Man raised as a girl discovers he is intersex at 19

Jim Ambrose says he learned at 19 from medical records that he was born intersex with XY chromosomes after infant surgery; he later began medical transition and now speaks as an intersex activist.

Jim Ambrose has described being raised as a girl and discovering in college that he had been born intersex. He says the information came when he found his medical records at age 19 and learned he had XY chromosomes and had undergone infant surgery. His story was shown on Channel 4's documentary The Secret of Me, which aired on 20 January. Ambrose reports the discovery changed his life and led him to make later medical decisions and to speak publicly about his experience. Key details: - Ambrose says he found medical records at 19 showing he had XY chromosomes and that doctors had performed surgery in infancy to make his genitals appear female. - He reports being raised as a girl by his parents and learning later that the decision had been made by doctors and family at the time of his birth. - He later stopped oestrogen, began testosterone, had a double mastectomy, and now identifies as male and works as an intersex activist. - The documentary notes an estimate that about 1 in 2,000 babies are born with genital differences that can lead to early surgical intervention and states such procedures still occur in many countries. Summary: Ambrose's account describes long-term personal and medical consequences from decisions made in infancy and reports ongoing effects from those early interventions. Undetermined at this time.