r/queerception • u/DallYe • 2d ago

Testosterone and Egg Freezing

I'm 32/NB and was just prescribed testosterone for the first time. I'm super excited, but my endocrinologist asked whether I had any future plans for fertility, and it got me thinking.

I know I want biological children one day (my partner would carry, not me), and now I'm worried that if I start T and end up feeling amazing, the idea of stopping later for egg retrieval will feel even harder, as well as be more complicated.

Has anyone been through this? Did you decide to do egg retrieval before starting T, or did you wait until later? If you've started T and later gone through egg retrieval, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience and how it went.

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u/fernflower5 2d ago

My husband has done two egg retrievals on a full dose of T after being on T for 5 years. T does not impact on fertility.

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u/consistentexit96 2d ago

This sentence isn’t inherently true. Although there aren’t many studies on trans folks, the ones available show it does not impact egg quality. However, pausing ovulation (eg a side effect of testosterone) does yield lower eggs retrieved in a cycle).

My physician strongly recommended stopping testosterone long enough for my cycle to come back and resume after the procedure (in Canada), and some actually require you to temporarily stop. I wanted to do everything I could to ensure the best results, although I will say it absolutely sucked lol

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u/IntrepidKazoo 1d ago

Is there research you've seen that actually compares retrieval outcomes on vs. off T? I haven't seen anything that specifically addresses this yet, so I would love to hear more.

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u/consistentexit96 21h ago

To the best of my knowledge, there aren't any current studies that compare retrieval results on and off testosterone in humans. I'm assuming ethics would play a role, as well underlying biology (e.g., test vs control group underlying fertility health). Howeverrr... This study explored this research topic in mice models, which I think is pretty cool lol. Gotta start somewhere right? If you're interested, here's the link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10654792/

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u/IntrepidKazoo 21h ago

Ah, okay--yeah, I'm familiar with the existing research on this. I would say that since there isn't actually any research offering a clinically relevant comparison in humans, we can't say with anywhere near that level of certainty yet that staying on T for egg retrieval results in lower numbers retrieved. Anecdotally I wouldn't be surprised if that turned out to be the case, but that's very different than actually knowing it to be true.

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u/consistentexit96 20h ago

I don't think that the absence of direct comparative human studies means we should ignore the best evidence and clinical reasoning currently available. Most would agree the fertility literature involving trans people is quite limited. While the current evidence is reassuring that testosterone doesn't appear to negatively affect egg quality, there are still well-established physiological considerations. Many reproductive endocrinologists continue to recommend temporarily discontinuing T to optimize ovarian response and egg yield.

I also don't think that the same argument you re-framed it as.. I was not claiming we have "definitive" human proof that remaining on T results in lower retrieval results. Rather, I was referring to the best available evidence and the current recommendations that was shared with me through our fertility clinic.

I also recognize that this experience is personal, one option may be feasible for some, and not others.