New Studies Look To Support And Educate The LGBTQIA+ Community In Their Fertility Journeys

Highlights From the American Society For Reproductive Medicine’s 2023 Scientific Congress

New Orleans, LA – Research presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s (ASRM) Scientific Congress is examining the impact of legislation on members of the LGBTQIA+ community undergoing fertility treatments and investigating the effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on IVF outcomes.

Researchers in New York set out to evaluate the effect of the 2021 New York State Circular Letter No. 3 legislation on the utilization of IVF and co-IVF services by Same-Sex Female Couples (SSFC). The legislation in question expanded the definition of infertility to explicitly include LGBTQIA+ individuals and consequently supported greater insurance coverage of infertility services. Within one year of legislation enactment, researchers found fertility centers are beginning to see a higher uptake of IVF services amongst SSFC couples.

From researchers in Barcelona, Spain, a new study was conducted to evaluate if gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) with testosterone administration prior to an ovarian stimulation in transmen patients affects the number and maturity of the oocytes recovered, the embryo development and the IVF clinical outcomes. As the number of individuals seeking sex hormone therapy due to gender dysphoria has been increasing in the last years, so has the transgender population in need of fertility treatment. Researchers concluded that since transgender men have an excellent response to ovarian stimulation even aer testosterone exposure, oocyte or embryo cryopreservation is a feasible and effective way to preserve their fertility for future biological parenting. These findings can help elaborate standardized protocols to guide professionals on the management of transgender persons through the course of fertility treatment.

•  O-31 Estevez et al “Breaking Down Barriers For Same-Sex Female Couples Building Families: In Vitro Fertilization Utilization Since The Enactment Of 2021 New York State Legislation”
• ·O-36 Bargallo et al “Artificial Reproductive Technology In Transgender Men And Cisgender Women: Does Testosterone Administration Before Ovarian Stimulation Have An Impact On IVF Embryological And Clinical Outcomes?”

“As more and more LGBTQIA+ individuals seek to build families, it is vital that we have both the scientific know-how and social policies to support them,” stated Paula Amato, MD, incoming President of ASRM, “This kind of research moves us closer to our goals of equal access to quality reproductive health care for all people.”

To view these abstracts and more in full, please visit: https://www.fertstert.org/issue/S0015-0282(23)X0012-0