Transgender Family Building Options

As a transgender person, freezing your eggs or sperm gives a fertility option to have biological children in the future. No matter where you’re transitioning from female to male or vice versa, the best thing to do is to plan ahead as early as possible. While it’s also important for cisgender people to plan ahead, it’s extremely important for transgender individuals since fertility preservation affects cross-sex hormone therapy.

The most popular fertility treatments used by transgender individuals include IUI, IVF, egg freezing, embryo freezing, donor egg IVF, reciprocal IVF, gestational carrier IVF, etc. Click here to see a complete list of the services offered at our fertility clinic.

For people transitioning from male to female, it’s very important to freeze your sperm before you commence the hormone replacement therapy. Feminizing hormones, such as estrogen, significantly affect your ability to father a child. Although the effects of some feminizing hormones are reversible, sterility may not be reversible.

If you were designated male at birth, freezing your sperm before any surgical or hormone therapy will give you the opportunity to use it later in the future. Frozen sperm can be safely stored for many years.

There are several factors to consider when assessing sperm quality, which may impact your decision regarding how many vials of semen to freeze. At Physician’s Surrogacy which is the partner surrogacy agency of RSMC, we will help you navigate this process through analysis and discussion.

As it is for transitioning transgender men, it’s also important for trans women to plan their fertility options ahead. Even though masculinizing hormones don’t result in irreversible sterility, egg freezing is more efficient when performed before commencing testosterone therapy. We partner with some of the best cryobanks in the world to offer you screenings for genetic abnormalities and transmittable diseases. Note that egg quality and quantity reduce with age. The younger the age you have your egg frozen, the higher your chance of a healthy pregnancy in the future. Freezing of eggs after the age of 37 is very unlikely to lead to a successful pregnancy.

If you were designated female at birth, cryopreserving your eggs before you start any hormone or surgical therapy enables you to use it later in the future. Egg freezing involves a fertility treatment cycle, followed by the retrieval of the eggs, after which the collected eggs are frozen for future use.

Once eggs are collected and frozen, they can be stored for many years without them declining in quality. So, you have plenty of time to decide what the next steps and choices would be, including who will carry the pregnancies and where to get sperm to fertilize the eggs.

In this case, the best next step is to consult with a fertility endocrinologist to talk about your options. Some fertility treatments can still be done when hormone therapy is stopped. At Physician’s Surrogacy which is the partner surrogacy agency of RSMC, our physicians take pride in offering a wide range of options to help you achieve your dreams of building a family. You can click here to discuss your options with one of our experienced medical professionals.

Unfortunately, no one knows the answer to this question. This is something you would have to explore with a reputable doctor. Our doctors are a great resource in providing excellent options depending on your circumstances. You can click this link to get started.

We know that each individual situation is different. Pausing hormonal can be mentally distressing. It’s not easy, and timelines vary from one person to another. Whether or not you want to stop HRT, we advise that you see a therapist along with your reproductive endocrinologist.

If the testicles are removed, sperm will no longer be produced. Similarly, egg production will also stop if the ovaries are removed. Since these surgeries involve the removal of testicles and ovaries, respectively, you would need to consider the transgender fertility option of using an egg or sperm donor.

With increasing fertility treatment options for transgender people comes the demand for the expansion of insurance fertility coverage. We’re now seeing an increase in the numbers of insurance companies and plans providing coverage for sperm and egg freezing for trans men and women.

After your initial consultation, your doctor will give you an outline of the treatment plan and the associated costs. Note that the costs will vary based on the type of treatment being recommended. Fortunately, there are various financing options and additional rate plans you can consider if you are without health insurance. You can contact our fertility center for more details.

This depends whether or not infertility treatment has been purchased as a benefit. Some insurance providers may cover a portion of treatment if it is a medical necessity. Benefits vary by insurance policy. We always encourage our patients to reach out to their provider for an explanation of coverage.

Physician’s Surrogacy which is the partner surrogacy agency of RSMC accepts both “in-network” and “out of network” insurance. We work with Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Cigna, Healthnet, Tricare, and United Health Care. Prior to your consultation we will verify your insurance benefits and review detailed coverage information at your consultation. In cases where insurance is not accepted, our coordinators will arrange for discounted cash pricing. In cases where your insurance plan is not accepted or your insurance does not offer coverage, we are able to work with each patient one on one to make fertility treatment expenses affordable.