Fertility Preservation Options for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Individuals

OBJECTIVES:To provide clinicians with a standardized educational tool to effectively counsel transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) patients on fertility preservation and to support informed consent before interventions that may affect future fertility.PROJECT SUMMARY:After performing a literature sea...

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Published inObstetrics and gynecology (New York. 1953) Vol. 145; no. 4; p. e136
Main Authors Boedeker, David, Hunkler, Kiley, Balzano, Felicia, Saberski, Ean, Kikuchi, Jacqueline Y.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01.04.2025
Subjects
Counseling
Female
Fertility Preservation - methods
Humans
Informed Consent
Male
Patient Education as Topic - methods
Transgender Persons - psychology
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Summary:OBJECTIVES:To provide clinicians with a standardized educational tool to effectively counsel transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) patients on fertility preservation and to support informed consent before interventions that may affect future fertility.PROJECT SUMMARY:After performing a literature search, we wrote a detailed script outlining fertility-preservation options and considerations for TGD communities. Our script was reviewed by subject-matter experts in reproductive endocrinology and TGD care. We then created an educational video using an online platform (https://youtu.be/YD26yCOtehs). This video can be shown to patients as a standardized patient-counseling tool and can be used by health care professionals who wish to improve their own counseling efforts.OUTCOME:We provide a monthly clinic for all TGD patients interested in pursuing gender-affirming surgery at our institution. This video is available for all patients presenting to this clinic who wish to learn more about fertility-preservation options. In addition to playing this video, we have a reproductive endocrinology fellow who participates in these clinics and serves as a resource for patients interested in discussing options.RELEVANCE TO PHYSICIANS IN PRACTICE:Fertility-preservation counseling for TGD patients is a vital component of informed consent for some gender-affirming surgeries. A commonly cited barrier to the delivery of quality counseling and patient-centered care is a lack of clinician education. Patients who endorse receiving inadequate information on fertility preservation report higher rates of decisional regret and psychological distress. Our video provides a comprehensive overview of fertility-preservation options available for TGD patients.
Bibliography:Financial Disclosure: The authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest.The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Defense Health Agency, Department of Defense or the US Government.The authors are military service members. This work was prepared as part of their official duties. Title 17 U.S.C. 105 provides that "Copyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government." Title 17 U.S.C. 101 defines a United States Government work as a work prepared by a military service member or employee of the United States Government as part of that person's official duties.
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ISSN:0029-7844
1873-233X
1873-233X
DOI:10.1097/AOG.0000000000005873