Pat's Answer

Hello, and welcome to Ask Pat. 

Thank you for getting in touch. Talking about what is bothering us can be tough to do but we at Childline firmly believe that talking makes you stronger.  

To reply to your question, it is important to note that this is an extremely sensitive and individual experience. Many people are born with both female and male reproductive organs. From a biological perspective, if you have medical concerns or questions, it is important that you contact your GP or a licensed healthcare provider. Our genders are socially constructed within the country and the cultures that we grow up in. Typically, in Western countries such as Ireland, gender tends to be categorized into male or female however, gender exists on a spectrum. Awareness in Ireland is growing in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation.  

There are organisations that are available such as www.belong2.org which may be useful in helping you make sense of what’s going on for you and your body, and of course www.childline.ie is there to help too. Remember, having questions about our bodies, sexual orientation, gender and identity is part of the growing up experience and is completely normal.  

If you would like to talk more about how you are feeling, the Childline service is available to listen to you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You can contact us through our telephone service 1800 66 66 66, through our text service 50101, or by web chat that you can access through the website: www.childline.ie . We are non-judgemental and our service is confidential. 

We hope that you have found this information valuable.  

Take care of yourself, 

Pat