee July 31 2009, 23:37:30 UTC

Awesome, thanks! That supplies pretty much what I wondered. I had no idea that people could be born without ovaries, and I'm glad she seems to be perfectly healthy.

delordra July 31 2009, 23:07:01 UTC

From a pediatrician's perspective ( ... )

lb_lee July 31 2009, 23:42:17 UTC

Thank you so much. This covers in depth everything I wanted or needed to know. Bless you, Dr. Pediatrician!

I understand everything you said except for the osteoporosis risk. Where would that come from? (This has nothing to do with the story, just me being curious.)

st_aurafina August 1 2009, 12:15:31 UTC

Not the paediatrician, but I'm guessing that a lack of oestrogen would interfere with bone density - just as it contributes to bone loss and consequently osteoporosis after menopause.

lucy_k_p August 1 2009, 14:45:44 UTC

I'd like to add that if you wanted the problem not to be discovered for any reason I could see that being believable if the girl in question was some combination of rather shy, didn't have any close female friends, was rather conservatively raised and had poor sex education. Then she might not realise that she was supposed to be getting periods now, or would feel too embarrassed to say that she wasn't having them or wouldn't have anybody to tell. Also some people can be very late bloomers as far as periods are concerned, I could see her getting to 15 or 16 without the people around her getting unduly worried ( ... )

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