Teen with male genitalia raised as a boy pregnant after discovering ovaries 'by chance'

A trans teen born with male genitalia and raised as a boy has become pregnant after finding out that she has female reproductive parts.

Mikey Chanel, who is in her second trimester at four months, was only diagnosed with Persistent Müllerian duct syndrome (PMDS), a rare condition in which a person has male external genitals, with female reproductive organs internally, last year.

But 18-year-old Mikey says that she always knew she was a girl. 

It was obvious to everyone that I was different right from the start, said the events coordinator fromfrom Boston, Massachusetts.

I never felt like a boy. I was quite effeminate and I never really went through a whole “boy puberty” thing. ‘I only have a tiny bit of facial hair. I’ve always had a feminine-shaped body.

Mikey came out as gay aged 13, and later wondered if she might be transgender. Her PMDS diagnosis came last year when Mikey was undergoing some routine tests at the doctors. 

I had been having a weird feeling after peeing and s.e.x so they did an ultrasound of my urinary tract, said Mikey.

They told me that I had a cervix, ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes and that I could get pregnant if I wanted to. I actually thought it was a joke. I didn’t even know this was possible. Then they showed me my uterus on the screen.

When Mikey was diagnosed with PMDS, doctors advised her to have an immediate hysterectomy. Mikey added:

People with PDMS are susceptible to cancer and tumors and the risk is lessened if you have a hysterectomy. My male parts came back infertile but I was told that my ovaries were functioning. I was in a state of shock for a couple of weeks then I realised that I wouldn’t be able to have a child unless I carried it myself, and soon.

I always knew I wanted to be a parent, I used to play with baby dolls when I was little and I’ve always seen kids in my future, so I decided, it’s now or never I have to try and get pregnant.

Mikey then underwent a series of fertility procedures including ICSI in which donor sperm is injected directly into an egg to create a fertilised embryo. During a laparoscopic procedure called ZIFT, embryos were placed in the fallopian tubes. 

Because Mikey does not have a vaginal opening, three fertilised embryos were implanted into her fallopian tube via an abdominal cavity. 

I was told there was only about a 20% chance it would work, but it worked, and I was so shocked but happy, added Mikey.

I can’t wait to be a parent. My parents weren’t around much when I was a kid, so I want to be the parent that my parents couldn’t be, I really want to be there for my child.

Mikey has been prescribed estrogen to help with the pregnancy and she hopes to continue to transition further after the baby is born. ‘I feel more like a woman now than ever,’ she said.