I diagnosed myself as intersex at age 17 – after discovering I was born without a vaginal opening
A woman has opened up about how she identified herself as intersex at age 17 after discovering she was born without a vaginal opening.
Sydney Bean, 24, from Idaho, has more than 315,000 followers TikTokwhere she teaches others what it means to be an intersex person, while sharing her own experiences.
In the latest episode of the Truly series Born differentshe recalled how it took her years to realize that there was a community of people with anatomical differences like hers.
‘Life has changed so much since I started identifying as intersex. “I’m much happier with myself because I can understand why my body is the way it is,” she said.
Sydney Bean, 24, from Idaho, opened up about intersex in the latest episode of the Truly series Born Different
She diagnosed herself as intersex at age 17 after discovering she was born without a vaginal opening
Sydney explained that she was “raised as a girl” and didn’t realize her body was different until she was a teenager
‘I wish people would understand that it is not bizarre to be intersex. Biological gender is not binary. It exists on a spectrum.”
Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe a person born with sex organs, chromosomes, or reproductive organs that do not fit into the male/female sex binary.
Sydney explained that she was “raised as a girl” and didn’t realize her body was different until she developed severe cystic acne at age 15.
Her doctor discovered that she had elevated levels of androgens, which are usually considered male hormones, even though small amounts are also produced in the female body.
Sydney said she was prescribed hormone treatment to make her “normal.”
A few years later, just before she turned 17, she realized she had a microperforated hymen, a condition in which the hymen almost completely covers the opening to the vagina.
She recalled how her gynecologist didn’t believe her until she was examined, but even after she was proven right, no one told her she was intersex.
“I wish the word intersex had been spoken,” she said.
‘I wish I knew why this happened. I wish they wouldn’t consider it an anomaly.’
In an interview with BuzzFeed last year, she explained that she had undergone a hymenectomy, a surgical procedure to open or remove the hymen.
After Sydney developed severe cystic acne at age 15, her doctor discovered she had elevated androgen levels. She was given hormone treatment to make her ‘normal’
A few years later, she realized she had a microperforated hymen, a condition in which the hymen almost completely covers the opening to the vagina, and underwent a hymenectomy.
It wasn’t until she made friends in the queer community in her early 20s that she first identified as intersex
Although she did not menstruate naturally, doctors discovered that she had all the typical female reproductive organs.
Reflecting on the procedure during the episode, she said it made her feel like she was “getting closer to the woman (she) was meant to be.”
It wasn’t until she made friends in the queer community in her early 20s that she first identified as intersex.
After having a conversation with a transgender friend about her anatomical differences, she turned to Google for answers.
“That’s when I learned the word intersex,” she said
She admitted that dating can be difficult because “there.” so much so that people don’t understand being intersex,” and they “will say things that are bigoted.”
Sydney admitted that dating can be difficult because “there’s so much people don’t understand about intersex.”
Sydney was inspired to share her story on TikTok because she had thoughts and feelings that others didn’t understand
‘Life has changed so much since I started identifying as intersex. “I’m much happier with myself because I can understand why my body is the way it is,” she said
“The main reaction I get is a thoughtful look, and they’re just like, ‘Huh,'” she explained.
Sydney was inspired to share her story on TikTok because she had thoughts and feelings that others didn’t understand.
‘I decided to create a new community for myself. At least that was my idea, and that’s exactly what I got,” she said.
“I get a lot of comments saying I’m not really intersex, and that honestly made me doubt myself at first, thinking, ‘Am I just extrapolating here? Am I achieving it?'” she recalls.
Sydney’s mother, Dana, supports her in being open about her experiences as an intersex person, but she worries about her safety.
The TikToker agreed that “there is a danger in speaking out on topics where people tend to be hateful and ignorant.”
‘For me it’s about education. That’s a big motivator for me,” she says. “I hope my content continues to introduce the concept of what it means to be intersex to people.”