The Most Common Infertility Misconceptions

Infertility is a reproductive disease. It’s a medical condition that impacts millions worldwide. And yet, infertility is often suffered in silence and frequently misunderstood. While it’s made traction in recent years, there’s still not enough awareness of infertility and there are many misconceptions.

Here’s some common infertility misconceptions. And how to debunk them.

1. Infertility Only Happens as You Age

There are several causes of infertility. Whether it’s endometriosis, male infertility, the endometrium lining, PCOS…. the list goes on and on. And while your egg reserve does start to diminish as you age, women of all ages experience infertility.

We started trying to conceive in our early thirties. The Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) blood test – the level of AMH in your blood helps predict approximately how many eggs you have left – showed I had a healthy egg reserve. But I have a thin endometrium lining. A thin endometrium lining isn’t due to your age; it’s often genetic and difficult to treat. Our son was born through gestational surrogacy after years of failed IVF cycles and pregnancy losses, due to my thin endometrium lining.

2. Infertility Is Mainly a Female Issue

Many people assume infertility is only a female issue. It isn’t. In fact, 40% of infertility is attributed to male infertility. Fifty per-cent is female and the remaining 10% is a mix of male and female. Sadly, there’s still a stigma with male infertility. It’s not uncommon for men to feel ashamed or emasculated. Despite being almost half of infertility cases, not enough men talk about it which explains why so many people still assume infertility is a female issue.

3. Stress Causes Infertility

Anyone going through infertility has heard the phrase “You just need to relax.” Along with, “You just need a holiday” or “It will happen when you stop thinking about it.” Comments like these are hurtful and ridiculous. If only falling pregnant was as simple as relaxing or taking a holiday. A lot more awareness is needed to debunk this myth. Infertility is a medical condition. Relaxing is NOT a medical cure.

4. Women Can’t Get Pregnant After 35

While it’s true that fertility does start to decrease with age, there isn’t a ‘fertility cliff’ that women suddenly fall off at 35. Yes, there is a steeper decline at 38, and again at 40, but there’s no sharp and sudden fall. There are also many options available today to have a family such as surrogacy, egg donation and sperm donation.

5. Being Fit and Healthy Guarantees Conception

Many people fall pregnant easily, regardless of their health. I’ve known some of the healthiest and fittest people who have struggled to conceive. Many of us do try to be in our best physical and mental shape however to help build our resilience and cope better.   

6. Having One Child Means No Fertility Issues Later

For approximately 1 in every 10 women, this sadly isn’t true. Known as secondary infertility, it’s when you can’t get pregnant, or carry a baby to term, after you’ve been pregnant before and had a baby without any issues.  

7. IVF Guarantees a Baby

I remember when we first considered fertility treatment, a friend of mine said, “Just do IVF if you want to have a baby.” Problem solved! I went into my first round of IVF expecting to be a pregnant a month later. But for us, it took six years, and gestational surrogacy, to have our son. I later learned that for most people, IVF rarely works on the first try so it’s helpful to set your expectations before you begin fertility treatment.

Understanding and debunking infertility misconceptions is key to breaking the stigma. By staying fully informed and truly understanding the process, individuals and couples can make empowered choices and create an easier path to parenthood with the right support and options available.

*As featured in IVF babble.