Transgendered Man is Pregnant

[NYCe]

Thomas Beattie lives in Oregon and is married to a woman named Nancy. He's pregnant.

To our neighbors, my wife, Nancy, and I don’t appear in the least unusual. To those in the quiet Oregon community where we live, we are viewed just as we are -- a happy couple deeply in love. Our desire to work hard, buy our first home, and start a family was nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until we decided that I would carry our child.

I am transgender, legally male, and legally married to Nancy. Unlike those in same-sex marriages, domestic partnerships, or civil unions, Nancy and I are afforded the more than 1,100 federal rights of marriage. Sterilization is not a requirement for sex reassignment, so I decided to have chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy but kept my reproductive rights. Wanting to have a biological child is neither a male nor female desire, but a human desire.

http://advocate.com/issue_story_ektid52664.asp

[tstv_lover]

I have absolutely no problem with two consenting adults doing pretty much anything with each other but have reservations about this.

Bringing a child into the world is probably the most important decision a couple can make - whatever the "parents" sexual classifications.

These parents may well be loving and well intentioned, but how will the child make sense of his/her birth arrangement. It sounds quite a selfish decision by the parents - but that could be said of any pregnancy.

This is so complex. Just doesn't sit right with me - but maybe I'm being too resistant to change. Be interested to know what others think.

[peggygee]

I have absolutely no problem with two consenting adults doing pretty much anything with each other but have reservations about this.

Bringing a child into the world is probably the most important decision a couple can make - whatever the "parents" sexual classifications.

These parents may well be loving and well intentioned, but how will the child make sense of his/her birth arrangement. It sounds quite a selfish decision by the parents - but that could be said of any pregnancy.

This is so complex. Just doesn't sit right with me - but maybe I'm being too resistant to change. Be interested to know what others think.

Countless lesbian and gay couples have children either through natural
procreation methods, surrogate, artificial insemination, adooption, foster
care or other means.

The same is true of couples where one is transsexual, there are a quite a
few transwomen and transmen that have children. This doesn't set a
precedent.

Thus if the child is raised in a loving and nuturing home, I am
unequivocally in suport of it.

[BlackMath]

Hopefully this persons body is still capable of carrying out an entire pregnancy.
As far as I'm aware, doctors do not recommend doing this. Hopefully this guy and his baby turn out ok.

[BrendaQG]

I'm sure the baby will be fine. Ttransmen tend to pass so well. I doubt that this kid will know anything is up until he/she is 15. So mentally nothing bad could happen.

[TheMan]

Am I just crazy, I thought only women could be pregnant... I'm so confused. Is it possible for a man to be pregnant or is this just an april fools joke.

I'm so cross-eyed right now...

If someone could explain to me how this works, I'd really appreciate it.

EDIT: Wait is this a Female to Male transsexual. This would make a lot more sense.

[Mac_Hine]

maybe one of the shemaleyum guys can get him in for a photoshoot. FtM transsexual pregnant porn, ........ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh...i came

[sucka4chix]

I have absolutely no problem with two consenting adults doing pretty much anything with each other but have reservations about this.

Bringing a child into the world is probably the most important decision a couple can make - whatever the "parents" sexual classifications.

These parents may well be loving and well intentioned, but how will the child make sense of his/her birth arrangement. It sounds quite a selfish decision by the parents - but that could be said of any pregnancy.

This is so complex. Just doesn't sit right with me - but maybe I'm being too resistant to change. Be interested to know what others think.

Yea! The fact that it doesn't sit well with you means you give thought to the rights of the unborn. Wow! All is not lost. So many people have kids for their own selfish reasons, and don't care that the child doesn't have a vote in the situation. Before everyone gets all bent, smokers, alcoholics, drug users, athletes, prostitutes, strippers all do the same thing. Just want a kid, never wondering if the kid would want to be born in the situation, if it had a vote. Personally I see it all as a digression of society--- couples using indiscriminant sperm, sperm from men they hate or don't even know, simply because THEY WANT TO GET PREGNANT! There are more feelings involved in a birth than the parents. We all define right and wrong differently, but good grief, when do we stop accepting EVERYTHING?!

[zerrrr]

Hopefully this persons body is still capable of carrying out an entire pregnancy.
As far as I'm aware, doctors do not recommend doing this. Hopefully this guy and his baby turn out ok.

Yeah. I am all for people raising families but this just makes me go WTF???

If you want a family great but is this persons body still capable of carrying a child?

