MRKH stands for Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser Syndrome, named after
four men who studied this birth defect. It is a defect wherein a woman is
born without a uterus, cervix, and, in many cases, a vagina, and therefore
cannot reproduce. The woman is also likely to be missing one kidney.
How do you "get" MRKH?
How do you know you have it?
MRKH is usually diagnosed when the girl reaches sixteen or thereabouts and never gets her period.
How many women have MRKH?
No exact figures are known, as the defect often goes unnoticed by anyone
outside of the immediate family of the woman. Figures range from one in
ten thousand to one in a million. . Other problems may include kidney problems,
skeletal problems and/or hearing loss. Not all women have all of these symptoms.
There are many treatments available to these women who want to create a
vagina. Some have surgery to create a vagina. Some use dilators to stretch
the short vagina to the proper length. The dilators are devices that are
inserted into the vagina to apply pressure to the lengthen the vagina. Dilation
usually has great results, but does take time. Most women are able to have
normal sexual relationships after treatment to create a vagina. The Women
can also choose no treatment at all. These women do not "need"
to have treatment, only if they choose to do so. Most women with the help
of medical technology are able to have their own familys. While many adopt,
many now are able to have genetic children through Surrogacy.