Trans man found to be five months pregnant after undergoing mastectomy as part of sex swap procedure – and will be registered as child’s father

An Italian transgender man, who was deep in the process of transitioning from female to male, has been discovered to be five months pregnant.

The discovery came after the person, identified as ‘Marco’, underwent a mastectomy to remove his breasts as part of the gender swap procedure.

After undergoing a psychological evaluation years ago, Marco was close to completing his transition.

He had been given a male name by Italian authorities, had grown a beard and was preparing for surgery to remove his uterus, Italian reports said.

However, the pregnancy was discovered by medical staff at a hospital in Rome, forcing him to stop hormone therapy, throwing Marco’s transition into question.

Giulia Senofonte, an endocrinologist from Rome, told La Repubblica – the Italian newspaper that exposed the case – that medics had to stop the patient’s hormone therapy.

Senofonte told the newspaper that if the interruption of therapy does not occur immediately, “there may be consequences, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy.”

“If the interruption of therapy is not immediate, there may be consequences, especially in the first three months of pregnancy, which is a delicate time for the development of the child’s organs,” Senofonte said.

‘It’s difficult to think abstractly: it all depends on the time of the suspension and the dose of testosterone someone takes.’

The doctor explained that high levels of both male and female hormones in the parents’ bodies can pose a cardiological risk to the child.

She said this is due to possible problems with blood pressure and clotting.

The risks for the child, a boy, “are due to the combination of high levels of both sex steroids (testosterone and estrogen) with consequences for general health, for example for coagulation status, arterial hypertension and so on,” she said.

Explaining how Marco became pregnant, Senofonte said: ‘Hormone therapy blocks the menstrual cycle, but it is not a contraceptive.

‘The person may continue to ovulate and is therefore at risk of pregnancy.’

“People dealing with menopause usually recommend contraceptive pills that can be used during hormone therapy,” she told the Italian newspaper.

It is not unheard of for someone to become pregnant while undergoing gender transition; A number of such cases have been reported in the United States.

However, such cases are unheard of in Italy, still a staunchly Catholic country. As a result, Marco’s case has divided many Italians.

“We are facing a new frontier and it will not be easy to understand it,” Matilde Vigneri, psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and consultant at the Gender Dysphoria Clinic at the University of Palermo, told Le Repubblica.

“But transparency already exists, especially in the United States, where the children of transgender men now number in significant numbers,” she added.

‘If Marco’s pregnancy continues, Marco will legally be biological mother and legal father, mother because he will give birth to a child, father because he now has a male identity at the civil registry.

‘Yes, it will be a shock, in our country same-parent families still have no rights, let alone a child born in such a special situation.

“Marco’s situation, however, will force Italy, far beyond its political and legal boundaries, to deal with this new form of motherhood.”

Meanwhile, the case provoked a strong response from Toni Brandi, the president of Pro Vita e Famiglia – a conservative Catholic organization that campaigns for what it sees as traditional family values.

He told The times that he hopes Marco’s surprising discovery will change his mind about his gender transition.

“Gender fluidity theory, regardless of biological sex, is complete madness. It’s against science and against nature,” Brandi told the British publication.

“This case challenges gender theories because it shows that a woman is a woman,” he added. “If I see myself as a woman tomorrow, I won’t be able to have a child.”

According to Fanpage, an Italian online newspaper based in Naples, gender transition was made legal in Italy under a law passed in 1982 – more than 40 years ago.

Many LGBTQ+ activists now view this law as inadequate, the publication reports.

In an op-ed for Fanpage about Marco’s case, Jennifer Guerra wrote, “The misinformation, alarmism, and prurient curiosity that worry him in these hours reveal how backward our country is on transgender rights.”

She added: ‘The trans identity in Italy has been (…) recognized for more than forty years, yet here we are still discussing its political and moral legitimacy, as if the existence of trans people was something is that it must be approved by the parliament. court.’