I diagnosed myself as intersex at age 17 - after discovering I was born without a vaginal opening

A woman has opened up about how she diagnosed herself as intersex at age 17 after discovering she was born without a vaginal opening.

Sydney Bean, 24, from Idaho, has more than 315,000 followers on TikTok, where she educates others about what it means to be an intersex person while sharing her own experience. 

In the latest episode of the Truly series Born Different, she recalled how it took her years to realize there was a community of people with anatomical differences like her own. 

'Life has changed tremendously since I began to identify as intersex. I've been a lot happier with myself because I can understand why my body is the way that it is,' she said.

Sydney Bean, 24, from Idaho, opened up about being intersex on the latest episode of the Truly series Born Different

She diagnosed herself as intersex at age 17 after discovering she was born without a vaginal opening

Sydney explained that she was 'raised as a girl' and didn't realize her body was different until she was a teen 

'I wish people would understand that it's not bizarre to be intersex. The biological sex is not binary. It exists on a spectrum.' 

Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe a person who is born with genitals, chromosomes, or reproductive organs that don't fit into a male/female sex binary. 

Sydney explained that she was 'raised as a girl' and didn't realize her body was different until she developed severe cystic acne at 15. 

Her doctor discovered that she had heightened levels of androgens, which are usually thought of as male hormones, even though small amounts are also produced in the female body. 

Sydney said she was prescribed hormone treatment to make her 'normal.' 

A few years later, right before she turned 17, she realized she had a microperforate hymen, a condition in which the hymen almost completely covers the opening to the vagina.

She recalled how her gynecologist didn't believe her until she was examined, but even after she was proven to be right, no one told her she was intersex.

'I do wish that the word intersex had been uttered,' she said. 

'I wish I knew why this was happening. I wish they didn't treat it as an anomaly.'

In an interview with BuzzFeed last year, she explained that she underwent a hymenectomy, a surgical procedure to open or remove the hymen. 

After Sydney developed severe cystic acne at 15, her doctor found that she had heightened levels of androgens. She was put on hormone treatment to make her 'normal'

A few years later, she realized had a microperforate hymen, a condition in which the hymen almost completely covers the opening to the vagina, and underwent a hymenectomy 

It wasn't until she made friends in the queer community in her early 20s that she identified as intersex for the first time

Although she was not menstruating naturally, doctors found that she had all of the typical female reproductive organs. 

Looking back on the procedure during the episode, she said it made her feel like she was 'getting closer to being the female that [she] was intended to be.' 

It wasn't until she made friends in the queer community in her early 20s that she identified as intersex for the first time. 

After having a conversation with a transgender friend about her anatomical differences, she turned to Google for answers. 

'That's when I learned the word intersex,' she said 

She admitted that dating can be difficult because 'there's so much that people don't understand about being intersex,' and they will 'say things that are closed-minded.' 

Sydney admitted that dating can be difficult because 'there's so much that people don't understand about being intersex,'

Sydney was inspired to share her story on TikTok because she had thoughts and feelings that others didn't understand

'Life has changed tremendously since I began to identify as intersex. I've been a lot happier with myself because I can understand why my body is the way that it is,' she said

'The main reaction that I get is this pensive look, and they just kind of go, "Huh,"' she explained. 

Sydney was inspired to share her story on TikTok because she had thoughts and feelings that others didn't understand.  

'I decided to create a new community for myself. That was my idea at least, and that's exactly what I got,' she said. 

'I do receive a lot of comments saying that I'm not actually intersex, and it did honestly make me doubt myself in the beginning because I thought, "Well, am I just extrapolating here? Am I reaching?"' she recalled. 

Sydney's mother, Dana, has been supportive of her being open about her experience as an intersex person, but she worries about her safety.  

The TikToker agreed that 'there is a danger to speaking out about topics where people tend to be hateful and ignorant.'

'I care about educating. That is a big motivator for me,' she said. 'I hope that my content continues to introduce the concept of what it means to be intersex to people.'