Draft:Sophie Ottaway
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Sophie Ottaway (born 20 March 1986) is a British individual known for her gender being changed as a baby without her knowledge.
Sophie Ottaway was born on 20 March 1986 near Manchester, England.[1] She was born with cloacal exstrophy, a rare medical condition. This condition, a form of bladder exstrophy, involves abnormalities in the urinary and digestive systems. Ottaway's bladder was externally located, along with portions of her intestines, and she also had a small split penis.[2]
Shortly after Ottaway's birth, doctors recommended immediate surgery to alter her gender from male to female. This was advised to be done before the official registration of birth, and was performed when Ottaway was two days old. The doctors who performed this surgery on Ottaway told her parents this surgery would lead to fewer complications – such as frequent hospitalisations, risk of infectious disease, erectile dysfunction, missed school days – and a more "normal" childhood for their child, and that if they did not tell Ottaway she was assigned male at birth, she would not question her gender identity. No psychological support was offered to Ottaway or her family.[2][1]
She was aware that she was born with a medical condition and had to visit an endocrinologist when growing up, but did not know the specifics of her condition.[1] Up until 11 years old, Ottaway looked androgynous. At 12 years old, Ottaway went to the doctor for feminising hormones; she was not told the nature of these hormones, instead told this was because her ovaries were removed as they were damaged at birth. During her teens, Ottaway questioned her sexual orientation as she was sexually attracted to women.[2][3]
When Ottaway was 22 years old, she learned her birth sex during a routine doctor's appointment for tonsillitis, where according to her she saw doctor's notes that read "46 XY chromosomes ... prolapsed bowels through abdominal defect ... bladder reconstruction, testes and phallus removed ... vaginal construction".
Ottaway struggled to come to terms with what happened and later developed substance abuse, becoming addicted to alcohol and cocaine.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "A shocking secret, years of denial, and reconciling one's identity: Sophie Ottaway shares her story". WHYY (NPR). 25 March 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d Calkin, Jessamy (25 August 2023). "'The doctors changed my gender at two days old – 22 years later, I discovered the truth'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ Aasmah Mir and Stig Abell (2023). "My gender was secretly changed as a baby and I didn’t know for 22 years". Times Radio. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
Category:1986 births Category:English transgender women Category:Living people Category:Transgender women