Male fertility is finally entering the conversation, but we're still asking the wrong questions.

Written By Sophie Sulehria, Women's Health Journalist & Content Director, The Fertility Show

When I was interviewed for the BBC News's recent article on male infertility, I was asked about something we've been seeing at The Fertility Show.

For years, conversations around fertility have overwhelmingly centred on women. And understandably so in many ways. Women undergo the majority of investigations, the hormone injections, egg collections, embryo transfers and, all too often, carry the emotional labour of treatment too.

But there is another truth that has sat quietly alongside it, and that is that Male fertility has been hiding in plain sight.

The BBC article explores how men are still too often overlooked throughout fertility care, despite male factor infertility contributing to around half of all infertility cases. Reading it, I found myself nodding along with so much of what the men interviewed described. Feeling like an afterthought. Appointments being addressed to their partners. Their concerns not being explored until months, sometimes years, into treatment.

It's a story I hear time and again in the work that I do.

At this year's Fertility Show, we made a conscious decision that male fertility would no longer sit on the sidelines. It wasn't an add-on or a token seminar squeezed into the programme. It was woven throughout the event.

As I said in the BBC article:

"Male fertility is not a niche topic. It's a fundamental part of reproductive health. And it deserves the same visibility, the same investment and the same compassion."

These words reflected a deliberate decision.

Visitors to The Fertility Show found specialist sperm testing providers alongside fertility clinics, discussions dedicated to male fertility, leading andrologists sharing the latest evidence, and men speaking openly about experiences that have too often remained hidden. And the response was overwhelming. Not because it was revolutionary, but because it finally felt normal. And that, to me, is progress.

One thing the BBC article highlights particularly well is that this isn't about taking attention away from women, and it never has been. Supporting men better ultimately supports women too. As when male fertility is investigated earlier, unnecessary delays can sometimes be avoided. Couples may receive the right treatment sooner. Women may be spared invasive investigations that were never needed. Decisions become shared, rather than one partner carrying the responsibility while the other waits on the sidelines.

It's better medicine, and it's better care.

But there is another shift happening that I think is equally important. You  see for decades we've taught young people how to avoid pregnancy, yet very few of us were ever taught how fertility actually works. Many people still assume that becoming pregnant will happen the moment they decide they're ready. Few understand how age affects fertility, and even fewer understand what influences sperm health.

That education gap affects everyone.

Which is why I was particularly encouraged to see the BBC article highlighting new school resources that place male fertility alongside female fertility, rather than treating it as an afterthought. Prevention, awareness and understanding have to begin long before someone walks into a fertility clinic. Because by then, the emotional stakes are already incredibly high.

Of course, awareness alone isn't enough. Healthcare systems also need to evolve. The stories in the article reveal something many patients will recognise: men often don't know where they fit within fertility services. Some feel excluded. Others withdraw because they assume there isn't a role for them. It's a cycle that reinforces itself.

The more invisible men become in fertility care, the easier it is to assume they don't want to engage, but the reality is often the opposite. Many desperately want to help, they simply don't know how, and alongside improvements within healthcare, we also need a broader cultural shift. We need to separate fertility from outdated ideas about masculinity. We need men to feel able to ask questions, attend appointments, seek support and talk honestly about what they're experiencing without embarrassment or shame - because infertility is not a reflection of someone's worth. It isn't a measure of masculinity.

It's a health condition.

One of the most powerful parts of the BBC article was hearing from men who have started speaking publicly about their experiences, creating support networks and encouraging others to do the same. Visibility matters, and every conversation chips away at stigma and can make someone else feel a little less alone.

If this BBC article achieves one thing, I hope it's that more people begin to see male fertility not as a specialist topic or an awkward conversation, but as an ordinary part of reproductive health.

And if the conversations I witnessed at this year's Fertility Show are anything to go by, that change has already begun.