'Man' goes for sex change and finds out he's always been female: 'I felt like a woman since I was 9'

'Man' goes for sex change and finds out he's always been female: 'I felt like a woman since I was 9'
By: Transsexual Posted On: February 18, 2023 View: 493

'Man' goes for sex change and finds out he's always been female: 'I felt like a woman since I was 9'

Ana Hellen Mena

Ana Hellen Mena

NEWSFLASH/MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA

  • When Ana Hellen Mena was born, she was identified as male in the hospital. However, from her childhood in Spain, she felt like a girl.
  • During a medical consultation, she was told she had a rare condition called "46,XX testicular difference of sex development".
  • As a child, there were things she could not understand about her body when she suffered symptoms associated with periods aged 11, but doctors did not test her then.

When Ana Hellen Mena was born, she was identified as male in the hospital. However, from her childhood in Spain, she felt like a girl.

But as she grew older, 28-year-old Sergio, as she was named, wanted to go for a sex change, and she came out as transgender. 

Ana said: "I've felt like a woman since I was nine years old, ever since I can remember, but at that time, I wasn't able to say so." 

gender, identity

Ana Hellen Mena when she was known as Sergio.

She was bullied at school, causing her to drop out of sixth form [Grade 8], but she later resumed her studies. 

Shockingly, she later found out that she was a woman with ovaries and a womb who had been born with a rare condition that gave her a penis.

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During a medical consultation, she was told she had a rare condition called "46,XX testicular difference of sex development". The condition causes a person with two X chromosomes - usually a female - to have a male appearance, specifically male external genitalia. 

Ana told local media: "I was shocked, at the age of 26, I discovered who I really was."

Medics believe birth control pills her mother was taking before she realised she was pregnant may have caused Ana's condition. Ana finally came out as trans when she was 21. Later, when she began transitioning, baffled doctors discovered she had ovaries and fallopian tubes. 

"I found out who I was when he told me I'd never been Sergio, that I had female organs, that I was already how I felt." She recalled how the doctor's words made her feel "free". 

gender, identity, sexuality

Ana Hellen Mena

"I've been bullied for being gay when I could have always been Ana Hellen since I was little. It has been very difficult for me. This has made me stronger, and I've learned to love my body as it is."

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Ana has a scrotum but no testicles, and a uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. She also has a clitoris and labia. However, they resemble a micropenis. She says she decided in the end not to undergo a sex-change op. She told local media: "My operation is very easy, more than that of a transsexual person, but the loss of sensitivity makes me concerned. I love my body as it is. This doesn't make me feel less of a woman." 

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As a child, there were things Ana could not understand about her body when she suffered symptoms associated with periods aged 11, but doctors did not test her then. She told local media: "They said it wasn't possible because I was under 14 years old." 

But since she has gone public with her story, she says people with similar conditions have reached out to her. "By helping others in this process, it has been worth sharing my story," she says. 

NEWSFLASH/MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA

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