Male pregnancy refers to the incubation of one or more embryos or fetuses by the male of any species. Almost all pregnancies in the animal kingdom are carried by female organisms. In all heterogamous species, the males produce the spermatozoa and rarely, if ever, host the zygote.[1]
The Syngnathidae family of fish has the unique characteristic where females lay their eggs in a brood pouch on the male's chest, and the male incubates the eggs. Fertilization may take place in the pouch or before implantation in the water. Included in Syngnathidae are seahorses, the pipefish, and the weedy and leafy sea dragons. Syngnathidae is the only family in the animal kingdom to which the term "male pregnancy" has been applied.[2]
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In humans
Pregnancy among intersex and transgender people
Some intersex people with XY chromosomes develop entirely female bodies and, if the individual has a uterus, can gestate an embryo conceived in the lab.[3] The typical karyotype for a male is XY, so in this case the pregnant person has a Y chromosome.
Some transmen (female-to-male transgender people) who interrupt hormone treatments can become pregnant, while still identifying and living as male. This is possible for individuals who still have functioning ovaries.[4] For example, Matt Rice bore a child in 1999 by artificial insemination during his relationship with writer Patrick Califia.[5] Thomas Beatie, who chose to become pregnant because his wife was infertile, wrote an article about his pregnancy in The Advocate.[6] The Washington Post further broadened the story on March 25 when blogger Emil Steiner called Beatie's pregnancy the first legally male pregnancy on record,[7] in reference to the state of Oregon recognizing Beatie as a man.[8][6] He gave birth to a girl on June 29, 2008.[9][10]
Although these individuals have XX chromosomes, from the standpoint of gender identity they are pregnant men.[8][6]
The science of a human male abdominal ectopic pregnancy
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Since most men lack a womb, alternative measures would have to be made for an abdominal ectopic pregnancy.[citation needed] Oral doses of female hormones would be administered to the man to make him receptive to the pregnancy. In vitro fertilization techniques would be used to induce an ectopic pregnancy by implanting an embryo and placenta into the abdominal cavity, just under or into the peritoneum.[citation needed] In women, such pregnancies have 5% viability rate. Once implantation was complete, the man would stop taking hormones, because the pregnancy itself would take over.[citation needed] The embryo would secrete sufficient hormones to maintain its own growth and development[citation needed]
The delivery would require open surgery (Cesarean section) to remove the baby and the placenta. The latter would be the real danger because it forms such intimate connections with surrounding blood vessels that a massive hemorrhage would be likely. Implantation might also involve other structures in the abdomen, including the bowel, and it is possible that parts of other organs might have to be removed. Several physicians who were well-accustomed to advanced and dangerous forms of ectopic pregnancies would have be on-hand to handle any complications[citation needed]
The real problem with a male pregnancy of this type is not its plausibility, but if the man could survive it. In women, ectopic pregnancies are generally removed as soon as possible. The fetus would also be in danger of complications because it would be deprived of the protection of a uterus.[citation needed]
An alternative to simple induction of an ectopic pregnancy is the use of a womb transplant from a donor, or an artificial one.[citation needed] The first uterine transplant was performed in Saudi Arabia in 2000, from one woman to another. This advance drew speculation about the possibility of a male receiving a womb transplant, and bearing a child from the transplanted womb.[11] Womb transplants to males have been successfully performed in animals.[citation needed][12]
Fetus in fetu
An extremely rare condition in which a fetus can grow inside a male (or female) body is called "fetus in fetu". This is a developmental abnormality in which a fertilised egg splits as if to form identical twins, but one half gets enveloped by the other, and an entire living organ system with torso and limbs can develop inside the host.[13] The abnormality occurs in 1 in 500,000 live births.[14]
The case of Sanju Bhagat, a man from Nagpur, India, attracted attention in 1999 for the length of time (36 years) he had carried his parasitic twin inside his body, and the size of the growth. Since Bhagat had no placenta, the growth had connected directly to his blood supply. [15]
In fiction
Mythology
Various mythologies feature male characters giving birth, but such events typically take place in an entirely different fashion than an ordinary female pregnancy, such as Athena springing fully-formed from Zeus's forehead, or Dionysus being born from his thigh. In Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu gives birth to Lord Brahma thus: a lotus emerges from his navel, like an external placenta and womb, carrying Brahma within. Male mythological figures may become pregnant when rendered female in some way, such as the shapeshifter Loki turning into a mare to distract a stallion and ending up giving birth to Sleipnir.
