Many transgender people who want to bear children are faced with barriers in the healthcare system, argue Juno Obedin-Maliver and Harvey Makadon in a commentary published in SAGE journal Obstetric Medicine.

In recent years, transgender people have experienced significant advances in social acceptance which has led many organizations to look at their policies, programs, and educational materials to ensure that work with their sphere is both affirmative and inclusive. While programs that provide health care for transgender people have grown in recent years, the healthcare system is lagging, according to the scholars: "This leaves many health professionals unprepared to provide quality care, with many needing to "catch up" or refer (possibly delaying care) to someone else, when a transgender person presents for care." 

This, coupled with news reports covering the pregnancies of transgender men sensationalizing what should be a personal experience, results in a harmful experience, one that can lead to increased experiences of gender dysphoria. As the researchers note: "What becomes clear from qualitative study and more generalized experience caring for transgender people, is that a positive psychological outcome will depend on the experience someone has from the moment they first present for care and depends on the total experience from beginning to end being inclusive and affirmative."