[Nikka]

I want to get pregnant

[Verity]

One has to seriously wonder how hormone levels will play into this. Will the pregnancy cause different estrogen levels in Mr. Beattie? Worse, might the testosterone in his system during the pregnancy potentially lead to birth defects? If merely consuming alcohol and other such things can cause birth defects, what might intentional dosages of testosterone do to a pregnancy?

[Cyclops]

what gets me is that this person,born into a female body,identifies as being male,and then turns around and does the most female thing possible

this is a bit confusing does this person want to be a man or a woman? :shrug

[drew84]

wow so thats the real story behind this

[sucka4chix]

what gets me is that this person,born into a female body,identifies as being male,and then turns around and does the most female thing possible

this is a bit confusing does this person want to be a man or a woman? :shrug
Hey it's 2008. Nobody has to conform to social constraints. Anybody can be and do whatever they want. Constraints are for losers, as are rules and traditions, and even the word natural. Whatever the mind of man can think of, he should be allowed to do... Being the supreme being and all. I'm waiting for the day I can go to Walgreens and buy a kit and spawn my own kid in the kitchen. Who needs males and females anyway. That's so yesterday!

[zerrrr]

what gets me is that this person,born into a female body,identifies as being male,and then turns around and does the most female thing possible

this is a bit confusing does this person want to be a man or a woman? :shrug

Those were my thoughts....

Verity brings up some interesting points as well.

This has to win the WTF moment for the 1st quarter of 2008.

[justatransgirl]

Didn't Danny Divito and Arnold Schwartnegger do a movie about this?

Seems to me if we can transplant hearts, it shouldn't be too long before somebody manages a uterus transplant and via invitro fert. an M to F can have a baby.

Hugs,
TS Jamie :-)

[tstv_lover]

Didn't Danny Divito and Arnold Schwartnegger do a movie about this?

Seems to me if we can transplant hearts, it shouldn't be too long before somebody manages a uterus transplant and via invitro fert. an M to F can have a baby.

Hugs,
TS Jamie :-)

I've no doubt that we'll be able to achieve all manner of medical transplants - but SHOULD we?

I guess most pregnancies result from poor reasons (accidents, what will it look like, continue family name, friends have one, need to get sibling for existing child, can we, etc) rather than for the child - but when a couple go to extreme lengths then is it for them or the child.

I can see both sides of this issue - which makes it all the more perplexing.

[rootsk]

I don't understand why they decided for the man in the relationship to carry a child. As previously mentioned the history of hormone replacement may affect the child's development. And there's also the top surgery. I'm not a medical expert but I imagine that would affect the ability to produce breast milk, if not eliminate it altogether.

EDIT- I missed the part about the wife being infertile.


Seems to me if we can transplant hearts, it shouldn't be too long before somebody manages a uterus transplant and via invitro fert. an M to F can have a baby.

This is unlikely due to other physiological differences in human anatomy. Of particular note is a recent study on how Women's lower spines evolving to be more flexible than mens to accommodate the strain of pregnancy. http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/foundations/articles/female-lower-back-has-evolved-accommodate-strain-pregnancy

[peggygee]

I don't understand why they decided for the man in the relationship to carry a child. As previously mentioned the history of hormone replacement may affect the child's development. And there's also the top surgery. I'm not a medical expert but I imagine that would affect the ability to produce breast milk, if not eliminate it altogether.

EDIT- I missed the part about the wife being infertile.


Seems to me if we can transplant hearts, it shouldn't be too long before somebody manages a uterus transplant and via invitro fert. an M to F can have a baby.

This is unlikely due to other physiological differences in human anatomy. Of particular note is a recent study on how Women's lower spines evolving to be more flexible than mens to accommodate the strain of pregnancy. http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/foundations/articles/female-lower-back-has-evolved-accommodate-strain-pregnancy

I am on my way to work, and was only able to give a cursory glance at
the study you cited, I will read it more thoroughly when I return.

At this juncture I would like to proffer this from a previous thread:

http://www.hungangels.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=13001&start=0


In our lifetime, transwomen should be able to have children.

I can understand your apprehension, and indeed there
are some obstacles to overcome.

(Here is one proposed technique)
The uterus, not the cervix, fallopian tubes or ovaries would
be transplanted as indicated by the illustration.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l2/magi43/uterus.jpg

Ideally a hysterectomy performed on a close relative would
provide a viable uterus, ie, one that would be less likely to
be rejected.

Further, the transplanted uterus would only be in place long
enough for the pregnancy to complete, and then would be
removed, so that the women would not have to remain on
drugs to prevent her body from rejecting the transplant.

Also note, the arteries supporting the blood flow, thus negating
the circulatory concerns you put forth.