In popular culture
- See also: Pregnancy in science fiction
Thematically, pregnancy can be related to the issues of parasitism and gender. Some science fiction writers have picked up on these issues, in "cross-gender" themes — e.g., Octavia E. Butler's Bloodchild. Ursula K. Le Guin's award-winning The Left Hand of Darkness, which contains the sentence "The king was pregnant", explores a society in which pregnancy can be experienced by anyone, since gender is variable within each person's lifetime. Lois McMaster Bujold's Ethan of Athos features an all-male society in which men use artificial wombs, but experience many of the psychological effects of pregnancy (anticipation, anxiety, etc.). In Marge Piercy's feminist utopian novel Woman on the Edge of Time, neither men nor women get pregnant, leaving that to artificial wombs, but both sexes may lactate and nurse the infant; the specifically female experiences of pregnancy and nursing were opened to men in the cause of gender equality.[16] Sheri S. Tepper uses male pregnancy as a form of political commentary in The Fresco, when intergalactic peace officers take politicians at their word that all life is sacred.
Male pregnancy has featured on television. In season 4 of the popular machinima series Red vs. Blue, a Covenant Elite impregnated Tucker with a parasitic embryo. At the end of the season Tucker gave birth to a miniature alien off-screen; it was named Blargity-Blarg Tucker, and is also called Junior or Abomination.
Two comedy films centered around male pregnancy: Rabbit Test (1978) and Junior (1994). The latter's attempts are somewhat scientifically feasible; the former does not address the matter.
In The Fairly OddParents television movie Fairly OddBaby, it is revealed that it's the male fairies who carry the children. Babies are taken out by magic.
In the Sims 2, both sexes can have babies while in the adult stage. Males can be taken by aliens and come back expecting an alien baby. Luckily for the male sims, once they give birth, the alien sim can be raised like a normal sim.
Virgil Wong, a performance artist, created a hoax site claiming to detail his pregnancy[17] featuring a fictitious male pregnancy.[18][19]
References
- ^ "Male pregnancy". ScienceDirect (2003-10-14).
- ^ Jones, Adam G.; Avise, John C. (2003-10-14). "Male Pregnancy" (HTML). Current Biology 13 (20): R791. doi:.
- ^ Khadilkar, Vaman. "Intersex Disorders", Pediatrician On Call web site, "It is possible for XY individuals with a uterus to become pregnant through In Vitro Fertilization.", last accessed 2008-01-02
- ^ FTM Transgender. - FAMILY/Hormone guide for FTM, "Question 2" (geocities) last accessed 2008-07-02
- ^ Califia-Rice, Patrick (2000-06-20). "Two Dads With a Difference — Neither of Us Was Born Male". Village Voice. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ a b c Thomas Beattie, "Labor of Love: Is society ready for this pregnant husband?", The Advocate, April 8, 2008, p. 24.
- ^ Thomas Beatie: The First Man to Give Birth? washingtonpost.com OFF/beat blog March 25, 2008
- ^ a b [http:www.laboroflove.tv Labor of Love website].
- ^ The Pregnant Man Gives Birth people.com, Originally posted Thursday July 03, 2008 02:55 PM EDT
- ^ 'Pregnant man' gives birth to baby girl at guardian.co.uk.
- ^ Meryl Rothstein. www.popsci.com "Robert Winston, a pioneer of in-vitro fertilization, created a stir in 1999 when he told London’s Sunday Times that “male pregnancy would certainly be possible.”" Dr Robert Winston, a pioneer of in-vitro fertilization, bioethicist Glenn McGee
- ^ "Babies borne by men 'possible'". The Independent (1999-02-22).
- ^ Chua, JHY; Chui CH, Sai Prasad TR et al. (2005). "Fetus-in-fetu in the pelvis". Annals of the Academy of Medicine Singapore 34: 646–649.
- ^ Grant P, Pearn JH Foetus-in-foetu. Med J Aust. 1969; 1:1016-1020 — source not consulted; cited here following Hoeffel CC, Nguyen KQ, Phan HT, Truong NH, Nguyen TS, Tran TT, Fornes P. Fetus in fetu: a case report and literature review. Pediatrics. 2000 Jun;105(6):1335-44. PubMed free full text
- ^ "ABC News: A Pregnant Man?". i.abcnews.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
- ^ Piercy, Marge (1985-11-12). Woman on the Edge of Time. Fawcett. ISBN 0-449-21082-0.
