Man delivering a baby

He was famous for being 'the pregnant man.' Here's where Thomas Beatie is now

It's been 13 years since Thomas Beatie sat down for his first TV interview and told Oprah — and the world — how he could possibly be pregnant, as a man.

Today, the concept of a transgender man giving birth is hardly novel, although research, education and awareness are still severely lacking. But society has come a long way, and so has Beatie. The father of four, now a stockbroker in Phoenix, spoke to TODAY Health about how he thinks the trans community benefited from the media attention his pregnancy garnered, and how he and his family are doing today.

"When my story came out, there wasn't a single person in the public eye as a transgender man — most people had never heard of it," Beatie, 47, said. "It was a first exposure for a lot of people. And then on top of that, they can give birth! I think exposing the importance of fertility for trans people was a huge eye-opener."

In 2008, after he wrote an essay for The Advocate about his pregnancy — a piece he wrote, he said, because he was desperately seeking advice from anyone who had been in his shoes, and fearful that his daughter would be taken away by authorities — Beatie's story spread around the world. Photos of Beatie cradling his stomach — a bare, enlarged, pregnant stomach — went viral. Requests for TV and magazine interviews rushed in. He wrote a book about his experience titled “Labor of Love,” became the subject of multiple TV specials and even went on to star in a French reality show.

"Everything was a whirlwind," he said. "But I still don't regret it."

After having his first child, Susan, in 2008, Beatie went on to give birth to two more children with his then-wife, Nancy Beatie. The couple separated in 2012, and in 2016 Beatie married his second wife, Amber, who worked at the daycare his children attended. They had a baby together in 2018, to whom Amber gave birth.

Today, Beatie and his family live a relatively quiet life in Phoenix, although Beatie occasionally takes on public-speaking jobs or small acting roles (maybe you saw him as an extra in a U-Haul commercial). His older children — now 11, 12 and 13 — split their time between his house and their mom’s house, about 10 miles away. When they’re all home, they swim together in their pool, play checkers and test out new recipes.

“We’re on this keto kick right now, so we’re trying to make cool dishes together,” Beatie said. “We’re going to make some healthy ice cream.”

Yet, more than a decade after his first pregnancy made national headlines, Beatie said he still hasn’t been able to fully shake the “pregnant man” moniker. 

“I thought I melted back into society, that I could just walk down the hall and be anonymous,” he said, referring to the halls of his financial office building. But soon enough, word got out about his public past, he said. Not that he minds, exactly.

"I don't see anything wrong with being a pregnant man," Beatie said. "I was so proud to be a dad, and I'm still proud to be a dad. I'm so proud that I was the one to bring my kids into the world. It's kind of like a badge."

Mostly, he marvels at how much the world, while still very much flawed, has changed since his story was in the spotlight. This was a time before most people understood the concept of gender identity and what it means to be transgender, let alone etiquette for speaking to or about someone who’s part of the trans community. Beatie recalled being misgendered and “deadnamed” by the media and being the butt of talk show jokes. When Beatie sat down for an interview with Barbara Walters, the news icon referred to one of his maternity photos as a “disturbing image.” 

“It was really hard when my story came out,” Beatie said. “People were saying things on TV and in the media that if they came close to saying today, they would be immediately fired. I’m just in shock about how wild, Wild West it was back then.”

Despite the challenges of sharing his story and the fame it spawned, Beatie does not regret talking about his pregnancy experience publicly and said he hopes by doing so that he made things a bit easier for the trans men who came after him. 

“I wanted to make sure that for my family, and for other people, that this was going to be something that’s doable, that our laws would respect it,” Beatie said. “So I did feel an obligation to continue to fight. I wasn’t about to lay down and say, ‘All right, fine, call me a woman.’”

Yet he acknowledges that even if public perception of his personal experience has shifted, there is still plenty more work to be done to support trans people hoping to start families — more training among health care providers, equitable access to fertility treatments and parental leave, for starters.

“I think a lot of people are still pigeonholed, thinking that if you want to be transgender, you have to completely get rid of all your (reproductive) organs,” Beatie said. “There needs to be discussions about fertility, preservation. Being transgender, you shouldn’t have to lose your right of having a family. You’re entitled to be happy and have a family and be respected.”

This story originally appeared on TODAY.com

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Can men become pregnant: What to know

A person who was born male and is living as a man cannot get pregnant. However, some transgender men and nonbinary people can.

In most cases, including cis-men who have sex with men, male pregnancy is not possible. New research in uterine transplants may mean that male pregnancy could be a possibility in the future, though.

In this article, we will discuss the difference between sex and gender before explaining more about transgender and male pregnancy.

Anyone who has a uterus and ovaries could become pregnant and give birth.

People who are born male and living as men cannot get pregnant. A transgender man or nonbinary person may be able to, however.

It is only possible for a person to be pregnant if they have a uterus. The uterus is the womb, which is where the fetus develops. Male reproductive organs include testicles and a penis but no uterus.

The terms “man” and “woman” refer to a person’s gender, which encompasses the socially constructed characteristics that differentiate the traditional binary sexes — male and female.

Unlike a person’s biological sex, which an individual’s reproductive organs and secondary sex characteristics define, genetics alone do not determine a person’s gender.

A person’s gender may include specific social roles, norms, and expectations that differentiate men and women.

These characteristics are subjective, and they differ among societies, social classes, and cultures. The gender by which a person identifies depends on the individual.

Gender is much more fluid than biological sex.

Typically, people are assigned male or female at birth. Those who identify with the gender that society associates with their biological sex are “cisgender” men and women.

Cisgender men who have sex with cisgender men cannot get pregnant.

