Hesperian Health Guides
Chapter 14: Infertility (When You Are Not Able to Have a Baby)
HealthWiki > Where Women Have No Doctor > Chapter 14: Infertility (When You Are Not Able to Have a Baby)
How to use this chapter:
This chapter is about people who have difficulty having children. Before reading it you may first want to read Chapter 4, âOur Reproductive Bodiesâ, which talks about how someone becomes pregnant.
This chapter talks about infertility and miscarriage, and shares stories of people who have experienced infertility. You may find these descriptions upsetting or difficult to read. Please read with care and refer to the resources on infertility for more information and support.Infertility can affect anyone, but it is a problem that few people talk about.
More Information
gender rolesMost people assume they will be able to have children if and when they want to. But many people cannot easily have children. This can cause sadness, worry, anger, and disappointment. Talk of infertility often focuses on heterosexual couples who are trying to get pregnant and cannot. But single people and same gender couples who want to have children can also have infertility problems.
Often, the woman is blamed when a heterosexual couple cannot have children. A man may not believe it is his problem, or that it may be a shared problem. He may react with anger and refuse to get a physical examination. This may be because infertility causes shame in communities where someoneâs âmanhoodâ depends on his ability to produce children.
Infertility has many causes. Some of them can be treated and some cannot. This chapter will help you understand infertility and what you can do about it.