Oocyte cryopreservation in a transgender man on long-term testosterone therapy: a case report

Abstract

Objective: To report a case of ovarian stimulation for the purposes of oocyte cryopreservation in a transgender man without cessation of long-term testosterone therapy. Design: Report of a unique case of fertility preservation through ovarian stimulation and oocyte cryopreservation in a transgender man who had been on testosterone therapy for 18 months before treatment. The patient elected to continue testosterone therapy throughout ovarian stimulation and oocyte retrieval. To our knowledge, there have not been any published reports of patients undergoing oocyte cryopreservation while continuing long-term testosterone therapy. Setting: Private fertility clinic with university affiliation. Patient(s): A 20-year-old transgender man undergoing oocyte cryopreservation before gonadectomy. Intervention(s): Fertility preservation through oocyte cryopreservation. Main Outcome Measure(s): This patient had a robust response to ovarian gonadotropin stimulation. Leuprolide acetate was used for final oocyte maturation to minimize ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome risk. Result(s): Cryopreservation of 22 mature oocytes. Conclusion(s): Cryopreservation of mature oocytes is possible for patients on continued long-term testosterone therapy. The impact of long-term testosterone therapy on markers of ovarian reserve, reproductive potential, and long-term reproductive outcomes have yet to be elucidated and further studies are needed in this area.

Keywords

• Oocyte cryopreservation
• fertility preservation
• ovarian stimulation
• transgender men
• testosterone