The amazing case of Lina Medina, a 5-year old girl from Peru, proves that puberty is a confusing process that can strike at any time. Lina was born on September 27, 1933, and was a normal kid until her suddenly increased one day, with her body becoming mature as well. Lina was rushed to the hospital with her parents believing that it was a tumor, but when the doctors examined her, they concluded that the girl was 7 months pregnant!
The team of doctors took x-rays of Lina and examined her hormone levels, and later learned that Lina’s parents noticed that her period has recently stopped. As the doctors in her town didn’t have an explanation for the bizarre condition, she was transferred to a hospital in Lima. Lina gave birth to a healthy baby boy through a C-section who she named Gerardo (after a doctor) on May 14, 1939, making her the world’s youngest mother.
During the surgery, the doctors were shocked to see that Lina had fully developed mammary glands and sexual organ, a condition called “precocious puberty”. Her father was arrested for suspected rape, but was later released due to lack of evidence.
The authorities never found out who the father of Lina’s baby was. The bizarre case was documented by Dr. Edmundo Escomel in the “La Presse Medicale” journal. The doctor explained that Lina’s first period came when she was only 8 months old! At age 4, she had prominent breast development, and by 5 her pelvis was widened and her bones mature.
Her son Gerardo believed that Lina was his sister until he learned the truth at the age of 10. Lina managed to put her son through high school by working as a secretary in a clinic in Lima. She married a man named Raul Jurado and gave birth to an unknown second son in 1972. Unfortunately, her first son, Gerardo, died at the age of 40 due to bone marrow disease.
Lina is now 82 years old and lives with her husband in a poor district in Lima. She continues receiving a lot of media attention, although she doesn’t want to give interviews.
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