Sun 11 Sep 2016 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Dr Jaimie Veale Sexually active transgender youth are just as likely to get pregnant as their non-trans peers, according to information released by a team led by a University of Waikato researcher. Dr Jaimie Veal, who herself is transgender, says it’s often assumed that trans youth don’t get pregnant or get someone pregnant, perhaps because they’re receiving hormones that tend to reduce fertility, or because people assume they aren’t sexually active. “This study shows otherwise,” she says. Veale and her co-authors found no evidence to support assumptions that pregnancy only occurs in those who are yet to transition as there were no differences in hormone use and living in their felt gender between youth who had experienced pregnancy and those who hadn’t.The research was conducted as part of Veale’s postdoctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia. She says the study is the first of its kind.The team says clinicians "should ask trans or non-binary youth about their sexual health and behaviours,” says Veale's associate, Professor Elizabeth Saewyc. “They should ensure this group know how to protect themselves from unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections.” Veale says there’s a need for more research into the health needs of transgender people in New Zealand.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 11th September 2016 - 10:56pm