Man gives birth after not realising ‘he could get pregnant’ 9 weeks into transition
Ryan Sanderson, 24, from Rochdale, Manchester, was under the impression he couldn’t fall pregnant when he discovered that he was 10 weeks pregnant with his son
Ryan and Hendrick are sharing their incredible story to raise awareness of trans pregnancies and seahorse dads (
Man gives birth after not realising ‘he could get pregnant’ 9 weeks into transition
Ryan Sanderson, 24, from Rochdale, Manchester, was under the impression he couldn’t fall pregnant when he discovered that he was 10 weeks pregnant with his son.
A man who gave birth to a baby boy said it was a “huge shock” to discover he was pregnant after believing it was impossible.
Ryan Sanderson, 24, was nine weeks into his female to male transition when he discovered that he was pregnant.
The drama student, from Rochdale, Manchester, was stunned by the positive test – but decided to immediately pause his hormone treatments in order to give birth to son, Hendrick, two.
Ryan claims he knew he was a man “from the age of seven” and had struggled with his gender identity since.
But despite his difficulty with body dysphoria throughout the pregnancy, he was proud to give birth to his son and now looks forward to raising his small family.
Ryan was able to chest feed his son before continuing with his transition (
Mercury Press & Media Ltd.)
Ryan said: “I didn’t believe I could get pregnant when on testosterone until I found out that I was.
“I think more trans-men need to understand that they can get pregnant.
“My ex-partner was under the impression that he was infertile, but that wasn’t the case.
“I’d struggled for so long to become my true self and had even had to go with a private GP in order to get testosterone.
“I knew that I was a man from the age of seven and came out at 19.
“Since coming out as Ryan, I’ve felt this freedom that I never felt as a girl, I do things for me instead of what society deems certain genders should do.
Ryan prior to his transition – he had known he was a man from the age of seven (
MERCURY PRESS)
“I ended up finding out during a doctor’s visit, that I was ten weeks pregnant after being on testosterone for nine weeks.
“It was a huge shock to the system, but even though I was worried about what coming off of testosterone may do to my body dysmorphia, I knew instantly that I wanted to have the baby.
“I believed it to be fate, I’ve never been a devout follower of religion, but I felt like it was a sign to have a child before I was in too deep with testosterone treatments.
“When I found out I was pregnant, Hendrick truly became my everything.”
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Despite struggling with body dysmorphia throughout, Ryan had the full support of his friends and family and said the pregnancy ran smoothly.
Ryan was stunned to learn he was 10 weeks pregnant at a doctors appointment (
MERCURY PRESS)
He said: “My GP was slightly worried about complications, but the course of my pregnancy ran pretty smoothly.
“Thankfully, I had a wonderful team of midwives that would address me with the appropriate pronouns and if they made mistakes they would always apologise.
“Sometimes they’d have questions, and it felt great to be able to answer them without them trying to offend me in any way.”
He added: “My mum, Janette, 57, has been super supportive the entire way through.
“Without her, I’d be lost, she does so much for both Hendrick and I and acts like a super-hero co-parent.
“She’s read all of the books and understands the way in which I’d like him to be bought up.
Ryan hopes to build his family and give baby Hendrick siblings in future (
MERCURY PRESS)
“My ex-partner doesn’t want to be in the picture, but I’ve got the full support of the rest of my family and friends.”
Ryan is now embracing the experience of being a “seahorse dad” and enjoys sharing his experience of being trans and pregnant with others.
The new dad was able to “chest feed” his son before undergoing top surgery to remove his breasts but now feels some sadness at not being able to feed any future children.
Ryan said: “I got to chest feed Hendrick when he was born, as I knew it was the healthiest and best way to aid him in his growth.
“In 2021, I had top surgery to remove my breasts which felt amazing, although I am sad at the thought of not being able to chest feed any of my future children.
“My ex-partner doesn’t want to be in the picture, but I’ve got the full support of the rest of my family and friends.”
Ryan is now embracing the experience of being a “seahorse dad” and enjoys sharing his experience of being trans and pregnant with others.
The new dad was able to “chest feed” his son before undergoing top surgery to remove his breasts but now feels some sadness at not being able to feed any future children.
Ryan said: “I got to chest feed Hendrick when he was born, as I knew it was the healthiest and best way to aid him in his growth.
“In 2021, I had top surgery to remove my breasts which felt amazing, although I am sad at the thought of not being able to chest feed any of my future children.
