A transgender ‘man’ who had a breast removal surgery and was undergoing a ‘sex change’ procedure in Italy was found to be five months pregnant, the New York Post has reported.

The transperson identified as Marco had a mastectomy (surgical breast removal) and was preparing for uterus removal (hysterectomy) when the pregnancy was discovered at a hospital in Rome, the report said.

La Republica, which first reported the case, stated that Marco would be the child’s biological mother, but would be registered legally as the ‘father’.

Endocrinologist Dr. Giulia Senofonte has warned that the foetus could be at risk and the (hormone) therapy should be suspended immediately. “If the halting of the therapy is not immediate, there could be consequences, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy, which is an important time for the development of the baby’s organs,” Senofonte said.

“It’s difficult to talk about it in abstract terms, but it all depends on the timing of the suspension of the dosages of testosterone that the person is taking,” she added.