Family Building for Transgender People

Before Transitioning

Fertility Preservation

If you plan on transitioning, you may want to consider sperm or egg freezing prior to any hormonal or surgical treatments that may affect your fertility.

• Sperm Freezing

  • For those assigned male at birth, sperm cryopreservation (aka freezing) prior to any transition therapy allows you to have a biological family of your own in the future. Sperm freezing is a very simple process. With a simple semen analysis, we’ll be able to help determine how many vials you should freeze. Sperm can stay frozen for decades without deteriorating.
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• Egg Freezing

  • For those assigned a female gender at birth, egg cryopreserving (freezing) eggs prior to transition therapy gives you the potential for a biological family of your own in the future. Egg freezing typically involves a week-long period of medications to stimulate egg development followed by an egg retrieval surgery.  Once the eggs are harvested they can be frozen and stored nearly indefinitely.

Next Steps

Using Your Frozen Eggs or Sperm

Those who have frozen their sperm or eggs prior to transitioning have several treatment options available for them using their biologically related gametes.

• Cryopreserved Sperm

  • If in a relationship with a cisgender woman, you may use your sperm and your partner’s eggs and build your family using intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF).
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  • If single or in a relationship with a cisgender man, you may use an egg donor to create embryos and a gestational carrier for the pregnancy.

• Cryopreserved Eggs

  • If in a relationship with a cisgender woman, you may use your eggs and donor sperm to complete a reciprocal IVF cycle.
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  • If single, or in a relationship with a cisgender man, you may use donor or partner sperm to establish a pregnancy. Some may require the help of a gestational carrier.