A woman who has been living as a man has become the first 'transgender' individual in the UK to become pregnant.
The 20-year-old woman, who refers to herself as 'Hayden Cross', has been taking male hormones, but decided to postpone surgery so that she could give birth to a child.
After finding a sperm donor through a Facebook group, she is now pregnant.
Hormone treatment on the NHS
The woman, from Gloucester, was taking hormones and plans to eventually have her breasts and ovaries removed. The NHS is funding the process at the cost of around £29,000.
She had originally wanted to freeze her eggs but doctors had refused to give her the £4,000 treatment. She said that she then decided to postpone surgery so that she could have a child before her ovaries were removed.
According to the Daily Mail, she found an anonymous sperm donor on Facebook. The donor delivered the sperm to her residence, which she inserted herself with a syringe.
"I looked on Facebook for a group and found one – it's been shut down now. I didn't have to pay," she told the Sun.
She is now four months pregnant.
Difficult background
'Hayden' was expelled from her all-girl's school at the age of 14. Around the same time, her parents split up, and her father returned to taking drugs.
She said that she hadn't fit in at school and had mostly male friends.
She is currently unemployed.
'Tragic case'
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of Christian Concern, commented:
"This is a tragic case. The child will grow up utterly confused, not knowing his or her father, and the mother will be living as a man.
"This young woman has come from a difficult background and has likely suffered some trauma. Yet the NHS are funding hormone treatments and surgery that will permanently alter her body, if she decides to go ahead with it. The truly compassionate thing to do would be to help her to come to accept her God-given identity as a woman. We hope and pray that she would find healing."
Related Links:
Proudly showing off his baby bump: Former Asda worker is the first British man to become pregnant after finding a sperm donor on Facebook (Mail)
'First man in UK to give birth' finds sperm donor on Facebook after pausing transition to become father (Independent)