What are the fertility options for the transgender community?
The best option for preserving fertility is to freeze eggs or sperm, before starting any hormone treatment or undergoing surgery. This opens up a wide range of options for assisted reproduction in the future, including IUI, IVF, IVF with ICSI, reciprocal IVF/shared motherhood or the use of a surrogate.
If you or your partner (if you have one) are unable to have your own biological child, then fostering or adoption may be another route to parenthood for you to consider.
What are my options as a trans man for having a biologically linked child?
If you have not fully transitioned and have retained your ovaries and uterus, then you may be able to conceive naturally with a male partner, or through IUI, IVF or ICSI, using donor sperm or a partner’s sperm. If you have already had hormone treatment, however, this may affect your ability to conceive.
If you have frozen your eggs before fully transitioning, you may wish to choose reciprocal IVF/shared motherhood with your female partner (if you have one) or use a surrogate to carry your biological child.
What are my options as a trans woman for having a biologically linked child?
Research is still ongoing, however, as it currently stands, it is not medically possible for a trans woman to have a uterus transplant.
If you have frozen your sperm before undergoing hormone treatment or surgery, then your sperm can be used for IUI, IVF or ICSI with your female partner (if you have one) or with a surrogate.
What costs are involved with fertility treatment?
You may have to pay for your eggs or sperm to be frozen and stored.
You may qualify for some NHS funding, depending on where you live.
Currently, trans individuals, same sex couples and single heterosexual people in England, have to self-fund at least six unsuccessful cycles of IUI, before receiving funded treatment.
Although surrogates in England are not allowed to be paid, you will have to pay for any expenses she will incur, as a result of any fertility treatment, for example, time off for appointments and time off during pregnancy and after the birth.
If I have a baby through surrogacy, will the surrogate mother have parental rights?
Surrogacy agreements are legally binding in some countries, but not in the UK.
This comes with an element of risk, as even if you use your own sperm or eggs, the surrogate has full legal parental rights until the baby is born. It is then still her decision as to whether she signs parental rights over to you and if she decides to keep the baby herself, she is legally entitled to do so.
It is recommended that everyone going through fertility treatment has counselling, however, if you are considering surrogacy, it is also wise to seek legal advice.
Here at the IVF Network, we aim to support all individuals considering and going through fertility treatment. We do this, by providing information through our dedicated channel of experts, our website and our blog posts. For trans or non-binary individuals and same sex couples, the following organisations can also provide useful information and support:
Brilliant Beginnings Brilliant Beginnings – Surrogacy in the UK and abroad
Surrogacy UK SurrogacyUK – The UK’s leading not-for-profit surrogacy organisation.
Stonewall Stonewall
New Family Social New Family Social – Home
References
Information for trans and non-binary people seeking fertility treatment,
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)