A trans man who donated his eggs to his sister after she experienced a ‘traumatising’ miscarriage and fertility issues said it was the ‘easiest decision’ he’s ever made.
Kenny Ethan Jones, 30, has harvested 13 of his eggs so far and chosen to donate them to his sister, Kizzy Jones, 38, after she struggled to get pregnant for six years, he reveals in an emotional video.
The author and activist, from Kilburn, London originally wanted to undergo the procedure — in which the patient takes medication and has surgery to retrieve their eggs — after transitioning in 2011 .
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.
However, in 2019, after a long conversation with Kizzy about her fertility, he offered to donate his eggs to her.
Kizzy an entertainer and ‘aspiring single mum by choice’ from London now has an appointment next week at the same hospital Mr Jones had his retrieval and has brushed off concerns that people might think she is ‘having her brother’s baby’.
On May 8, 2024, Kenny Ethan Jones, 30, had the operation. Surgeons retrieved 19 eggs in total – freezing 11 and leaving the other eight to ‘mature’ overnight
The eggs will need to be screened, which will take three months – and his sister is keen to ‘get going’ as soon as possible.
Kizzy has been trying for a baby since 2018, but she hasn’t been formally diagnosed with any fertility issues despite never being able to carry a baby to term.
In 2019, she had a ‘traumatising’ miscarriage, during which she had to give birth to the foetus.
She started to look into IVF for herself and she was shocked at the low chances of having a successful pregnancy.
She said: ‘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.’
Mr Jones (left) has harvested 13 of his eggs so far and chosen to donate them to his sister, Kizzy, 38, (right) after she struggled to get pregnant for six years
In 2019, after a long conversation with Kizzy about her fertility, he offered to donate his eggs to her
Mr Jones said 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, Mr Jones contacted the NHS to find out if it was possible for him to have the egg retrieval procedure.
‘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,’ Mr Jones said.
‘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.”‘
Mr Jones (pictured) an author and activist, from Kilburn, London originally wanted to undergo the procedure – in which the patient takes medication and has surgery to retrieve their eggs – after transitioning. But for Mr Jones his gender dysphoria – a sense of unease that someone may have with their gender – was so severe, he needed to prioritise his mental health
The sibling, pictured, say they are very close and say the egg donation has been an amazing opportunity
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 his 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.’
For Mr Jones, his mental health took priority and 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.
‘The therapist suggested not having an internal scan every time, because they can just do the ultrasound on your tummy,’ he said.
‘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.’
Mr Jones said he didn’t feel ‘less of a man’ during this process and didn’t get any ‘funny’ looks
Mr Jones was told by doctors the procedure was time-sensitive — and so he spent 10 days before the procedure taking four medications a day.
That involved injecting two medications into his stomach and taking two orally.
On the final day, he took 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, Mr Jones 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,’ he 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.’
Mr Jones said his experience was hugely positive and grateful he could give this gift to his sister
Mr Jones said 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,’ she added.
Source: Mail Online
