For women in their childbearing age, the days of menstruation can be uncomfortable, but if it doesn’t come at all, it’s a cause for concern.
Tieu Nguyet (name changed) lives in China. This girl, now 21 years old, exhibits all other female sex characteristics, but has never had her menstrual cycle. In fact, she considered it lucky as she often heard other women complaining about the inconvenience, pain, and fatigue associated with their periods.
Recently, Tieu Nguyet began enjoying writing and inadvertently shared this fact on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu in a post about her daily life. Unexpectedly, many people left comments wanting her to elaborate on the matter. After describing her condition in detail, aside from many comments expressing utter surprise, most people advised the young girl to get a medical check-up.
All of Tieu Nguyet’s other sexual characteristics developed normally, but at 21 years old, she still hasn’t had her period.
Specifically, Tieu Nguyet mentioned that she experienced puberty normally, with increased height and weight, acne, breast development, growth of pubic and armpit hair, and psychological changes, but her menstruation cycle was nowhere to be found. She even asked her mother, who explained that some girls have their periods very late, as she herself had experienced. Moreover, her other puberty signs were normal, so she should wait and not worry too much.
Tieu Nguyet’s parents divorced when she was young, and she lives with her mother, who has a very busy job. She’s also not very close and doesn’t confide much in her mother. Over the years, witnessing other girls around her struggling during their periods, Tieu Nguyet secretly felt relieved that she hadn’t experienced menstruation herself. She also considered the possibility of having an illness, but since she hadn’t noticed any abnormalities like pain or itching in the genital area, and being naturally shy and afraid of hospitals, she decided not to visit a gynecologist.
When her story was widely shared, forums were set up for discussion, and that’s when Tieu Nguyet realized the importance of the issue. The young girl, on her own, went to a central hospital in the city where she studies, and the diagnosis result was something she had never imagined.
The 21-year-old girl had a uterus the size of a newborn, making it extremely difficult for her to conceive. The doctor who examined Tieu Nguyet was also surprised by the size of her uterus. Despite being 21 years old, her uterus was too small, even smaller than the average size of a newborn girl’s uterus.
A normal uterus is shaped like an upside-down pear, about 7.5 cm long, 5 cm wide at the top, 2.5 cm thick, and weighs about 30 to 40 grams. But Tieu Nguyet’s uterus measures approximately 13mm x 5mm x 19mm, just a bit larger than a soybean.
Although 21 years old, Tieu Nguyet’s uterus is only a bit larger than a soybean, and her endometrium is too thin, making pregnancy very difficult.
The diagnosis revealed that she has congenital hypoplastic uterus or “baby uterus” or “infant uterus”. Moreover, the doctor warned that her estrogen levels are too low, and both of these factors significantly affect her ability to conceive.
In an updated post about her medical examination on Xiaohongshu, she expressed that she was shocked but at least she still had hope for a future as a mother. She mentioned that she had to undergo ultrasound twice. In the first instance, the doctor couldn’t see her endometrium. He also told her that if there is an endometrium, it would mean an underdeveloped uterus, indicating a low chance of pregnancy. But if there was no endometrium, she would be diagnosed as infertile.
Upon hearing this, Tieu Nguyet burst into tears right at the hospital. She was only 21 years old and didn’t even have a boyfriend yet. In the second ultrasound, fortunately, the doctor vaguely saw the endometrium, though it was extremely thin. This meant Tieu Nguyet would have to put in a lot of effort and time to use medication to stimulate her body to produce estrogen and develop her uterus, and even then, the chance of success is not high and also entails other risks.
However, this was truly a blessing for Tieu Nguyet. She shared that she didn’t receive love from both her father and mother from an early age, so she greatly hoped to build a happy family of her own. She also hoped that her case would be a lesson for all women, especially young girls. Never be careless with reproductive health, especially signs of abnormal menstruation. Also, never miss the opportunity for early detection and treatment due to carelessness or embarrassment, as regret will be too late then
