Reflecting on the Importance of Family Building and Fertility Preservation:Transgender People's Experiences with Starting Gender-Affirming Treatment as an Adolescent

Autor: Iris de Nie, Joyce D. Asseler, Marijn Arnoldussen, Silke Baas, Annelou L.C. de Vries, Judith A.F. Huirne, Thomas D. Steensma, Martin den Heijer, Norah M. van Mello
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: de Nie, I, Asseler, J D, Arnoldussen, M, Baas, S, de Vries, A L C, Huirne, J A F, Steensma, T D, den Heijer, M & van Mello, N M 2023, ' Reflecting on the Importance of Family Building and Fertility Preservation : Transgender People's Experiences with Starting Gender-Affirming Treatment as an Adolescent ', Transgender health . https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2022.0135
DOI: 10.1089/trgh.2022.0135
Popis: Purpose: We aimed to investigate how adults, who started gender-affirming hormone treatment during adolescence, reflect on their reproductive decisions. Methods: We recruited transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people who visited our gender identity clinic and commenced medical treatment in adolescence at least 9 years ago. We collected data through an online survey. Results: The cohort consisted of 89 participants (66 TGD people assigned female at birth (AFAB) and 23 TGD people assigned male at birth (AMAB) with a mean age of 32.4 years (range 25.5-51.2) at the time of study, and 15.6 years (range 11.5-20.6) at the start of medical treatment. All participants initiated medical treatment before 2014, when laws requiring sterilization for legal gender recognition were still in place, and only 30% of participants reported to have received information about fertility preservation, which none of them pursued. In addition, 96% of participants underwent gonadectomy and thus became permanently infertile, which was troublesome for 27%. With today's knowledge, 44% of TGD people AFAB and 35% of TGD people born AMAB would pursue fertility preservation. The percentage of participants with a (future) desire for children increased from 34% at the start of medical treatment (at adolescent age) to 56% at the time of this study (at adult age), of whom 23% had currently started a family. Conclusion: It is important to inform transgender adolescents about the effect of medical treatment on fertility and the options for fertility preservation since many may develop a desire for (biological) children when they reach adulthood.
Databáze: OpenAIRE