the 29-year-old from chicago has androgen insensitivity syndrome -lrb- ais -rrb- , a very rare disorder affecting 1 in 20,000 which prevents a womb from growing and causes testes to grow in the abdomen .
the brunette - who currently works for a non-profit addressing the legal rights of intersex individuals - immediately phoned her mother to discuss her suspicions and was shocked to find her worst fears confirmed .
pagonis says she learned as a teenager that this was ` almost impossible ' .