A trans man who donated his eggs to his sister after she suffered a ‘traumatizing’ miscarriage and fertility problems has said it was the ‘easiest decision’ he has ever made.
Kenny Ethan Jones, 30, has harvested 13 of his eggs so far and has chosen to donate them to his sister, Kizzy, 38, after she struggled to conceive for six years, he reveals in an emotional video .
The author and activist from Kilburn, London, originally wanted to undergo the procedure – in which the patient takes medication and undergoes surgery to retrieve the eggs – after transition.
But his gender dysphoria – a feeling of discomfort someone may have with their gender – was so severe that he had to prioritize his mental health.
However, in 2019, after a long conversation with Kizzy about her fertility, he offered to donate his eggs to her.
Kizzy, an entertainer and single mother from London, now has an appointment next week at the same hospital where Mr Jones was picked up and has allayed concerns that people might think she is ‘having her brother’s baby’.
On May 8, 2024, Kenny Ethan Jones, 30, underwent the surgery. Surgeons found a total of 19 eggs, 11 of which were frozen and the other eight left to ‘ripen’ overnight
The eggs need to be screened, which will take three months – and his sister wants to ‘get started’ as quickly as possible.
Kizzy has been trying to get pregnant since 2018, but has not yet been formally diagnosed with fertility problems, despite never being able to carry a baby.
In 2019, she suffered a ‘traumatizing’ miscarriage, during which she had to give birth to the fetus.
She started researching IVF herself and was shocked by the low chances of a successful pregnancy.
She said: ‘I know my problem is due to the age of my eggs, Kenny knew that and he knows the miscarriages I’ve had and how awful they have been.’
Mr Jones (left) has harvested 13 of his eggs so far and has chosen to donate them to his sister, Kizzy, 38, (right) after she struggled to conceive for six years
In 2019, after a long conversation with Kizzy about her fertility, he offered to donate his eggs to her
Mr Jones said he spent “hours” on the phone comforting her and listening to her concerns.
“As her brother, I’m on the phone asking how I can help,” he said.
‘But one day a joke just became serious.
“I said, ‘You can have my eggs if you want.’
‘She said, ‘Are you serious?’
“I wasn’t even sure it was a possibility; trans care is so under-researched.
“So we both started doing our own research, and we did find a few trans men whose eggs had been harvested.”
Within weeks, Mr Jones contacted the NHS to find out if it was possible for him to undergo the egg retrieval procedure.
“This decision felt so easy, it felt so right in my heart – not for a second did I ever doubt what this meant for my sister,” Mr Jones said.
‘I did it for Kizzy and I think what brings us closer together is that we have the same mother, who passed away a few years ago.
“She’s done so much to take care of me, and I thought, if I can give her this, I will.”
Mr Jones (pictured), an author and activist, from Kilburn, London, originally wanted to undergo the procedure – where the patient takes medication and undergoes surgery to retrieve eggs – after transition. But for Mr Jones, his gender dysphoria – a feeling of discomfort someone may have with their gender – was so severe that he had to prioritize his mental health.
The sibling in the photo says they are very close and says the egg donation has been a great opportunity
Although patients are not allowed to harvest their eggs specifically for donation, he was told that people are free to do whatever they want with them after they are recovered.
The process to accept his request was delayed by four years due to Covid and he was placed on a waiting list.
He said: ‘I got a phone call last November, they just said, “When do you want to start?”
“It felt so simple: I called Kizzy and asked when she wanted me to start.”
For Mr Jones, his mental health was a priority At his first appointment, he was referred to a therapist who guided him every step of the way.
When he heard he needed an internal scan, using a monitor inserted into the vagina, he was concerned about feeling intense gender dysphoria.
“The therapist suggested not to have an internal scan every time, because they can just do the ultrasound of your abdomen,” he said.
‘I was worried about it, but I’m at a point where I have so much confidence in my body that I can face it.
‘But I was afraid that people would be staring at me in the waiting room.
‘Or that the procedure would affect my testosterone level.
‘It was very reassuring to know that although little to no research has been done on transgender people, women with higher testosterone levels have higher eggs in their blood.
“My particular doctor had trans patients before, so he was really great.”
Mr Jones said he did not feel ‘less of a man’ during this process and did not get any ‘funny’ looks
Mr Jones was told by doctors that the procedure was time sensitive – so he spent 10 days before the procedure taking four medications a day.
That meant he had to inject two drugs into his stomach and take two orally.
On the last day he took a ‘trigger’ medicine in the form of a nasal spray, which stops the ovaries from releasing eggs for a short time.
On May 8, 2024, Mr. Jones underwent the surgery.
Surgeons found a total of 19 eggs, 11 of which were frozen and the other eight left to ‘ripen’ overnight.
They could then take two more eggs from the adult set – thirteen in total.
“I was panicking before the operation,” he said.
“But Kizzy calmed me down and said, ‘You did top surgery, you’re going to be fine.’
‘I don’t remember falling asleep, but I do remember waking up and drinking sugary drinks like hot chocolate.
“They called me afterward to make sure I was okay and to let my body recover.”
Mr Jones said his experience was extremely positive and he was grateful to be able to give this gift to his sister
said Mr. Jones his experience was extremely positive – and he had an action plan in place to feel better when he needed to.
He said: ‘I was very aware that this is a gift that I could give to my sister here and now, and that this will not last forever.
“I let my friends know that I might need to vent, cry, and get angry because I might be triggered.
‘During this process I never had the feeling that I was seen as ‘less of a man’.
‘I’ve never had a funny look from anyone – and I feel like doctors really put effort into my care plan as a trans man.
“In my book ‘Dear Cisgender People’ I talk a lot about how to help transgender people alleviate dysphoria during procedures like these.”
Kizzy said: ‘We are very close siblings, I always looked after him during his teenage years.
‘We have a very close bond, for us I think it’s great that he gives me this opportunity.
Fingers crossed that it works.
“It’s amazing what he’s done, I know it’s been a difficult process.
“It really makes it special.”
“I know people might think I’m ‘having my brother’s baby,’ but there’s nothing strange about that to me,” she added.