Say What Now? Baby Born With Three Penises Marks First Reported Case of Triphallia in Humans

BY: Walker

Published 4 years ago

A newborn baby boy was discovered to have three penises, the first confirmed case in human history. A Kurdish child from Duhok was born with three penises, or medically called triphallia, with swollen testicles.

via: Complex

In an International Journal of Surgery Case Reports piece from 2020 that’s just now gaining traction, for which Dr. Ayad Ahmad Mohammed served as guarantor, the case of a three-month old from Duhok (in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region) who was initially taken to a hospital for suspected scrotum swelling is detailed.

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As the report states, two supernumerary (i.e. additional) penises were observed. One was reported to have been attached to the root of the penis, while the other was below the scrotum. Neither had a urethra. Eventually, both supernumerary penises were removed. The procedure was handled by a consultant urologist with expert-level knowledge in urosurgery and penile reconstruction surgery.

The baby was discharged without issue, with follow-up appointments taking place over the course of the next year and resulting in zero reports of complications from the procedure.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case with three penises or triphallia as no similar case is present in literature in human beings,” the study—to which Dr. Shakir Saleem Jabali also contributed —states. According to the study, this confirmation of an example of triphallia in humans boasts the potential to “add to literature” on the topic while possibly helping to improve the process behind the methods of classification focused on instances of multiple penises at birth.

Worth noting here, of course, is that written consent was given by the family of the patient in question with regards to reporting on and studying this case.

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A New York Post report from Ben Cost highlighting the case noted that—back in 2015—a similar incident hit the news cycle but was never confirmed via a medical journal publication or other verification method. Meanwhile, cases of diphallia—as mentioned in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports piece—have been reported in medical literature. They are rare, however, with only an estimated 100 cases of diphallia (two penises) being reported in such literature.

Can you imagine.

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