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Chapter 28 - Medico-legal Entanglements of Assisted Reproduction

from Section E - Fertility and Reproduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2022

By
Heinz Strohmer ,
Mariella Strohmer  and
Marlene Strohmer
Edited by
Mick van Trotsenburg ,
Rixt A. C. Luikenaar  and
Maria Cristina Meriggiola
Mick van Trotsenburg
Affiliation:
Sigmund Freud PrivatUniversität, Wien
Rixt A. C. Luikenaar
Affiliation:
Rebirth Health Center, Utah
Maria Cristina Meriggiola
Affiliation:
Università di Bologna
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Summary

Fertility preservation has become a hot issue in transgender medicine. Today counseling on this aspect prior to the start of treatment is regarded mandatory. However, reproductive consequences and options in the context of gender-affirmative treatment remain far from clear. Transgender people face multiple medical and legal problems when trying to achieve parenthood using the help of assisted reproduction. This is a result of two main causes: (1) In many cases, the knowledge of fertility preservation is not available to the concerned parties before gender reassignment, as well as the methods of fertility treatments afterwards. There is also a lack of such knowledge within the health system; (2) National laws do not take into consideration the special needs and challenges of this patient group as they consist solely of general rules for cis couples trying to conceive.

This chapter offers a list of assisted reproductive technology (ART) methods available for transgender people and points out their medico-legal challenges. The authors think ahead and think through the consequences of various constellations for assisted reproduction. The chapter is an inexhaustible source for providing up-dated information on fertility options for trans- and gender diverse people. Moreover, this chapter points to the numerous legal weaknesses in legislation on reproductive issues and the discriminatory consequences for people beyond the gender binary.

Keywords

transgender peopletrans mentrans womenassisted reproduction (ART)in vitro fertilizationfertility preservation
Type
Chapter
Information
Context, Principles and Practice of TransGynecology
Managing Transgender Patients in ObGyn Practice
 , pp. 206 - 217
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

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