Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND: Transgender individuals, individuals whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth, undergoing gender-affirming hormonal or surgical therapies may experience loss of fertility. Assisted reproductive technologies have expanded family-building options for transgender men who were assigned female at birth. CASES: Three transgender men underwent oocyte cryopreservation before gender-affirming hormonal therapy. One patient underwent fertility preservation as an adolescent. Two adult patients had children using their cryopreserved oocytes, with the pregnancies carried by their sexually intimate partners. CONCLUSION: Transgender men with cryopreserved gametes can build families in a way that affirms their gender identity. Obstetrician-gynecologists should be familiar with the fertility needs of transgender patients so appropriate discussions and referrals can be made.

Objective:To assess young women’s preferences and attitudes towards various options to create families at a time when women are increasingly postponing childbearing due to greater career focus and widespread availability of contraceptives. Study Design:Reported data were obtained from an electronic survey distributed over 6 months to approximately 7,000 females enrolled in American universities. Results:Most respondents ranked preferable childbearing modalities as follows: natural conception, assisted reproductive technologies, adoption, anonymous oocyte donation, and directed oocyte donation. The majority would consider using autologous oocyte cryopreservation for childbearing, but only a minority saw oocyte donation as a viable option. When queried about donating oocytes, 61% said they would donate to a sibling/friend, 51% to research, and 40% for clinical usage. Most would prefer to receive donation outcome information and would be comfortable being contacted by offspring. Most believed selecting recipient characteristics would increase their likelihood of donation, and 43% felt donors should receive additional compensation for desirable characteristics. Conclusion:Reproductive autonomy and fertility preservation are important to young educated females, a population sought-after for oocyte donation. Potential donors’ desires for additional rights merit consideration as oocyte demand increases and frozen-oocyte banks emerge.