Bizarre! Girls turn into boys at the age of 12 in this village

 Apparently, because of a rare genetic disorder, children who live in a village in the southwestern Dominican Republic are born female and become male at puberty i.e these boys grow a penis only when they hit puberty.

Zee Media Bureau

London: This one is a bizarre piece of news! Apparently, because of a rare genetic disorder, children who live in a village in the southwestern Dominican Republic are born female and become male at puberty i.e these boys grow a penis only when they hit puberty.

The story of these children who live in Salinas, an isolated village in the southwestern Dominican Republic, features in a new BBC science series "Countdown to Life - the extraordinary making of you".

According to a report, one in 90 children in Salinas face this rare genetic disorder. In their village, these children are simply referred to as the 'guevedoces’ - which literally translates as ‘penis at 12’.

The disorder occurs because of a missing enzyme which prevents the production of a specific form of the male sex hormone - dihydro-testosterone - in the womb, the report said.

Because of this missing enzyme they appear to be born female with no testes and what appears to be a vagina.

The male reproductive organs emerge during puberty at around 12 years of age due to a huge surge in testosterone.

So what should have happened in the womb happens around 12 years later.Their voices deepen and they finally grow a penis.

(With Agency inputs)

Zee News App: Read latest news of India and world, bollywood news, business updates, cricket scores, etc. Download the Zee news app now to keep up with daily breaking news and live news event coverage.