Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42338401›Full record

ArticleAndrology2026

Semen Quality in Transgender Individuals Seeking Fertility Preservation.

Maurizio De Rocco Ponce, Eden Troka, Massimiliano Raffo, Luis Miguel Malca Caballero, Alberto Ferlin, Andrea Salonia, Eduard Ruiz Castañé, Alberto Scala, Andrea Garolla, Gender Incongruence Interdisciplinary Group (GIIG)

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Andrology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Maurizio De Rocco PonceFundación Puigvert, Servicio De Andrología Fundació Puigvert - IRSantPau, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0821-3591
Eden TrokaDepartment of Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Massimiliano RaffoDivision of Experimental Oncology, Unit of Urology, URI, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
Luis Miguel Malca CaballeroFundación Puigvert, Servicio De Andrología Fundació Puigvert - IRSantPau, Barcelona, Spain.
Alberto FerlinDepartment of Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5817-8141
Andrea SaloniaDivision of Experimental Oncology, Unit of Urology, URI, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
Eduard Ruiz CastañéFundación Puigvert, Servicio De Andrología Fundació Puigvert - IRSantPau, Barcelona, Spain.
Alberto ScalaDepartment of Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Andrea GarollaDepartment of Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Gender Incongruence Interdisciplinary Group (GIIG)

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTransgender individuals assigned male at birth (AMAB) may choose to preserve their fertility prior to starting gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). However, limited data exist regarding the baseline reproductive and hormonal characteristics of this population before and after GAHT.

objectivesTo characterize semen quality and hormonal profiles in transgender AMAB individuals prior to GAHT and compare findings with cisgender men and with transgender individuals who discontinued GAHT for at least 3 months. MATERIALS AND

methodsThis retrospective study included transgender AMAB individuals from two tertiary andrology centers who underwent sperm cryopreservation before GAHT initiation (treatment-naïve group). Clinical evaluation included anthropometric measures, testicular volume assessment, varicocele detection, and sex hormone measures. Semen parameters were analyzed according to WHO criteria and compared with those of cisgender men and previously treated transgender individuals.

resultsThirty-two treatment-naïve transgender AMAB individuals were included. Hormonal parameters were generally within reference ranges. Only 46.9% of treatment-naïve individuals met WHO criteria for normozoospermia, compared with 75.5% of cisgender controls. Compared with nine previously treated individuals, estradiol levels were higher and seminal volume lower. A higher frequency of seminal abnormalities was observed, although not statistically significant.

conclusionsA substantial proportion of treatment-naïve transgender AMAB individuals exhibited impaired semen parameters prior to GAHT initiation. Prior GAHT exposure showed a trend toward poorer semen quality. These findings support early fertility counseling and preservation in transgender individuals prior to GAHT initiation.

Indexed as

Fertility PreservationSemen AnalysisTransgender PersonsAdultCryopreservationEstradiolFemaleHumansMaleRetrospective StudiesYoung AdultEstradiolfertility preservationgender‐affirming hormone therapyreproductive endocrinologytransgender health

Identifiers

PMID42338401
PMCPMC13432531

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