A woman who was born and raised as a boy — living as a man until the age of 43 — discovered she is actually intersex and has both male and female chromosomes.



Juleigh Mayfield, 49, from Orlando, Florida, says her life has been shaped by a challenging journey with intersex conditions and health complications.

The actress and podcast host says she "presented" as a male at birth, adding: "Even though some of my characteristics were quite minute in size."

But it was only when she was playing football in high school and required a physical examination that a doctor told Juleigh — at the time, Bradford — she had characteristics of both genders.

"My parents and myself and my family were kind of at ends with what was going on," she explains. "

"It wasn't until I was 17 and playing football in high school and had a division switch that I had to go get a physical."

"The doctor that happened to be doing the physical had said to my parents: 'He exhibits a lot of characteristics that would make him XXY, meaning he has an extra X chromosome.'"

Because the year was 1994 and the intersex condition was not well-researched, the doctor told Juleigh's parents the extra chromosome was "not a big deal." She continued living as a male and was given large doses of testosterone."

She added: "I was raised in the male vessel because I was born in 1975 in Alabama."

"And so we always joke and say even if there had been tons of quantifying information in Alabama in 1975 about what it meant to be intersex, they wouldn't have been forthcoming with the information."

Juleigh only truly started to understand her intersex condition after a severe toe infection — and losing that toe — during a trip to Paris in May 2015.

It led to her needing to be flown to Colchester, England for emergency surgery for removing her toe at Colchester Hospital.

"I was told that my body responds better to estrogen. They said I had to start taking it, or I might not live past 48," she recalls. "

This revelation came as part of a broader set of findings from her extensive medical evaluations at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland.

During her time at NIH, Juleigh learned her body had multiple features of Klinefelter syndrome - a condition in which male babies are born with an extra X chromosome.

She explains: "The doctors said: 'You were born with breast tissue, which is now called gynecomastia. You have an internal female cervix floor, but you don't have an external vaginal opening. You were born with a partial uterus and an underdeveloped pancreas. You also have a diminished Adam's apple and a female-sized heart, but male-sized lungs.'"

The doctors also noted Juleigh had experienced symptoms that felt like menstrual cramps and internal bleeding - which they attributed to her body's way of cycling without producing eggs.

Faced with the reality of needing estrogen therapy, Juleigh was initially concerned about the implications for her identity.

She expressed her concerns to the doctors, saying: "I said: 'I work in the LGBTQI community. I know what trans individuals go on to transition. I don't identify as trans. I've always felt split, but I'm quite happy in my life as a man.'"

Despite her hesitation, the doctors emphasized that the estrogen would greatly improve her health and extend her lifespan.

"The doctor said: 'Yes, but it will cause you to transition to the female end of your spectrum. You're already mostly female anyway. It will save your life,'" she recalls."

After discussing her options with her family, Juleigh decided to move forward with the treatment, which included receiving copious amounts of estrogen, the removal of a testicle and ovary, and a partial hysterectomy

Bradford then started living as Juleigh, embracing her female characteristics and transforming into a gorgeous young woman.

Her father, an educator, supported her decision, saying: "You're our kid regardless. "

"The gender doesn't matter. And if it means living longer, then I'm going to tell you to go back in and take the estrogen."



Reflecting on this pivotal moment, Juleigh describes her acceptance of the treatment: "I said: 'Basically, you're telling me that I am in the worst version of a car that anybody has ever seen. Everything's falling off of it... you are giving me a better opportunity to finish the race with some dignity and pride and speed.'"

Juleigh's decision to start estrogen therapy has been transformative.

She said: "It has taught me a 100 percent. "

"One of the biggest things I share on all my platforms and teaching is if you think about a wine bottle, it's the wine inside that matters, not the bottle. "

"Similarly, the vessel of our body doesn't matter as much as our life spirit."

Through her advocacy and social media presence, Juleigh aims to educate and support the intersex community.

She emphasizes the lack of awareness and understanding about intersex conditions, stating: "Two percent of the world's population is intersex, but we don't talk about it and we're not researching it."

"Being intersex in the female body or the male body for me has been like playing Frogger. "

"I'm running across the highway trying not to get hit by everything. "

"It's not just about surviving but about thriving and educating others about our existence."