Transgender Awareness Week: Embracing the Journey to Parenthood for All Trans and Non-Binary People

Transgender Awareness Week runs from November 13th to November 19th. It’s a time to celebrate the transgender community as well as educate people and raise awareness about transgender issues like discrimination. One topic to discuss this month is how transgender and non-binary individuals can start a family. Many are unsure about the options available to them, but raising awareness can help people make informed decisions about what’s best for them.

Breaking Barriers to Parenthood

Both hormone therapy (which involves taking hormones like testosterone and oestrogen) and gender-affirming surgery (when someone’s physical characteristics are altered through surgery to align with their gender identity) can impact fertility.

●     Gender-affirming surgeries: Certain gender-affirming surgeries make it impossible to become pregnant naturally after they’re performed. For example, a hysterectomy is a procedure that removes the uterus in a female-to-male transition, or for non-binary individuals, making it impossible to get pregnant.

●     Hormone therapy: The risk of permanent infertility increases the longer someone undergoes hormone therapy. In some cases, the effects of infertility from hormone therapy can be reversed if hormones are stopped, although this isn’t always possible.

Fertility preservation is one way for transgender people to have a biological child, which means storing eggs, sperm, and embryos for later use.

Another barrier many transgender individuals face is long NHS waiting times for gender affirming surgery. Because of this, some people choose to get surgery privately, but the costs are high. The costs vary by procedure and location, but are often out of reach for many people.

Fertility and Reproductive Options

IVF

IVF stands for in vitro fertilisation, and is when eggs are removed from the womb and fertilised with sperm in a lab. Transgender individuals can use their own frozen sperm, eggs or embryos, or use a donor for IVF treatment.

IUI

IUI stands for intrauterine insemination and is sometimes called artificial insemination. This simple procedure involves injecting healthy sperm directly into the womb, enabling more sperm to reach the egg. If a trans man or non-binary individual still has ovaries and a uterus, they may be able to use IUI to become pregnant. Frozen sperm from fertility preservation can also be used for IUI treatment.

Surrogacy

This is when someone called a surrogate carries a pregnancy, but the baby is raised by the intended parents. There are two different types of surrogacy:

●     Traditional surrogacy: This is when the surrogate's eggs are fertilised with the intended father’s sperm or sperm from a donor.

●     Gestational surrogacy: The difference with this type of surrogacy is that the surrogate's eggs aren’t used, and the baby, therefore, isn’t biologically related to the surrogate mother. Donor eggs or the intended mother's eggs are used, usually through creating an embryo in a lab, which is placed in the surrogate's womb.

Elective Co-Parenting

This is when two or more individuals who aren’t in a romantic relationship raise a child together. This is a planned decision, not because of an unplanned pregnancy or breakup. The parents may be friends, acquaintances, or have met on a co-parenting website.

Adoption

Adoption is a legal process where parental rights and duties are given to the adoptive parents. Adoption gives a child loving parents for those who can’t be raised by their biological family. Many transgender individuals choose this path to becoming a parent.

Written By Rosie Buckley, Freelance Writer & Blogger

Celebrating Diverse Families During Transgender Awareness Week

There are so many ways to get involved in transgender awareness week! This can include donating to transgender focused charities, attending events, advocating for change, posting personal stories and facts on social media, and educating yourself. At Space Youth Project, we aim to support and empower young people who are or may be LGBTQ+. Explore our website to find out more about us and how we can support you.