A 70-year-old married woman in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has been told she possesses an XY chromosome which technically makes her a man.

The astonishing test result was revealed lately by the Liuzhou Workers Hospital in the city of Liuzhou after the woman, surnamed Cao, underwent surgery to have tumors removed from her groin.

Cao felt a small lump in her right groin in 2004. But she did not visit a doctor until another lump appeared on her left groin several months ago.

Cao agreed to have them removed and during the surgery, the doctor found tiny sperm duct-like vessels and testicle interstitial cells on the tumors and asked the woman to have a chromosome test.

The outcome of the test showed Cao's chromosome to be XY and medically speaking she is a man, said the hospital. According to the doctor who performed the surgery, surnamed Lu, Cao has the same physical characteristics as regular women.

Despite her efforts, she was never able to become pregnant. Cao and her husband then adopted a boy.

Cao has been to many hospitals over the years but none have detected the presence of the XY chromosome.