In a shocking and bizarre incident, a baby girl grew a ‘micropenis’ after lying on her dad’s chest, which was covered in a hormone gel.
Doctors said this one-off case should serve as a warning to all new parents.
Health experts from Sweden, where the incident took place, explained that the newborn was accidentally exposed to dangerously high levels of testosterone during the skin-to-skin contact when the father repeatedly kept her on his chest to make her sleep.
The young father had applied a hormone gel, prescribed to men suffering from low energy or libido, for a condition also known as manopause. Also known as andropause, the condition refers to the age-related decline in testosterone levels in men, which can lead to various physical and emotional changes. Unlike menopause in women, which is a distinct and relatively rapid hormonal transition, the decrease in testosterone in men is a more gradual process.
Doctors said that as the father put his daughter on his bare chest, unknowingly, he transferred the drug to her skin, triggering dramatic changes to her genitals. Later, the parents noticed her clitoris kept growing longer, resembling a small penis, as her labia had fused into a shape similar to a scrotum.
Also known as a ‘micropenis’, the growth happened to the baby when she was just ten months old.
What led to the baby’s ‘micropenis’?
Blood tests conducted on the baby revealed the real cause of the growth, which was extremely high levels of testosterone. After doctors’ suggestion, the father stopped accidentally exposing her to the hormone gel, and her genitals began to shrink back to normal.
Doctors have urged parents to be more aware of the risks that hormone treatments can pose to children.
What is testosterone?
Testosterone is a sex hormone, produced in the testicles, that plays an important role in male sexual development and characteristics. It is extremely important for maintaining muscle mass, bone density, and sex drive, while also influencing the production of red blood cells and proper fat distribution.
While primarily associated with males, testosterone is also present and important in women.
What happens when testosterone levels go high in women?
According to doctors, high levels of testosterone in women or female infants can cause enlargement of their clitoris, which can look almost like a penis. It can also lead to early puberty, which is when puberty begins before the age of eight.
In adult women, high levels of testosterone can also be a sign of polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS – a common condition which up to 15 per cent of women of reproductive age have. PCOS causes certain symptoms like: