It wasn’t long ago that the movie Junior featuring a pregnant Arnold Schwarzenegger seemed an impossible fantasy. But now the image of a pregnant man could become a very real possibility, reports The Telegraph.
Given the surge of gender reassignment in recent years, experts suggest that transgender mothers could be giving birth as soon as “tomorrow.”
“I personally suspect there are going to be trans women who are going to want to have a uterus and will likely get the transplant,” says Dr Richard Paulson, President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, speaking to The Telegraph.
Paulson adds that there would be room for an implanted womb despite men and women having different shaped pelvises.
However, despite the real possibility of a male father, there is great risk due to transplant complications and a lack of evidence to suggest it would be a safe process. Babies would have to be delivered via a cesarean section because of the shape of the womb.
“Uterine transplantation represents a real risk to the foetus, and future child,” says Professor Julian Savulescu, a philosopher and bioethical specialist at Oxford University.
“We ought to avoid exposing foetuses and future children to unnecessary significant risks. Although technically possible to perform the procedure, you would also need to be very confident the uterus would function normally during pregnancy. Uterine rupture could cause the death or permanent disablement of the foetus.”
Until more testing is done, and male birth becomes a reliably safe option, your first step is to make sure your sperm is healthy. Check out the seven things you do every day that destroy your sperm.