I was born with an embarrassing condition that leaves me missing an important part of my body

A young father has taken to the internet to raise awareness about a rare medical condition he was born with: he has no anus.

Joe, who has not revealed any details about himself other than saying he is from Britain, said he hid his condition for most of his life and suffered extreme embarrassment as a teenager, often struggling with fecal incontinence.

He’s not alone. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, about one in 5,000 newborns is born with the condition called imperforate anus.

Doctors typically make the diagnosis within 24 to 48 hours after birth, after noticing that a baby has not produced stool, or if they notice stool passing through the vagina, penis, scrotum, or urethra.

Doctors may choose to divert the digestive system into a bag attached to the abdomen, called a colostomy, or recreate an anus and sphincter in the operating room.

In Joe’s case, he has a colostomy and spends about an hour a day in the bathroom, flushing a bag connected to his gastrointestinal tract that fills with feces in the toilet.

And while he says life has been challenging, his condition has made him a more empathetic person who can share his story with others without shame.

And there are unique benefits too, he said: ‘I’ve never had any problems with constipation. Apparently that really sucks.’

Joe said his condition also has benefits, such as going to the toilet regularly once a day instead of having to duck to the toilet at random times.

According to research, an imperforate anus is caused by abnormal development during pregnancy John Hopkins.

Often the condition occurs alongside other congenital birth defects, including problems with the spine or a series of interconnected organs. About 50 percent of patients also have a corresponding defect in their genitals or urinary tract.

Typically, the first treatment involves performing a colostomy – a procedure in which surgeons make an incision through the abdomen and into the colon. This system is then connected to a bag or tube on the outside of the body into which the waste products end up.

If the patient has other complicating factors, a doctor may choose to keep them on this external system.

If not, they may be a good candidate for surgery to reconstruct an anus. Joe, passing by MrMagicToilet onlinehas a combination of the two: he is mainly dependent on an external system, although an anus was reconstructed at birth.

He has a so-called antegrade continence enema (ACE) and as a result has to insert a tube into an opening in his abdomen every morning and flush his lower intestines with an enema. The waste then comes out of his reconstructed anus.

About 90 percent of boys born with anal deformities can be treated surgically.

While about 70 percent of girls can be treated this way.

This is because certain additional abnormalities besides the imperforate anus, such as interconnected digestive and urinary tracts, are more common in women than in men.

And these other deformities can make it riskier to operate.

An anonymous Reddit user with the name Redfan22 also posted about his experience with an imperforate anus and a surgically created sphincter – the muscle around the anus that controls stool.

Both Redfan22, an anonymous Reddit user who has the condition, and Joe have come to terms with their situation and are encouraging others to live without shame

The 23-year-old had surgery within days of his birth, so he hasn’t experienced life with a colostomy, but said his surgically constructed anus functions just like anyone else’s.

He also doesn’t know the details of his procedures, but said the surgery, as he understands it, “was a lot of cutting.”

Now his muscles controlling the area are not as strong as other people, so he has faced some challenging issues over the years, mainly related to leakage.

Redafan22 said: ‘As I get older they should get stronger. I was very lucky because my parents could afford to take me to a doctor a few states away who specialized in this stuff and used surgery to stop the leaking.”

Another user, ZeeCloud3218also anonymously shared their experiences on Reddit. They also said that their sphincter is not as strong as a natural sphincter.

They wrote: ‘I don’t have anal control like a normal person,’ adding that the condition and concerns about leakage are seriously impacting their social life.

SeaCloud3218 said: ‘It limits my social life. I feel pressured. I have gas incontinence. I go to the toilet often.’

The anonymous user, who did not share any personal details, said they are currently saving money for additional surgery to make their lives easier.

Both Redfan22 and Joe have come to terms with their condition, encouraging others to live without shame and welcoming questions from individuals online.

After all, everyone goes, whether from your bottom or in a bag.