Uncomfortable at best and dehumanizing at worst: The experience of transgender men seeking reproductive and family planning care

Abstract

Transgender men face significant barriers in accessing culturally-sensitive reproductive and family planning care, and as a result, are less likely to be up to date on recommending reproductive health screenings. It is unclear whether the primary barrier is health knowledge (HK) or comfort seeking care (CSC), or communication barriers with their provider(PC). An eighteen-item survey (n=221) was designed to assess these three factors. While the vast majority of participants had high levels of health literacy, nearly half of participants would not feel comfortable seeking reproductive healthcare or family planning care (48.5%). Improved CSC and PC were found among transgender men that receive care at locations that primarily treat LGBTQ-patients. Participants self-reported barriers included poor provider training/knowledge on transgender health, assumptions made by providers, and fear of seeking care due to discrimination. The results of this study indicate a need for improved provider education and highlight significant barriers that exist for transgender men seeking reproductive healthcare.