Pregnant Man

Pregnant Man

History is being made as we speak. A man really is pregnant…or is he? Actually, he was once a she and this is how the concept of a pregnant man has become a reality…sort of. Sex changes are nothing new, so is the reality of a transgendered man becoming pregnant really that hard to fathom? Most of us scoff at the notion of a man becoming pregnant, but for people like Thomas Beatie, the reality of a pregnancy is a dream come true.

Beatie has found himself in the midst of a media circus as he and his wife attempt to navigate the legal questions, ethical protests, and just plain curiosity of those grappling with the idea of a man who is pregnant. Once a Miss Teen Hawaii finalist, 34-year old Beatie looks like your average male thanks to plenty of testosterone, a beard, and the removal of his breasts. Beatie did not have a full sex-change operation and still has a uterus, which is now carrying a fetus…reportedly a baby girl.

According to news reports, Beatie's wife impregnated him using donated sperm and a syringe bought from a veterinarian. His wife, the mother of two grown children from a previous marriage, is no longer able to have children after having her uterus removed due to endometriosis.

Inside the Transgendered Mind

Imagine being born into a body that seems to contradict everything you think. You were born as a male or a female but you think and feel as the opposite sex. Critics may sharply say "Deal with it!", but if you live your life as if you are really someone else, dealing with it may involve bouts of depression and doubt about your own identity. For some, the answer is to ignore the feelings as much as possible. For others, dressing as the opposite sex may be all it takes to satisfy those innate feelings that simply won't go away. There are others, however, who aren't satisfied with simply acting as the other gender. These are the people who endure hormone injections, surgeries, and more to recreate themselves into the people they really feel they are, even at the risk of alienating themselves from family members and friends.

Transgendered becomes transsexual. Just as we look for a house that really feels like a home, these people look to reinvent their bodies to feel like their bodies. They crave a feeling of finally belonging to themselves…a feeling they may never have felt, even as children. This is no easy task, however. Most insurance companies will not cover the numerous expenses associated with hormonal and/or surgical gender modifications. In many cases, candidates for hormone therapy and surgery must pass physical examinations and psychological evaluations before they will be admitted for any procedure.

The Future

What does the future hold in regards to the pregnant man? Obviously, this changes the rules and, as is often the case, where there's a will, there's a way. Many worry more about the offspring of this and, no doubt, future similar conceptions. Will the child be affected from the excessive hormones that turned this woman's body into a man? According to the interview between Beatie and Oprah, Beatie had been off the testosterone for two years before trying to conceive. Even if the child is born perfectly healthy, how will she deal with the fact that her dad used to be a woman?

Supporters will point out that kids have to deal with all sorts of issues in today's world, and the family unit no longer has to include two parents: a male and a female. Whatever the outcome, while this may be one of the most publicized cases of a pregnant man, it will almost certainly not be the last. Anything is possible, right?