However, not everyone identifies with the gender role that is associated with their designated sex. For instance, a person who was assigned female at birth (AFAB) but identifies as a man may refer to themselves as a “transgender” man or a gender nonconforming individual.

Many AFAB people who identify as men or gender nonconforming people retain their ovaries and uterus, which allows them to get pregnant and give birth.

People who have a uterus and ovaries can become pregnant and give birth.

However, some AFAB people may take testosterone. Testosterone therapy helps suppress the effects of estrogen while stimulating the development of masculine secondary sex characteristics, including:

• muscle growth
• redistribution of body fat
• increased hair growth on the body and face
• deeper voice

Research suggests that menstruation usually ends within 12 months after starting testosterone therapy and often within 6 months, which can make conceiving more difficult but not impossible.

Although testosterone therapy does not make people infertile, a person may have a higher chance of placental abruption, preterm labor, anemia, and hypertension.

In a 2014 study, researchers surveyed 41 transgender men and gender nonconforming AFAB individuals who became pregnant and gave birth.

Of the individuals who reported using testosterone before pregnancy, 20% became pregnant before their menstrual cycle returned.

The authors of this study concluded that prior testosterone use did not lead to significant differences in pregnancy, delivery, or birth outcomes.

The authors also noted that a higher percentage of transgender men who reported previous testosterone use had a cesarean delivery compared with those who had no history of testosterone use.

These findings do not suggest that testosterone therapy makes people incapable of vaginal delivery, as 25% of the transgender men who had a cesarean delivery chose to do so based on their comfort levels and preferences.

However, there is limited research regarding transgender pregnancy, so it is unclear how testosterone may affect a person’s fertility or pregnancy.

In a 2019 case study, researchers documented the experience of one 20-year-old transgender man who became pregnant 2 months after he discontinued testosterone therapy.

After 40 weeks, he gave birth to a healthy baby after an uncomplicated labor.

The authors stated that he chestfed for 12 weeks before restarting testosterone therapy.

People who have had a bilateral mastectomy or other chest surgeries may not be able to chestfeed.

Transgender men and AFAB individuals who do not identify as female may elect to undergo a range of medical treatments and surgical procedures during the transition process.

Examples of gender-affirming surgical procedures for transgender men include:

• Male chest reduction or “top surgery”: This procedure involves the removal of both breasts and any underlying breast tissue.
• Hysterectomy: A hysterectomy refers to the removal of the internal female reproductive organs, including the ovaries and uterus.
• Phalloplasty: During this procedure, a surgeon constructs a neopenis from skin grafts.
• Metoidioplasty: This treatment uses a combination of surgery and hormone therapy to enlarge the clitoris and make it function as a penis.

If a person has undergone a partial hysterectomy — which involves the removal of the womb but not the ovaries, cervix, and fallopian tubes — it is possible for the fertilized egg to latch onto the fallopian tubes or the abdomen, resulting in an ectopic pregnancy.

However, this is exceedingly rare, and according to a 2015 review, there are only 71 cases on record since 1895.

Gender does not determine who can become pregnant.

People who identify as men can, and do, become pregnant and give birth, if they possess a uterus and ovaries.

A pregnant man gave birth to a girl. The natural way!

Komsomolskaya Pravda

SocietySENSATION

Yuliya KUPRINA

July 4, 2008 10:20

34-year-old transsexual Thomas Beaty became a father in childbirth. This happened for the first time in the history of mankind [video]

A pregnant man gave birth!

June 29 in one of the hospitals in the US state of Oregon, 34-year-old transsexual Thomas Beaty, also known worldwide as the Pregnant Man, gave birth to a girl.

The child is absolutely healthy, the baby and her father, who is also mother, are doing well, writes People magazine in an exclusive material.

The girl's name is still unknown. For Thomas, this is the first child. Despite doctors' predictions that a pregnant man would have to have a caesarean section, the baby was born naturally. That is, Thomas gave birth to a child himself.

"The only thing that distinguishes me from other mothers is the fact that I won't be able to breastfeed my daughter. But it's no secret that many women can't do that either if they don't have milk," the happy father who gave birth told reporters.

Actually, 34-year-old Thomas Beaty was born a woman. And her (his) name was then Tracey Legondino. Tracy was very beautiful, worked as a fashion model and won the Miss Hawaii Teen USA beauty pageant. However, in her early twenties, Tracy changed her life dramatically and decided to become a man.

To begin with, he (a) changed his name and documents. Then he began to perform operations for the physical transformation into a man. Beaty took testosterone (a male hormone) twice a week, which caused him to grow a beard and deepen his voice. The surgeon then removed Thomas' mammary glands.

The turn of the reproductive organs has not yet reached, so all the female organs (uterus and ovaries) remained with him. And very handy. After all, it soon became clear that the love of his life, 46-year-old Nancy, was unable to conceive a child due to endometriosis.

The couple officially married in 2003. In 2005, the family moved to Bend, Oregon, where they opened their own T-shirt company. They dreamed of a full-fledged family, so one day they decided that Thomas could also try to give birth. They were refused in several medical centers, but the lovers did not give up and soon met a doctor who helped them.

Thomas stopped taking male hormones and soon conceived a child by artificial insemination from an unknown donor. In this case, the egg of Thomas was used.

The story of this unusual couple became known after an article in a gay magazine, which was noticed on the Oprah Winfrey show. Having been on the Oprah TV show, Thomas and Nancy woke up famous all over the world.

Thomas Beaty gave birth to a child. It remains to plant a tree, build a house and write a memoir. Thomas has already promised that next fall he will publish a book about his unusual fate.

Pregnant Thomas Beaty made an ultrasound

Read: kp.ru/daily/24071.4/309015/>A pregnant man will give birth on July 3.