British transgender couple make history as they welcome twins after years of heartache

A transgender couple from the UK have welcomed the arrival of their precious twins after years of failed pregnancies – making history at the same time

Adrienne and Michael Elson-Steven are the first transgender couple to have twins and were able to have treatment all thanks to an IVF legacy from a dear friend.

Michael, formerly known as Lindsey, and Adrienne, put their reassignment plans on hold to realise their dream of becoming parents.

The pair had experienced years of abuse as a transgender couple but the birth of girls, Christin and Mavis, made all the pain and agony worthwhile, they told the Mirror online.

Adrienne, a train shunter, said: “I never believed they’d be here – so when I look at these girls now, my tears fall. I have so much love for them and Michael.”

Michael said it was a tough nine months to carry the babies as a transgender man.

He said: “Being a male and carrying a pregnancy for nine months really tested me.

“But in my heart becoming a pregnancy was my priority, and using my body as a vessel to create these two little miracles was just a means to an end.”

The couple met at a trans support group, called the Butterfly Club in Belfast.

They got engaged in 2012 and had a church blessing in 2014.

The couple said they said discussed fully transitioning but not before they’d had a baby.

They had one round of IVF with the NHS but that failed and then their friend, Christopher died in 2017 leaving them a legacy to have the child they so wanted.

They had several more rounds of fertility treatment but without success, so the pair decided to go abroad, at a cost of £15,000.

This time they had two healthy embryos transferred but Michael was sure the procedure had failed and secretly did a pregnancy test.

He said he couldn’t believe his eyes when it came back positive.

He said: “We thought it must be wrong. I took another test and that was positive too. Adrienne cried. It was exhilarating.”

And imagine their surprise when they went for their 12-week scan and the sonographer traced two little heartbeats – twins

Michael suffered really bad morning sickness and had to be treated in hospital.

Adrienne said: “I took a change of clothes and toiletries for him and the reception team looked at me like I was mad. I roared with laughter.”

But Michael said the staff was fantastic and the couple was touched by their tenderness.

The twins were born via a caesarian section on November 4 and the couple’s life has been filled with 20 nappy changes a day and endless feeds.

But they wouldn’t change it for the world.

“We’ve had lots of challenging times. We’ve been abused as trans people but we can face anything together. Ours is just a story of love.”