Baby girl grows 'micropenis' from lying on dad's bare chest; Experts issue serious health warning about parents' medications

Time of India

4 days ago

This one's as bizarre as it goes.
In a startling turn of events, a baby girl developed masculinized genital changes after extensive skin‑to‑skin contact with her father, who had applied testosterone gel.
The odd case occurred in Sweden, where half a dozen similar cases have happened.
This 'disturbing' incident, widely reported as the girl growing a 'micropenis,' has been garnering a lot of attention, both from the medical community as well as from the common people.
Let's take a detailed look at what happened and how.
What happened (and how)?
A baby girl in Sweden grew an additional member after cuddling with her dad as a newborn.
But turns out, this is not the first time this has happened.
Swedish pediatric endocrinologists documented a case of a 10‑month‑old female infant whose father had been using testosterone gel to treat low libido (a hormone gel, often prescribed to men suffering from low energy or sex drive, sometimes referred to as the 'manopause').
During routine skin‑to‑skin contact, the infant was repeatedly placed on her father's bare chest. This exposure led to her clitoris lengthening and labia fusing into a scrotum‑like shape, now popularized as a 'micropenis.'
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As per Professor Jovanna Dahlgren, a paediatric endocrinology expert who works at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, she's seen parents become 'completely desperate' when they've realized what has actually happened – highlighting the hormonal potency and real danger of secondary exposure around children.
The baby's worried parents took her to the doctors when she was 10 months old. Following medical evaluation, blood tests revealed abnormally high testosterone levels in the infant.
Once the father ceased exposing her skin to the hormone gel, clinical signs began reversing.
Is it… a micropenis?
Although the incident has gone viral, being sensationalized as the girl child growing a 'micropenis', the term – in fact – is incorrect, as it only applies to underdeveloped male genitalia. Micropenis, as per
studies
, is a condition strictly defined in male infants as a stretched penile length more than 2.5 standard deviations below the average – around less than 0.75 inches in newborns.
It is typically congenital and linked to hormone deficiencies or genetic syndromes; it does not develop de novo in girls from external testosterone sharing.
Understanding micropenis: Causes and treatment
Micropenis, which affects approximately 1.5 in 10,000 male births, is usually caused by fetal testosterone deficiency from hormonal or genetic disruptions like hypogonadotropic hypogonadism or Kallmann syndrome. The diagnostic threshold and clinical implications are well‑defined: these boys may require early testosterone therapy to encourage penile growth, ideally within infancy, to improve outcomes.
Treatment protocols often involve a carefully monitored short course of testosterone gel or injections. Success varies depending on underlying causes and timing, and psychological support is often vital to address coping and body image concerns during adolescence and adulthood.
What happened to the girl then?
In terms of the baby girl, she had been repeatedly laid on her father's bare chest so that she could have some skin-to-skin contact with her dad – which is considered a key part of the bonding stage for new parents, who are encouraged to hold their infants against their naked skin.
According to the NHS, this allows newborns to 'hear the comforting sound of your heartbeat and voice, which will help calm and relax them'. It also helps regulate your baby's temperature, breathing, and heart rate, as well as build up your baby's immunity to infections.
However, the little girl's father had been using a testosterone gel product, which is an artificial version of the male hormone – and that became the bane for the baby girl.
After applying the hormone gel, Mayo Clinic explains that fellas should 'allow the skin to air-dry, then cover with clothing to prevent others from coming in contact with the medication on your skin'.
But it seems this father missed the memo on this, as he unknowingly laid his little girl down on his chest without realizing he was exposing her to the hormone.
However, what happened in Sweden, as per doctors, wasn't an isolated event; according to Professor Jovanna Dahlgren, there have been half a dozen incidents of its kind that she herself is aware of.
Speaking to Swedish newspaper Göteborgs-Posten, she urged parents to be more aware of the risks hormone treatments can pose to children.
According to MailOnline, the paediatric endocrinology expert said, "I don't think people always understand how potent these treatments are. The parents become completely desperate when they understand what has happened."
She also revealed, in another case, a 10-year-old boy developed breasts after being exposed to oestrogen cream his mother was using.
Risks of hormone exposure and child health
This strange Swedish case shed light on a different hazard: secondary exposure. Testosterone gel, commonly prescribed to men for late‑onset hypogonadism, is absorbed through the skin and remains potent enough to affect others.Hypogonadism, a rare condition, causes delayed puberty and small testes, according to the NHS. Studies estimate that just 2–6% of men suffer from late-onset hypogonadism. Dr Channa Jayasena, an endocrinologist at Imperial College London, previously told Sun Health that the NHS is seeing more men who have either started testosterone illegally or have been put on it by private clinics.
He said, "Most of these men should never have been on testosterone in the first place", explaining that taking testosterone unnecessarily can increase the risk of blood clots, high blood pressure, and cholesterol. For these men, as per Dr Jayasena, using testosterone is like "putting a plaster over a cut." He added, "It'll mask the symptoms, but in reality, you're still unwell."
However, after applying the hormone gel, when adults fail to wash their hands, cover application sites, or avoid contact for hours, children can absorb enough hormone to cause physical changes, even virilization or early puberty.
Experts warn users must apply gel to specified areas (shoulders, arms, abdomen), air‑dry before dressing, wash hands thoroughly, and cover treated regions once dry. Health authorities strongly recommend the avoidance of skin‑to‑skin contact with infants or children for the first few hours after application.
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