Some Transgender People Can Become Pregnant

For centuries, female was the only sex ever considered to be able to give birth. This is because in order to carry and nourish a child throughout a pregnancy term, a functioning uterus is required. However, in 2014, the first ever uterine transplant was performed to help an infertile mother become pregnant which opened up the idea that uterine transplants might be the way for transgender people to give birth, especially transgender women (those who were born male but identify as female) to conceive and carry a child. 

Even though this initial uterine surgery was seven years ago, the procedure is still relatively rare with only 18 live births occurring around the world. Even so, some in the science community are wondering if one of the next steps in discovery is the use of this technology in transgender women, according to an article in Bioethics. However, at this point in time, the potential use of uterine transplants in the transgender population has only been hypothesized.

Transgender men (those who were assigned female at birth but identify as men) can become pregnant. In fact, the first study that compared in-vitro fertilization between women and transgender men found that egg quality and quantity were similar even after testosterone therapy. Many transgender men hear from their doctors that testosterone has sterilized them according to NBC.com. While there is limited data in the U.S. about how many transgender men have given birth, in Australia, 54 transgender men are on record as having given birth in one year. 

According to World Population Review, approximately 1.4 million adults identify as transgender in the United States.