Russian doctors perform sex change operation on toddler

A 2-year-old boy underwent a sex change operation in the southern Russian city of Rostov after doctors discovered that he had been born with a set of female chromosomes and reproductive organs, Life News reported on Tuesday Oksana S, 29, from the Rostov Region, gave birth to the baby boy without any complications. However, several days later doctors confirmed the diagnosis of female pseudohermaphroditism. The shocked parents, who had anticipated a boy, had already named their son Alexander. According to the mother, concerns arose during pregnancy when doctors could not identify the baby’s gender using ultrasound scanning. “On the monitor the baby even had his face covered with his hands”, Oksana told Life News. Further tests took two years, during which the parents did not sign the birth certificate, referred to the child by its surname in all documents and avoided gender-orientated clothes and toys, The life-changing operation took seven hours, during which surgeons corrected the damaged internal reproductive organs. “The child will develop as a girl, but will require constant monitoring by an endocrinologist,” said Vladimir Sizonov, head of the Urology Department at the Children’s Regional Hospital in Rostov. “There is even a slight possibility of getting pregnant in the future.” Afterwards, the baby’s name was officially changed to Ksenia. “She will have to take hormones for the rest of her life,” the mother said, adding: “But I’m so happy that we’ve left this nightmare behind. I believe that one day my little one will become a beautiful woman.” The parents have decided to keep Ksenia’s sex change a secret. “I’m worried that she’ll eventually find out about the operation and that she’ll be unhappy with the choice we made for her,” Oksana admitted. Little Ksenia does not understand why she has to wear uncomfortable dresses. Sitting on the floor among scattered dolls, her hand still reaches for toy cars.