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Fertility Considerations for Gender Diverse Youth

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Pediatric Gender Identity

Abstract

Hormonal interventions for transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth may have a negative impact on fertility. Reversible gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs do not appear to have significant effects on fertility. Partially irreversible hormonal interventions like estrogen and testosterone may or may not impair fertility. Guidelines published by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Endocrine Society state that counseling about potential risks and fertility preservation options should occur prior to initiating these therapies. This chapter will characterize what is known regarding infertility risk associated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, testosterone, and estrogen; outline fertility preservation options for birth-assigned males and females; describe research on fertility-related attitudes and psychosocial considerations among TGD adults and youth; and highlight ethical and financial considerations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine/Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA

    Leena Nahata & Anna Valentine

  2. Center for Biobehavioral Health, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA

    Leena Nahata

  3. Departments of Endocrinology and Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Amy C. Tishelman

Authors
  1. Leena Nahata
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  2. Anna Valentine
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  3. Amy C. Tishelman
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Correspondence to Leena Nahata .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Michelle Forcier

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Gerrit Van Schalkwyk

  3. Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Jack L. Turban

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Nahata, L., Valentine, A., Tishelman, A.C. (2020). Fertility Considerations for Gender Diverse Youth. In: Forcier, M., Van Schalkwyk, G., Turban, J. (eds) Pediatric Gender Identity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38909-3_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38909-3_15

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