HealthTALK

Breaking Silence, Breaking Stigma. Navigating Fertility and Systemic Bias

Infertility has long been whispered about, regarded as a private struggle rather than a public health truth. But the numbers tell another story: about 17.5% of adults worldwide, roughly one in six, will experience infertility at some point in their lives.

What does that mean for someone like you. Career-focused, approaching or in your 40s, balancing high expectations? It means that your journey is neither rare nor alone. It means the ambiguity, the waiting, the fear of judgment are shared with millions globally. It means infertility is not a failing, it’s a reality many face.

The Faces Behind the Statistic

• Male infertility contributes in a significant portion of cases. Sometimes purely, sometimes in combination with female factors.

Infertility Has Many Faces And None Define Your Worth

Infertility is a deeply personal yet globally significant health issue. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it affects approximately 1 in 6 people of reproductive age worldwide. Clinically, infertility is defined as the inability to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. For women over 35, the timeframe for assessment is often shortened to six months due to age-related fertility changes.

While infertility is often discussed in terms of biology, research in psychoneuroendocrinology (the scientific study of how the mind (psyche), nervous system (neuro) and endocrine system (hormones) interact and influence each other) shows that it is also an emotional and psychological journey. The stress of infertility can influence the body’s hormonal systems particularly the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis (the body’s hormone-regulating system that controls reproductive function by coordinating signals between the brain (hypothalamus and pituitary gland) and the…