Peer-reviewed article
Information and knowledge sharing about fertility preservation: Trans and non-binary people’s accounts
Rhonda Shaw, Alex Ker ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This article looks at the barriers trans and non-binary people face when deciding whether to freeze eggs or sperm for reasons linked to gender transition. It draws mainly on interviews with 13 trans people aged 19 to 30 in Aotearoa New Zealand, supported by analysis of YouTube video blogs and survey data. The authors report a need for more information about reproductive options in healthcare and education settings. They also describe decisions about gamete freezing as shaped through discussion with family and others, and they call for trans and queer youth to be included in programme, policy and decision-making.
Key points
- More information about reproductive options for trans people is needed in healthcare and educational settings.
- Some participants showed a generational shift toward wanting biogenetic parenthood as well as non-consanguineous forms of family.
- Decisions about gamete freezing were negotiated with family and discussed with others, rather than being purely individual choices.
- The authors call for healthcare professionals and social work practitioners to include trans and queer youth voices in education programming, policy and decision-making.
Limitations
The sample is small (13 interviewees) and from one country, and participants were aged 19 to 30, so many are young adults rather than children. The abstract gives no detail on how the video blog and survey data were analysed or how many sources were used.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The right to build a family is central to decision-making around reproductive health, social inclusion and citizenship. Yet, in societies that privilege cis-heteronormative ways of reproducing, individuals whose bodies, identities, and relationships exist outside of these norms may be susceptible to reproductive injustice during their fertility journeys. This is arguably the case for transgender and non-binary (trans) people involved in decision-making about their reproductive futures. METHODS: This article investigates barriers to the fertility preservation journeys of trans individuals making decisions about gamete freezing for gender transition-related reasons. The discussion draws primarily on data collected from an interview study with 13 trans people in Aotearoa New Zealand, aged between 19 and 30 years. Analyses of YouTube video blog and survey data support the discussion. FINDINGS: Study findings indicate a need for more information in a range of healthcare and educative settings about reproductive options for trans people; the presence of a generational shift in reproductive orientations for some participants toward the option of biogenetic parenthood as well as non-consanguineous forms of doing family; and relational decisionmaking about gamete freezing that is interactively negotiated with family and discussed with others, rather than purely agentic. CONCLUSION: To address the study findings, we call for healthcare professionals and social work practitioners to actively include the voices of trans and queer (LGBTQIA+) youth in education programming, policy, and decision-making as a step towards reimagining and securing equitable access to sexual and reproductive health, fertility care, and diverse reproductive paths for all people.