- ^ "Virgil Wong website". Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
- ^ Hoax website: "POP! The First Human Male Pregnancy". Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
- ^ Lee Mingwei. Mingwei "Male Pregnancy Project, Centre d’Art Santa Monica, Barcelona, Spain"
Dewedar, Rasha (2008-7-19) How Tracy Became the “Pregnant man” IslamOnline.net, http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1216207853005&pagename=Zone-English-HealthScience%2FHSELayout
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Author: ImAManOfMyWord
Keywords: Batman Superman
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Author: simonwillows
Keywords: Tom Beattie Simon Willows Best man Video Wedding Puke Fancy Dress Ever Pranks Drunk Speech Actually Really Funny
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http://www.CentralMovieNetwork.com/tmd.htm The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 film loosely adapted from the 1922 short story of the same name written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film is directed by David Fincher, and stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The film will be released December 25, 2008. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Premise In the early 20th century, 80 year old Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), is born aging backwards (he was an old man as a baby and vice versa), causing complications when he falls in love with a 30 year old woman (Cate Blanchett). Director David Fincher said "It's dark, it's romantic, and it also deals with mortality in a pretty unflattering way. Button is born in 1919 - with the film itself beginning in World War I, traveling around the world and carrying on all the way through to the year 2000." The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Cast Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button Cate Blanchett as Daisy Tilda Swinton as Elizabeth Abbott Taraji P. Henson as Queenie Madisen Beaty as Daisy - Age 10 Jason Flemyng as Thomas Button Elias Koteas as Monsieur Gateau Julia Ormond as Caroline Ed Metzger as President Theodore Roosevelt Elle Fanning as Daisy - Age 6 Spencer Daniels as Benjamin Button - Age 12 Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Brad Pitt's daughter, will make a small cameo in the film as well. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Production As early as summer 1994, Maryland Film Office chief Jack Gerbes was approached with the possibility of a film adaptation of the 1922 short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which takes place in Baltimore. In October 1998, screenwriter Robin Swicord wrote for director Ron Howard an adapted screenplay of the short story, a project which would potentially star actor John Travolta. In May 2000, Paramount Pictures hired screenwriter Jim Taylor to adapt a screenplay from the short story. The studio also attached director Spike Jonze to helm the project. Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman had also written a draft of the adapted screenplay at one point. In June 2003, director Gary Ross entered final negotiations to helm the project based on a new draft penned by screenwriter Eric Roth. In May 2004, Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures joined to co-finance the project, with Paramount Pictures marketing the film in foreign territories and Warner Bros. handling domestic distribution (those were eventually switched). In the same month, director David Fincher entered negotiations to replace Ross in directing the film. In May 2005, actors Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett entered negotiations to star in the film as Benjamin Button and Daisy, respectively. In July 2005, Fincher negotiated a deal with the studios to direct Benjamin Button and Zodiac back-to-back, with Zodiac being produced first. For Benjamin Button, New Orleans, Louisiana and the surrounding area was chosen as the filming location for the story to take advantage of the state's production incentives, and shooting was slated to begin in October 2006. In September 2006, actors Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, and Taraji P. Henson entered negotiations to be cast into the film. The following October, with production yet to begin, actress Julia Ormond was cast as Daisy's daughter, to whom Blanchett's character tells the story of her love affair with Benjamin Button. Filming of Benjamin Button began on November 6, 2006 in New Orleans. The following December, actor Ed Metzger was cast to portray President Theodore Roosevelt. In January 2007, Blanchett joined the shoot. Fincher praised the ease of accessibility to rural and urban sets in New Orleans and said that the recovery from Hurricane Katrina did not serve as an atypical hindrance to production. In March 2007, filming moved to Los Angeles for two more months of filming. Principal photography was targeted to last a total of 150 days, excluding the time it would take to create the visual effects for the metamorphosis of Brad Pitt's character to the infant stage. The director used a camera system called Contour, developed by Steve Perlman, to capture facial deformation data from live actors's performances. This data then was filtered into a new physically accurate character rigging system created just for the film, called "AnEmotion", which assisted with the recreation of believable synthetic actors to illustrate the reverse aging of Brad Pitt's character, Benjamin Button. Overall production was finished in September 2007. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curious_Case_of_Benjamin_Button_(film)
Author: TheMoviePreviews
Keywords: official the curious case of benjamin button buton movie trailer theatrical film preview cinema teaser El curioso caso de english david fincher Brad Pitt Kate Blanchett entertainment news Cate Tilda Swinton
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Author: openMindzproductions
Keywords: Pregnant-men Hip-Hop Gucci-Mane Nore Shawty-Lo Oprah Thomas-Beatie rappers
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