Mum Tells Horror After Son Was Found to Have a ‘Hidden Vagina’

A mother was left heartbroken when she was told that her son has a ‘hidden vagina’ due to a birth defect, which leaves him in constant pain.

Leanne Owen, 40,�told of�her heartache when she learned that her eight-year-old son Harry�was born with three holes in his heart, a twisted spinal cord and kidney problems.�He also had no anus and no urethra – the hole in the tip of the penis through which men expel urine.

As Harry�grew, Ms Owen noticed his penis wasn’t growing and his genitals looked abnormal. When she asked doctors, she was told a horrific truth about her son’s condition.

In May last year, doctors discovered Harry had bifid scrotum with features associated with female genitalia – which means he has a cleft in his scrotum which causes two folds of skin which look like a female’s labia — as well as urethral duplication. Doctors revealed Harry actually had VACTERL association — which stands for�’vertebral, anal, cardio, tracheo-esophageal, renal, limb’ – the name given to the occurence of multiple birth defects which are thought to be related.

Harry’s defects were picked up at�Blackpool Victoria Hospital, where he was born, but he was quickly moved to�Manchester Children’s Hospital.�He underwent more than 12 operations including being fitted with�a stoma and a colostomy bag.

Now, Ms Owen feels angry the defects weren’t diagnosed at birth. She says most of Harry’s defects were not seen in�ultrasound scans at Blackpool Victoria Hospital before he was born. This means Harry is now left in agony every day – which Ms Owen�feels could have been prevented.�”I feel frustrated because if this had been picked up when Harry was a baby, he wouldn’t have to be in the pain that he is now,” she said.

A spokesman for Manchester Children’s Hospital said: ‘We are sorry to hear that Harry’s family have concerns about his care. We are contacting the family to reassure them that we will look into this further.

Meanwhile, a Blackpool Victoria Hospital spokesman said they would not comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality but have�investigated the family’s concerns and responded to them directly.

Source:�Dailymail.co.uk

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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