as transgender women, according to results of a small retrospective cohort study.
The lack of data on this topic, however, makes it difficult to determine how long an individual must be off gender-affirming therapy before spermatogenesis resumes, if it resumes, and what the long-term effects of gender-affirming therapy are.
“This information is critical to address as part of a multidisciplinary fertility discussion with youth and their guardians so that an informed decision can be made regarding fertility preservation use,” wrote Emily P. Barnard, DO, of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh and her associates.
The researchers retrospectively collected data on transgender patients who sought fertility preservation between 2015 and 2018.
The 11 white transgender women (sex assigned male at birth) who followed up on adolescent medicine or pediatric endocrinology referrals for fertility preservation received their consultations between ages 16 and 24, with 19 years having been the median age at which they occurred. Gender dysphoria onset happened at a median age of 12 for the patients, who were evaluated for it at a median age of 17.
All but one patient submitted at least one semen sample, and eight ultimately cryopreserved their semen.
The eight samples from gender-affirming therapy–naive patients had abnormal morphology, with the median morphology having been 6% versus the normal range of greater than 13.0%. Otherwise, the samples collected were normal, but the authors noted that established semen analysis parameters don’t exist for adolescents and young adults.
All eight patients who had their semen cryopreserved, began gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist therapy after cryopreservation, and four of those patients concurrently began taking estradiol.
One patient had already been taking intramuscular leuprolide acetate every 6 months and discontinued it to attempt fertility preservation. Spermatogenesis returned after 5 months of azoospermia, albeit with abnormal morphology (9%).
Another patient had been taking spironolactone and estradiol for 26 months before ceasing therapy to attempt fertility preservation. She remained azoospermic 4 months after stopping therapy and then moved forward with an orchiectomy.
“For many transgender patients, the potential need to discontinue GnRH agonist or gender-affirming therapy to allow for resumption of spermatogenesis may be a significant barrier to pursuing fertility preservation because cessation of therapy may result in exacerbation of gender dysphoria and progression of undesired male secondary sex characteristics,” the researchers wrote. “For individuals for whom this risk is not acceptable or if azoospermia is noted on semen analysis, there are several alternate options, including electroejaculation, testicular sperm extraction, and testicular tissue cryopreservation,” they continued. Electroejaculation with a transrectal probe is an option particularly for those who cannot masturbate or feel uncomfortable doing so, the authors explained.
For those who have not previously received gender-affirming therapy, the fertility preservation “process can be completed quickly, with collections occurring every 2 to 3 days to preserve several samples before initiating GnRH agonist or gender-affirming therapy,” they concluded.
SOURCE: Barnard EP et al. Pediatrics. 2019 Aug 5. doi: 10.1542/peds.2018-3943.