Baby girl grows ‘micropenis' after laying on her dad's chest
And she's not the only one. A Swedish doctor is sounding the alarm, warning she's seen at least half a dozen similar cases in children.
Here's what you need to know to make sure your child isn't next.
4 Skin-to-skin contact can help regulate the baby's body temperature, heart rate and breathing.
barneyboogles – stock.adobe.com
Often referred to as 'kangaroo care,' skin-to-skin contact is a common practice used to strengthen the bond between newborns and parents while supporting healthy early development.
But in this case, that sweet ritual took a strange turn.
After her birth, the Swedish baby girl was repeatedly placed on her father's bare chest — the same area where he had applied testosterone gel.
The topical medication is commonly prescribed to men with hypogonadism, a condition in which the body doesn't produce enough sex hormones.
It's more common than you might think. Research suggests that, after the age of 40, men's testosterone levels fall by about 1% each year, a biological process sometimes colloquially called 'manopause.'
While hypogonadism can affect men of any age, studies suggest that roughly 40% of those over 45 and half of men in their 80s have clinically low testosterone.
4 Testosterone gel increases levels of the testosterone hormone in your body.
mbruxelle – stock.adobe.com
Over time, this drop can lead to a range of symptoms, including low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, mood swings and muscle loss — issues that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) can help treat.
Unaware of the risk, the father's skin-to-skin contact inadvertently exposed his daughter to high levels of testosterone — triggering dramatic changes in her genitalia.
Her parents noticed that her clitoris had begun to elongate, resembling a small penis, while her labia began to fuse, eventually looking similar to a male scrotum.
Panicked, they brought their 10-month-old daughter to a doctor. Blood tests quickly identified the source.
4 Secondary exposure to testosterone gel in children can trigger adverse effects such as premature puberty.
Rawpixel.com – stock.adobe.com
'I don't think people always understand how potent these treatments are,' Professor Jovanna Dahlgren, a pediatric endocrinologist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, told local news outlet Göteborgs-Posten.
'The parents become completely desperate when they understand what has happened,' she added.
The case, which occurred eight years ago, is one of at least six similar incidents Dahlgren has seen, all involving young children unintentionally exposed to hormone medication through close contact with a parent.
In one case, she said, a 10-year-old boy developed breasts after coming into contact with estrogen cream his mother had been using.
Fortunately, in the Swedish girl's case, her genitals began to shrink once her father stopped using the gel and the accidental exposure ceased.
And while local media described the case as a 'micropenis,' experts note that's not technically accurate, as the term refers specifically to underdeveloped male genitalia — not virilized female anatomy.
4 Testosterone decline in men, common with age, can lead to side effects like erectile dysfunction.
Kaspars Grinvalds – stock.adobe.com
The story comes amid a surge in TRT popularity, including in the US, where prescriptions jumped from 7.3 million in 2019 to over 11 million last year, according to CBS News.
High-profile names like Josh Duhamel, Sylvester Stallone, Joe Rogan — and even Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — have gotten in on the hormone hack.
But it's not just aging men fueling the trend. On TikTok, the hashtag 'TRT Before and After' has exploded with millions of views, showcasing ripped guys in their 20s and 30s boasting about about boosted energy levels and sex drives.
Experts, however, warn TRT isn't without risks. Side effects can include acne, fluid retention, testicular shrinkage, reduced fertility and worsened sleep apnea, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
TRT comes in several forms: pills, injections, patches, and gels.
If you use the topical gel, the Mayo Clinic advises washing your hands thoroughly after application and rinsing the treated area before any skin-to-skin contact to avoid accidentally exposing others.
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