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de Nie I, Mulder CL, Meißner A, Schut Y, Holleman EM, van der Sluis WB, Hannema SE, den Heijer M, Huirne J, van Pelt AMM, van Mello NM. Histological study on the influence of puberty suppression and hormonal treatment on developing germ cells in transgender women. Hum Reprod 2021; 37:297-308. [PMID: 34791270 PMCID: PMC8804334 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deab240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Can transgender women cryopreserve germ cells obtained from their orchiectomy specimen for fertility preservation, after having used puberty suppression and/or hormonal treatment? SUMMARY ANSWER In the vast majority of transgender women, there were still immature germ cells present in the orchiectomy specimen, and in 4.7% of transgender women—who all initiated medical treatment in Tanner stage 4 or higher—mature spermatozoa were found, which would enable cryopreservation of spermatozoa or testicular tissue after having used puberty suppression and/or hormonal treatment. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Gender affirming treatment (i.e. puberty suppression, hormonal treatment, and subsequent orchiectomy) impairs reproductive function in transgender women. Although semen cryopreservation is generally offered during the transition process, this option is not feasible for all transgender women (e.g. due to incomplete spermatogenesis when initiating treatment in early puberty, in case of inability to masturbate, or when temporary cessation of hormonal treatment is too disruptive). Harvesting mature spermatozoa, or testicular tissue harboring immature germ cells, from orchiectomy specimens obtained during genital gender-affirming surgery (gGAS) might give this group a chance of having biological children later in life. Previous studies on spermatogenesis in orchiectomy specimens showed conflicting results, ranging from complete absence of germ cells to full spermatogenesis, and did not involve transgender women who initiated medical treatment in early- or late puberty. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Histological and immunohistochemical analyses were performed on orchiectomy specimens from 214 transgender women who underwent gGAS between 2006 and 2018. Six subgroups were identified, depending on pubertal stage at initiation of medical treatment (Tanner stage 2-3, Tanner stage 4-5, adult), and whether hormonal treatment was continued or temporarily stopped prior to gGAS in each of these groups. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS All transgender women used a combination of estrogens and testosterone suppressing therapy. Orchiectomy specimen sections were stained with Mayer’s hematoxylin and eosin and histologically analyzed to assess the Johnsen score and the ratio of most advanced germ cell types in at least 50 seminiferous tubular cross-sections. Subsequently, immunohistochemistry was used to validate these findings using spermatogonia, spermatocytes or spermatids markers (MAGE-A3/A4, γH2AX, Acrosin, respectively). Possibilities for fertility preservation were defined as: preservation of spermatozoa, preservation of spermatogonial stem cells or no possibilities (in case no germ cells were found). Outcomes were compared between subgroups and logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between the duration of hormonal treatment and the possibilities for fertility preservation. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Mature spermatozoa were encountered in 4.7% of orchiectomy specimens, all from transgender women who had initiated medical treatment in Tanner stage 4 or higher. In 88.3% of the study sample orchiectomy specimens only contained immature germ cells (round spermatids, spermatocytes or spermatogonia, as most advanced germ cell type). In 7.0%, a complete absence of germ cells was observed, all these samples were from transgender women who had initiated medical treatment in adulthood. Cessation of hormonal treatment prior to gGAS did not affect the presence of germ cells or their maturation stage, nor was there an effect of the duration of hormonal treatment prior to gGAS. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Since data on serum hormone levels on the day of gGAS were not available, we were unable to verify if the transgender women who were asked to temporarily stop hormonal treatment 4 weeks prior to surgery actually did so, and if people with full spermatogenesis were compliant to treatment. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS There may still be options for fertility preservation in orchiectomy specimens obtained during gGAS since a small percentage of transgender women had full spermatogenesis, which could enable cryopreservation of mature spermatozoa via a testicular sperm extraction procedure. Furthermore, the vast majority still had immature germ cells, which could enable cryopreservation of testicular tissue harboring spermatogonial stem cells. If maturation techniques like in vitro spermatogenesis become available in the future, harvesting germ cells from orchiectomy specimens might be a promising option for those who are otherwise unable to have biological children. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST None. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- I de Nie
- Department of Endocrinology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Reproduction & Development Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - C L Mulder
- Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Reproduction & Development Research Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - A Meißner
- Department of Endocrinology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Reproduction & Development Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Urology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Y Schut
- Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Reproduction & Development Research Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - E M Holleman
- Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Reproduction & Development Research Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - W B van der Sluis
- Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - S E Hannema
- Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Pediatrics, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M den Heijer
- Department of Endocrinology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - J Huirne
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Reproduction & Development Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - A M M van Pelt
- Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Reproduction & Development Research Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - N M van Mello
- Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Reproduction & Development Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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van der Sluis WB, de Nie I, Steensma TD, van Mello NM, Lissenberg-Witte BI, Bouman MB. Surgical and demographic trends in genital gender-affirming surgery in transgender women: 40 years of experience in Amsterdam. Br J Surg 2021; 109:8-11. [PMID: 34291277 PMCID: PMC10364763 DOI: 10.1093/bjs/znab213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
This was a single-centre, retrospective study of transgender women undergoing genital gender-affirming surgery. A chart study was conducted, recording individual demographics, all genital surgical procedures, and surgical techniques. Procedure incidence, techniques employed, and demographic variations over the years were analysed.
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Affiliation(s)
- W B van der Sluis
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Centre of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - I de Nie
- Centre of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Endocrinology, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - T D Steensma
- Centre of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Medical Psychology, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - N M van Mello
- Centre of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - B I Lissenberg-Witte
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M-B Bouman
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Centre of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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van der Meide WF, Snellenberg S, Meijer CJLM, Baalbergen A, Helmerhorst TJM, van der Sluis WB, Snijders PJF, Steenbergen RDM. Promoter methylation analysis of WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway regulators to detect adenocarcinoma or its precursor lesion of the cervix. Gynecol Oncol 2011; 123:116-22. [PMID: 21726894 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2011.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2011] [Revised: 06/09/2011] [Accepted: 06/09/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Cervical adenocarcinoma (AdCA) and adenocarcinoma in situ (ACIS) are frequently missed in cytology-based screening programs. Testing for high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) improves their detection, but novel ACIS/AdCA specific biomarkers are needed to increase specificity for these lesions. Novel markers may be deduced from the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway, which is aberrantly activated during cervical carcinogenesis. METHODS Promoter methylation of nine WNT-antagonists (APC, AXIN2, DKK3, SFRP2, SFRP4, SFRP5, SOX17, WIF1 and WNT5A) was evaluated by methylation-specific PCR (MSP) on a small series of cervical tissue specimens, including AdCA and SCC. To estimate the diagnostic potential of the genes most frequently methylated in AdCA an extended series of ACIS, AdCA, CIN3, SCC, and normal cervical tissue specimens (n=131) as well as 49 hrHPV-positive scrapings were analyzed by quantitative MSP (qMSP). RESULTS The frequency of DKK3 and SFRP2 methylation was significantly higher in AdCA compared to SCC, i.e. 82% vs. 18% (p<0.01) and 84% vs. 39% (p<0.01), respectively, while SOX17 methylation frequency was significantly higher in SCC than AdCA, i.e. 89% vs. 62% (p<0.05). Methylation of WIF1 was common in both AdCA (71%) and SCC (54%). Methylation frequencies ranged from 4% to 55% in precursor lesions and from 0% to 5% in normal biopsies. When tested on HPV-positive cervical scrapings, qMSP of the best ACIS/AdCA discriminator genes, i.e. DKK3 and SFRP2, detected all women with underlying ACIS/AdCA, compared to 3% of controls. CONCLUSIONS DKK3 and SFRP2 promoter methylation is highly indicative for the presence of ACIS/AdCA, thereby providing promising triage markers for HPV-positive women at risk of ACIS/AdCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- W F van der Meide
- Department of Pathology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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