A study released earlier this year documented nine transgender women in the Netherlands and Australia as they paused hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in order to create mature sperm. By 17 weeks, or nearly four months, all individuals were able to produce spermatozoa (mature sperm cells). And three of the four trans women who stopped HRT to conceive at home with a partner were able to do so.

More trans people are publicly out and having families of their own, inspiring others to do the same. This increased visibility is likely to prompt fertility care providers to realize that this kind of care needs to become standard. The difficult part will be figuring out how to make that care accessible to everyone.