Subjective Experiences of Pregnancy, Delivery, and Nursing in Transgender Men and Non-Binary Individuals

A Qualitative Analysis of Gender and Mental Health Concerns

Dados Bibliográficos

ID8355814
AutoresFelicitas A O K Falck (0000-0002-0330-1410, Karolinska University Hospital, autor correspondente), Cecilia Dhejne (0000-0003-1743-9012, Karolinska University Hospital), Cecilia M U Dhejne, Louise M M Frisén, Louise Frisén (0000-0002-8254-6183, Karolinska Institutet), Gabriela M Armuand, Gabriela Armuand (0000-0002-7927-4041, Dalarna University)
Ano2024
Volume53
Fascículo5
Páginas1981-2002
Data de publicação2024-05-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoArchives of Sexual Behavior (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0004-0002 • E-ISSN: 1573-2800
EditoraSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s10508-023-02787-0
PMID38228983
OpenAlexW4390902869
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas2
Referências citadas125

Studies of how gender-diverse individuals experience pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing remain few, mainly focus on the US and contain scarce information about mental health concerns peri-partum. This hinders informed reproductive health decisions and counseling. We used in-depth interviews to examine how gestational gender-diverse individuals in Sweden experience the process of planning and undergoing pregnancy, delivery, and nursing. In total, 12 participants, identifying on the masculine side of the gender spectrum or as non-binary, who had attended Swedish antenatal care and delivered a live birth, were included in the study. Data were analyzed using qualitative thematic content analysis. The analysis resulted in one overarching theme: sustaining gender congruence during pregnancy and three main categories: (1) considering pregnancy; (2) undergoing pregnancy and childbirth; and (3) postnatal reflections. The association between childbearing and being regarded as female permeated narratives. Participants renegotiated the feminine connotations of pregnancy, accessed gender-affirming treatment, and concealed their pregnancy to safeguard their gender congruence. Mis-gendering and breast enlargement triggered gender dysphoria. Social judgment, loneliness, information shortages, hormonal influence and cessation of testosterone increased gender dysphoria and strained their mental health. Depression exacerbated gender dysphoria and made it harder to claim one’s gender identity. Dissociation was used to handle a feminized body, vaginal delivery, and nursing. Pregnancy was easier to envision and handle after masculinizing gender-affirming treatments. The results deepen the understanding of gender dysphoria and may be used to inform reproductive counseling and healthcare development. Research outcomes on mental health concerns provide a basis for further research

Developmental psychology · Focus group · Gender dysphoria · Loneliness · Mental health · Pregnancy · Psychiatry · Public health · Qualitative research · Thematic analysis · Transgender · Clinical Psychology · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Technologies