Transgender Man’s Unusual Path to Parenthood

During his transition, Ash Patrick Schade, 28, from Huntington, West Virginia, became pregnant after a one-night stand with a man he met on Grindr.

At the time of his surprise pregnancy in February 2020, Ash had been taking testosterone and estrogen blockers for two years.

“It never occurred to me that I could get pregnant while on testosterone and estrogen blockers, as it’s such a rare occurrence,” Ash explained.

Upon discovering his pregnancy, Ash, a mental health worker and PhD student, temporarily stopped hormone treatment to allow for the pregnancy.

Meeting his current husband Jordan a month later, Ash welcomed their daughter, Ronan, in October 2020.

The couple is now raising one-year-old Ronan together, and Ash, who underwent top surgery after the birth, has decided to postpone full gender reassignment surgery so they can have more children.

Prior to meeting Jordan, Ash had gone through a difficult period in 2019 and 2020, which resulted in a divorce and a struggle with mental health.

Reflecting on his childhood, Ash mentioned facing gender dysphoria and being subjected to conversion therapy by his parents.

“I had a really horrible childhood and am a suicide attempt survivor from the gender dysphoria and trauma I went through,” Ash shared.

Throughout his pregnancy journey, Ash found support in his friends, the online gay and trans community, and the Satanic Temple, of which he is a member.

“Bringing life into the world as a ‘seahorse parent’ was incredible,” Ash remarked, looking forward to sharing the story with Ronan as she grows up.

“I want to be honest and open with Ronan the whole way, and explain to her that sometimes trans men can have babies,” he continued.

“So it’s usually quite an interesting conversation to begin when I explain it all to them.”