Gay, Nonbinary Stanford Doctor to Study LGBTQ Fertility

Thanks to a new grant from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) to study infertility in LGBTQ families, Dr. Brent Monseur of Stanford University could soon uncover new findings and insights for the community.

“As a gay, nonbinary individual who has personally faced the repercussions of discrimination due to my sexual orientation and gender identity, my insider-status has helped me consider unique aspects of LGBTQ+ family building that are often excluded due to the historically hetero-cis-normative focus of reproductive medicine,” Dr. Monseur states regarding the fellowship.

Dr. Monseur trained as a reproductive biologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health while obtaining his Master of Science degree, studying the molecular mechanisms behind the membrane of egg cells. As a resident doctor at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, his dedication to research earned him several prestigious awards. He also published several peer-reviewed articles in the fields of genetics, assisted reproductive technology, and reproductive physiology.

In the past, fertility doctors have treated LGBTQ patients who want to have children as though they were infertile. But with infertility rates as low as 11% in women and 9% in men, there is no reason to assume these numbers are any different for LGBTQ individuals, meaning that over 90% of families in the LGBTQ community are potentially fertile and could have children if they desired.

The grant that Dr. Monseur just received will allow him to research into improving outcomes for families seeking treatment for infertility or other reproductive health issues. The ASRM has the stated goal of expanding research opportunities for underrepresented minorities in the reproductive medical profession. Through his research, Dr. Monseur hopes that in addition to helping families with infertility, he can also address misconceptions about LGBTQ families.

Much of the data that Dr. Monseur has generated through their research didn’t exist when they were first studying. Not only that, but the idea of studying fertility in LGBTQ individuals has simply not a priority for fertility professionals. For a very long time, queer people lived under the assumption that having children was just not a possibility for them. Now that they are engaged in this research, the question Dr. Monseur and his partner must consider is whether they are ready to have kids themselves.