Transgender and nonbinary communities are resourceful and creative. We’re used to innovating and utilizing every tool available to meet our goals. And when it comes to becoming parents, Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) can help trans people (and others) expand our families. Medical science continues to advance, making parenthood more and more possible for so many people. What once seemed like science fiction is now science fact.

Which leaves us wondering… will uterine transplants ever be commonplace?

A doula is a person who is hired to help others during intense times of transition. Most commonly, doulas offer emotional, non-medical support for a person as they give birth, but that is not the only time someone may want a doula present. Doulas are available to help others through a variety of challenging times, including post-partum, during the death of a family member, during medical transition procedures, and even during the process of having an abortion.

Because the onset of puberty can cause severe distress for many transgender adolescents, there are now options that allow youth and their families to decide to hit pause on natal puberty, giving the youth more time to decide if hormonal transition is right for them. These options are commonly referred to as “puberty blockers.” Puberty blockers (and gender-affirming hormone treatment) can impact fertility, and counseling on fertility preservation is considered a necessary part of care for trans youth.

In the LGBTQ+ community, we are used to having to be innovative when it comes to expanding our families. As new assistive reproductive technology develops and becomes available to the public, they are used by LGBTQ+ people to advance their families and have children. There are a diverse array of assistive reproductive technologies or ARTs. What will be highlighted today is the process of at-home insemination.

How we express ourselves, through clothing and hairstyle and accessories, matters to nearly everyone-- including and ESPECIALLY trans folks. We often pay a lot of attention to how we are presenting ourselves to the world, and pregnancy can throw a real wrench into that process. Frustratingly, gender-affirming pregnancy clothing and accessories are practically non-existent. This is hard, given that pregnancy is a time when dysphoria may creep up even more frequently than usual. What can you do? Here are our suggestions!

Here is an interview with Corinne, a transgender mother of three who realized her gender identity while serving in the military overseas. Watch as Corinne explains how she planned her medical transition with her and her wife’s family goals in mind. Corinne also talks about how her marriage evolved through her gender transition and how her children have adapted to the change.

Public support of transgender parents is increasing, according to a 2016 study.

LGBTQ people know that love, not biology, makes a family. Still, non-gestational parents may wonder how you can build a deep bond with a baby you didn’t carry or aren’t genetically related to. Here are some tips for being engaged with a pregnancy process and building a connection with the newest member of your family!

We are in a world where people are increasingly prioritizing their education and careers into their 20’s, 30’s, and beyond. For some, it’s simply a matter of not wanting to have children until later! It is no surprise, then, to find out that globally, the age of birth parents rises every year. In 2020, the average age a person gave birth for the first time was just under 30 years old.

What happens when a pregnancy is lost? Miscarriage is already a tough subject in our culture, and when you’re a trans person going through it… things can be especially complicated. Read more for info on trans miscarriage.

Many options are available for non-birthing parents who want to feed their babies. Cisgender and transgender women have successfully induced lactation, as have adoptive parents and more! Read on for more information on lactation options.

Roughly 12% of transgender men have terminated a pregnancy, which is just under the national average. Trans people may choose abortion for many different reasons, and have many options available as they make their decision. Read more about what resources are available for transgender people considering abortion.

Here is an interview with Corinne, a transgender mother of three who realized her gender identity while serving in the military overseas. Watch as Corinne explains how she planned her medical transition with her and her wife’s family goals in mind. Corinne also talks about how her marriage evolved through her gender transition and how her children have adapted to the change.

Being pregnant for the first time is daunting for anyone. Being pregnant for the first time and trans male was terrifying. We were both stepping into the unknown but you never made that – made me – feel like a problem.

Here is an interview with a trans, non-binary, Two-Spirit gestational parent in Washington, DC. They are four months along in their pregnancy and will share what it’s like for them to be pregnant, how they plan to approach gender with their child, what indigenous pregnancy and delivery practices they plan to integrate into their process… and more!

In this video produced in partnership with FertilityIQ, Bran shares his pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum journey. He describes what it was like to change providers midway through his pregnancy, how he self-advocated with his medical team, why he hired a doula, and how being a Black transgender man impacted his entire process.

One of the most persistent myths transgender men and nonbinary people hear from doctors is that testosterone has sterilized them, experts say. While testosterone generally blocks ovulation, trans men can get pregnant while taking it, particularly if they are not taking it regularly.

It’s just one example of the misinformation and discouragement transgender men say they face from the medical establishment when they decide to get pregnant — a problem advocates and experts blame on a lack of training and research around transgender health care, as well as doctors’ biases.

Reese added that, a lot of the time, he doesn't think people understand the implications of what they may be asking when they question a trans parent about their experience with pregnancy. A lot of that has to do with a general lack of understanding about what it's like to be both trans and pregnant at the same time. On top of the education Reese has already done through being so visible throughout his own pregnancy, he offered some advice on how to treat a trans parent with the same respect all pregnant people deserve.

Like most anyone in their third trimester of pregnancy, Trystan Reese is dealing with cravings and heartburn. But unlike most first-time parents, Reese is a transgender man who is expecting a baby with his partner of seven years, Biff Chaplow. The Portland, Oregon, couple will welcome a son in July.

"As the pregnancy's progressed, it's like more and more obvious that it's not just a guy with a beer belly," Chaplow told CNN affiliate KATU.

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.