Trans man donates his eggs so his sister can have a baby

Kenny Ethan Jones, 30, has harvested 13 of his eggs so far and chosen to donate them to sister, Kizzy, 38 - who has struggled for six years to get pregnant. 

He originally wanted to undergo the procedure - in which the patient takes medication and has surgery to retrieve their eggs - after transitioning "years ago". 

But his gender dysphoria - a sense of unease that someone may have with their gender - was so severe, he needed to prioritise his mental health. 

In 2019, after a long conversation with Kizzy about her fertility, he offered to donate his eggs to her - feeling that it was the right thing to do. 

Kizzy has an appointment next week at the same hospital Kenny had his retrieval. 

The eggs will need to be screened, which will take three months - and Kizzy wants to try and "get going" as soon as possible.

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Kenny, an author and activist, from Kilburn, London, said: "This decision felt so easy, it felt so right in my heart - not one second did I ever second guess what this meant to my sister. 

“I did it for Kizzy and I think what brings us closer is we have the same mum, who passed away a few years ago. 

“She’s done so much to take care of me, and I thought ‘if I can give her this, I will.”

Kizzy, an entertainer from London said: "I was very shocked - as an older woman, the chances of miscarriage are higher.

"I know the issue for me is due to the age of my eggs, Kenny knew that and he knows the miscarriages I've had and how awful they've been.

"He offered - just being the lovely brother he is. 

"I joked, like, 'yeah, okay.' At the same time thinking he wasn't serious. 

"It's this huge thing.

"I started looking at IVF for myself - I was still shocked at the low chances of having a successful pregnancy. 

"As I'm doing all these IVF appointments, I'm speaking to my brother about it all, he says to me, 'seriously sis, I'll do this for you.'

"I don't think he realises just how small the chances of me conceiving through the IVF were, which kicked him into gear. 

"He was like, 'let's do this'.

Kizzy has been trying for a baby as a "single mum-to-be" since 2018. 

She hasn’t been formally diagnosed with any fertility issues, but has never been able to carry a baby to term. 

In 2019, she had a “traumatising” miscarriage, during which she had to give birth to the foetus. 

Kenny says he has spent “hours” on the phone consoling her, and listening to her concerns. 

“As her brother, I’m sat on the phone asking how I can help,” he said. 

“But one day, a jokey conversation just turned serious. 

“I said ‘you can have my eggs if you want.’ 

“She said ‘are you serious?’ 

“I wasn’t even sure if it was a possibility - trans healthcare is so understudied. 

“So we both went and did our own research, and we did find some trans men who’d had their eggs harvested.”

Within weeks, Kenny contacted the NHS to find out if it was possible for him to have the egg retrieval procedure. 

While patients aren’t allowed to harvest their eggs specifically for donation - he was told people are free to do what they want with them after they’ve been retrieved. 

The process of accepting Kenny’s request was delayed by four years due to Covid, and he was placed on a waiting list. 

He said: “I got the call in November last year - they just said ‘when would you like to start?’ 

“It felt so simple - I called Kizzy, asking when she wanted me to start.”

Kenny knew he’d have to take steps to protect his mental health throughout the process.

At his first appointment, he was referred to a therapist who talked him through each step. 

On learning he’d need an internal scan, using a monitor that inserts inside the vagina, he worried about feeling intense gender dysphoria. 

He added: “The therapist suggested not having an internal scan every time, because they can just do the ultrasound on your tummy. 

“I was worried about it, but I’m at a point where I’m so confident about my body, I could face it. 

“But I was worried people would be sat staring at me in the waiting room. 

“Or that the procedure would affect my testosterone levels.

“It was really comforting to know that - while there’s little-to-no research on trans people - it’s said that women with higher testosterone have higher eggs in their stream.

“My specific doctor had trans patients before, so he was really great.” 

Kenny was told by doctors the procedure was time-sensitive - and so he spent 10 days before the procedure taking four medications a day.

He’d have to inject two into his stomach - and take two orally. 

On the final day, he’d take a “trigger” medication in the form of a nasal spray, which stops the ovaries from releasing eggs for a short time. 

On May 8, 2024, Kenny had the operation. 

Surgeons retrieved 19 eggs in total - freezing 11 and leaving the other eight to “mature” overnight. 

They were then able to take another two eggs from the matured set - collecting 13 altogether. 

“I was panicking before the surgery,” Kenny said. 

“But Kizzy calmed me down, saying ‘you’ve done top surgery, you’re going to be fine.’ 

“I don’t remember falling asleep - but I do remember waking up, having sugary drinks like hot chocolate. 

“They called me afterwards to make sure I was OK and well, and I had to let my body recover.”

Kenny says his experience was hugely positive - and he had an action plan in place to feel better when he needed to. 

He said: “I was very aware that this is a gift I could give to my sister here-and-now, and that’s not going to last forever. 

“I let my friends know I may need to vent, cry and get upset, because I may get triggered. 

“I didn’t once feel like I was being seen as ‘less of a man’ during this process. 

“I never once had a funny look from anyone - and I feel that doctors really put effort into my care plan as a trans man.

“I talk a lot about how to help trans people alleviate dysphoria during procedures like these in my book, ‘Dear Cisgender People.” 

Kizzy said: "We're very close siblings, I've always looked after him through his teens.

"We do have a very close bond - for us, I think it's amazing he's giving me this opportunity.

"Fingers crossed it works.

"It's an amazing thing for him to do - I know it's been a difficult process. It makes it really special.

"I know people might think I'm 'having my brother's baby' - but to me there's nothing strange about it."