Does the fact that Michelle Obama stated she had used in vitro fertilization, or IVF, to get pregnant prove she is a trans woman? No, that's not true: For IVF to work, the person needs to have a uterus. Lead Stories did not find anything from reputable media outlets or other sources to show that Obama is anything other than what she identifies as -- female at birth. Trans women typically do not have uteri, but trans men typically do. Lead Stories could not find any evidence that there is a way for trans women to use IVF.
The claim appeared in a post on Instagram (archived here) on October 29, 2024. The post's caption read, "Wait a min.... #fyp #reels." The on-screen text read:
Ummm
What did she just say???
Are the rumors true bout Michelle being a man?! What yall think about this?!
This is what the Instagram post looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Tue Dec 3 16:09:56 2024 UTC)
The video in the Instagram post showed a clip of former first lady Obama speaking at the 2024 Democratic National Convention (archived here). In the clip, she briefly mentions that IVF helped her get pregnant. The next image to appear on the screen is an artificial intelligence (AI) response from Google, saying, "Yes, transgender people can undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF)."
The post implies that because Obama has used IVF that proves she is a trans woman.
It's necessary for IVF that at least one person has a uterus. The Mayo Clinic states that during IVF, mature eggs are collected and fertilized by sperm. Once fertilized, the eggs are placed inside a uterus where they will develop. When the AI response mentioned trans individuals being able to undergo IVF, it was more than likely referring to trans men. Trans men, assigned female at birth, have the uterus necessary for IVF to work. Trans women, who were assigned male at birth, do not.
Lead Stories searched "Can trans women get pregnant?" on Google and did not find any significant results (archived here). While Scientific American published a 2016 article about how it could be possible, "surgeons and endocrinologists remain wary" (archived here). At the time of writing, there is no universally accepted way for trans women to get pregnant, regardless of fertilization techniques.
A Google News search using key phrases like "Michelle Obama is a trans woman" yielded no relevant reports (archived here).
We have contacted Michelle Obama and will update this article when a relevant response is received.
More Lead Stories fact checks of claims surrounding Michelle Obama and the assertion that she is transgender are here.