By the way IVF stands for, in vitro fertilization. A method of
assisted reproduction that involves combining an egg with
sperm in a laboratory dish. If the egg fertilizes and begins cell
division, the resulting embryo is transferred into the woman's
+ uterus where it will hopefully implant in the uterine lining and
further develop. IVF may be performed in conjunction with
medications that stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs
in order to increase the chances of successful fertilization and implantation.

At the current level of reproductive science, a transsexual woman,
would not be able to be impregnated in the conventional manner,
but rather would have to go this route.

Why, I can almost hear the pitter-patter, of little 'peggys' and little 'denzel's' feet.

Now, if we could only do something about the 'poopy diapers' and
his or her college tuition, we will be half way home :D

[kalina]

When my partner and I were trying to get pregnant, I was off of hormones for one whole month. The trans-man in the story is probably doing the same thing, but for the entire length of the pregnancy. He can resume his hormones after the baby's birth.

[trish]

Tstv-lover wonders whether the couple is doing this for themselves or for the child. When any couple decides to get pregnant they're it doing for themselves, because at that point the child doesn’t exist. He also asks how the child will make sense of her birth arrangement. How do any of us make sense of our origins? Some of us are adopted, some of us are orphans since birth, some of us have same sex parents, some of us have parents from different cultures, races. Humans are ever curious about their origins but rarely traumatized. Romulus and Remus were suckled by wolves. It didn’t seem to impair them in any way. :) It seems shocking, but there are still people today who think African-Americans shouldn’t marry Caucasians because society will shun the children.
In my opinion a couple should do everything to ensure their child will be born healthy and into a loving family. Nobody can offer more than that. If society doesn’t like it, society will have to catch up.

(By the way, tstv-lover, please don’t take offense at my tone or reply. I focused on your remarks because I found them thought provoking…in a good way.)

[kalina]

It seems shocking, but there are still people today who think African-Americans shouldn’t marry Caucasians because society will shun the children.

Not shocking at all. When my partner and I got together, people were saying the same thing about us (she's Caucasian). There were people saying shit like "races shouldn't mix because the worst parts of each race could end up in the child." One was even so bold as to say our child would look very strange. And then I look at their failed lives because their kids died on drugs, committed suicide, are jobless losers, etc. All parents can do is give their children the love and support they need. I guess those who have failed to do so are the ones who are most critical of others.

[tsmandy]

Who knows why he decided to carry. Maybe because she has bad health, Maybe his partner just doesn't want to carry a child and he wants it to be "their baby" . There are a million reasons why they might have arrived at the decisions they did.

It will be weird for a while, but soon enough the kid will just think of his mom and dad and that will be that. Then when he's older he will learn a bit more, and that will be fine.

I have a pal, who transitioned with a 6 year old son, from female to male. His son went from calling him mommy, to daddy - eventually- and was none the worse of for it. If anything they are much closer than most families I know.
So it seems to be working out all right for him, I can't see why it won't with these folks.

[BeardedOne]

I am rather close (Emotionally if not geographically) to a woman who seriously desired a child of her own, even though she identifies primarily as a lesbian. She met, and eventually married (For all of the legal bullshit that is tied to that institution) a gay man who was equally desirous of becoming a parent.

Some years later (And, for the curious, inclusive of a Gerber jar and a turkey baster), she gave birth to a healthy boy who has since grown into one of the brightest, most well-adjusted individuals I have ever had the pleasure to know.

Granted, there were years when he was in public school when he had to fend off small-minded bigotry regarding his parents (Both openly gay and active in local politics), but he remained strong and through the love and support of his parents became a model human being.

While it may be different that this child will be born from the womb of its father, the gender of its parents has little or nothing to do with how they will live out their life and become who they need to be.

[bulldog]

I'm sorry but that pic just creeps me the hell out


Ben

[tstv_lover]

It's been really interesting following this thread.

The reaction from some - myself included - has been negative and confused based largely on gut reaction.

Those who have analyzed the story and/or have practical experience of similar situations have been very positive and encouraging.

So all I can say is good luck to them!

[dekagunda]

This subject is on 20/20 right now...check it out

[Silcc69]

Interesting

[Fox]

It was on Oprah yesterday. Apparently he's been off hormones for 2 years before conceiving and he has one fallopian tube removed (I think) due to complications with his last pregnancy. His doctor was on and said his hormone levels and the pregnancy look completely normal so I guess he's carry to term like an average woman would.

[tstv_lover]

This story is continuing to cause debate around the world, perhaps due to it's challenging established norms.

The Oprah interview was shown on New Zealand last night and right now it's the most popular story at the BBC website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7330196.stm