Adventuretimefantic's longer updates

So... turns out I'm intersex

Welp, what a way to start 2026.

While I won't be saying the exact variation I have, because you know... it's my literal genitalia we're talking about. Kinda don't want strangers knowing what I've got going on down there, I will be talking about SOME of the aspects of it. So content warning, I will be talking about puberty, sexual organs and such. Because well, that's kind of that being intersex effects.

First things first, how the hell did I not know this for almost 23 years? Because it's a mostly internal variation, you CAN see some of it externally, but you do have to poke around a bit to see it. So when I was born, the doctors didn't see anything different than a typical "female" body. And neither did my parents, because what reason do parents have to be poking around their kid aside from the standard changing and bathing? None. The first signs something was up, was the fact I hit puberty way too early. I was 8, which... yeah that didn't traumatise me at all /sarc.

To be fair, there are some other conditions that can cause early puberty, but I didn't even have that tested. My parents kinda just went "guess you're unlucky" and had me rawdog puberty at 8. Although they didn't really know any better, since a lot of people in my family also had slightly early starts. I was definitely the earliest though. Early puberty can be due to hormone issues, although because I never had them tested at the time, only several years later, I can't say for sure the early puberty was because of my intersex variation, but I'd not put it out of the realm of possibility.

The next sign would have been the extremely painful and heavy periods. That absolutely did fuck with my hormone levels and it was HORRIBLE to endure. That on-top of gender dysphoria? 13 years of horrific periods so bad I was collapsing? How fun! It wasn't the periods themselves that should have been a red flag, but the fact I couldn't ever use tampons or cups without excruciating pain. Now I know why, but at the time I didn't and just assumed it was a side effect of the painful periods or something.

Fast forward to 19 when I finally start testosterone. Almost immediately, I'm talking only three months on T, my periods completely stop. Yippee!! No more pain!! And I'm also monitoring bottom growth, because that's what you gotta do, make sure it's all going good and keep it all clean and healthy and such. And for the first time, at the ripe old age of 19, I realise something...

Where the fuck is the urethra?

Now typically, it SHOULD be anywhere in the space underneath the clitorus and above the canal... so why is it not there? Obviously I HAVE one SOMEWHERE otherwise my bladder would have exploded by now. But where the fuck is it?

So what do I do?

Ignore it. Like a dumbass.

I don't really know why I did... maybe it was dysphoria, maybe I was trying to avoid touching the bottom growth while it was still growing. Because it is a bit ouchie when it's still freshly growing sometimes, that's normal. But for some fucking reason I just... ignored it.

Fast forward again to 21. My dad randomly mentions in a conversation about a hospital that used to be near where we lived at the time, that he'd taken me there as a baby for a UTI. Babies... typically don't get those. Because in order to get them, something has to get INTO the urethra to infect it and that just doesn't really happen when you're a literal baby. Sure, it CAN because of incorrect changing or reactions to wipes or nappy powder or something but it's not common. In fact a lot of child welfare agencies keep a close eye on kids with chronic UTIs because it can be a sign of SA. The most common cause of UTIs in adults is well... sex. Things get in there that shouldn't be in there during sex. Of course, a baby isn't doing that, so I remembered the fact I couldn't even find my own damn urethra and wondered how the hell I got a UTI as a baby when I couldn't even find the damn tube as an adult?

So, I poked around, properly this time. And fucking OUCH- I found it. In a very hidden place it's not supposed to be. CONNECTED TO THE CANAL. So... that's why I couldn't use tampons, because they were JABBING INTO THE FUCKING URETHRA. And would have been why I got UTIs as a baby, bacteria from nappies would fester in there. There are a few different variations that cause this, but again I'm not gonna specify which because that'd reveal a little TOO much personal information. I've left a few details out because of that too. But the long and the short of it? Hole inside a hole and some extra stuff out of place. Likely has some hormone issues before I went on T as well that contributed. I have had an x ray and ultrasound in the past, but I was a kid, pre-puberty. So it'd not have really picked up much given I hadn't sexually developed yet. If I got one now, they'd probably be able to get an idea where everything is going inside me. Which is something I should probably look into so I can get some more specific information and know if I'm at risk for any health issues in the future.

But what I do know, is the general type of variation I have and that this will DEFINITELY affect bottom surgery should I get it. Since bottom surgery involves re-routing the urinary tract and all.

My advice and message to you all, DON'T IGNORE THINGS LIKE EARLY PUBERTY, HORMONE ISSUES AND BAD PERIODS. As well as abdominal or genital pain, things looking a bit unusual down there, pain using tampons or from sex, UTIs etc. you could be intersex. You could have a variation that's more internal than external and that's why no one caught on at birth.

I'm not actually mad or upset about it or anything, just mildly annoyed it took this long to figure it out because of just how hard it was to find PROPER information on intersex variations. There's so many of them, and who knows how many people have one and just don't know it because doctors only give a shit about "fixing" the external ones. At long last though, things make sense! Although I'll definitely need to see a specialist if I ever cross the bottom surgery bridge.

TLDR: look for your urethra guys. If it's in the wrong spot, you might be intersex.