There’s a Type of Infertility That Has Nothing to Do With Your Health, Experts Say
· Vice
When you think of infertility, you likely consider medical-related issues that prevent individuals or couples from having children. Infertility is a disease that affects the reproductive system and can make pregnancy challenging or even impossible without the proper medical intervention.
But what about those who want and can physically have children, yet are hindered by their social circumstances? Also known as social infertility, this complex experience is common for many individuals, especially those who don’t have a partner or couples in the LGBTQ+ community.
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What Is Social Infertility?
According to Janene Oleaga, a fertility attorney and reproductive rights advocate specializing in surrogacy, egg donation, sperm donation, embryo donation, and adoption, “Social infertility is most easily defined as an individual or couple that requires the assistance of another party to have a child for reasons aside from a medical diagnosis of infertility.”
“For example, a same-sex male couple may require an egg donor and a gestational surrogate in order to have a child regardless of whether they are diagnosed as medically infertile as individuals,” she shares.
Social infertility describes an entirely different struggle than medical infertility, which is an actual disease of the male or female reproductive system. However, it’s still a common challenge many individuals and couples face today.
“As a fertility attorney and reproductive rights advocate, [I feel] the term social infertility highlights the fact that becoming a parent through assisted reproduction is not solely a medical issue,” says Oleaga. “It is also a question of access to care, equity under the law, and the legal and social structures that determine who can build a family.”
Who Does Social Infertility Impact?
Social infertility can impact many individuals across various demographics, from same-sex couples with limited access to resources to individuals who cannot afford medical support.
“[Social infertility] is not limited to only one sexual orientation, gender identity, or relationship status,” Oleaga says. “I would include single individuals hoping to have a child as socially infertile, along with heterosexual couples in which one or both partners have reproductive limitations that would make donor gametes or a gestational surrogate advisable or necessary, whether or not they have a diagnosis of medical infertility.”
Beyond medical conditions and reproductive disease, various barriers can impact someone’s ability to have a child. According to Oleaga, some of those include sexual orientation, family structure, financial barriers to family building, discrimination and stigma, geographic barriers, and restrictive laws and policies.
“Ideally, everyone would have access to effective fertility treatments, either through insurance or affordable care options,” adds Dr. Wildaliz Caro, PhD, Medical Contributor at Aura Recovery Center. “However, access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, including fertility care and family-planning support, can be limited for some people. And, stigma can affect how people feel about themselves and how others treat them.”
How to Address Social Infertility
Social infertility is not the same as medical infertility, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be addressed. Oleaga advocates for better access to fertility care, insurance coverage, and laws and policies that protect this family planning goal.
“Access to fertility care should not depend on whether someone is in a heterosexual relationship or can demonstrate a particular medical diagnosis,” says Oleaga. “There’s so much work to do in this space.”
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