Male pregnancy

Male pregnancy is a term used in the field of reproductive biology to describe the incidence of male individuals bearing the offspring. In nearly all heterogamous animal species, it is typically the female that carries the offspring. However, there are exceptions in some species, most notably seahorses, pipefish, and some types of lizards and birds<ref>Jones, AG,

 The evolution of sex-specific investment in pipefishes and seahorses (family Syngnathidae), 
 Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 
 2001,
 Vol. 72,
 pp. 349–361,</ref>.

In Non-Human Animals

In species such as the seahorse, males undergo "pregnancy" by incubating the eggs in their specialized brood pouch until they hatch. This unique reproductive strategy, known as male brooding, has evolved in these species as an adaptive response to specific environmental conditions and reproductive constraints<ref>Wilson, AB,

 The evolutionary origins of Syngnathidae: pipefishes and seahorses, 
 Journal of Fish Biology, 
 2003,
 Vol. 63,
 pp. 1231–1242,</ref>.

In Humans

In human biology, male pregnancy is not possible with current medical technology. The male body lacks the necessary anatomical structures to gestate and give birth to a child. This includes the absence of a uterus, a structure necessary for fetal development.

However, in the realm of transgender health, the term "male pregnancy" has been used to describe cases where a transgender man (assigned female at birth, but identifies and lives as male) becomes pregnant. This is possible if the individual has not undergone surgery to remove the uterus and ovaries<ref>Light, AD,

 Transgender men who experienced pregnancy after female-to-male gender transitioning, 
 Obstetrics & Gynecology, 
 2014,
 Vol. 124,
 pp. 1120–1127,</ref>.

Future Possibilities

While male pregnancy remains a subject of science fiction in terms of cisgender men, ongoing research in uterine transplantation and ectogenesis (artificial wombs) suggests that the idea may not be completely unachievable in the future<ref>Brännström, M,

 Livebirth after uterus transplantation, 
 The Lancet, 
 2015,
 Vol. 385,
 pp. 607–616,</ref>. However, these are complex and risky procedures, and there are significant ethical, legal, and social issues that would need to be addressed<ref>Bayefsky, MJ, 
 The ethics of ectogenesis, 
 Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 
 2020,
 Vol. 29,
 pp. 238–250,</ref>.

Summary

Male pregnancy is the incubation of one or more embryos or fetuses by male members of some species. Most species that reproduce by sexual reproduction are heterogamous€”females producing larger gametes (ova) and males producing smaller gametes (sperm). In nearly all animal species, offspring are carried by the female until birth, but in fish of the family Syngnathidae (pipefish, seahorses and the leafy seadragon), males perform that function.

See Also

• Seahorse
• Reproductive biology
• Transgender pregnancy
• Uterine transplant

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