One of the modern social norms that we all voluntarily practice in our 20s or 30s, compared to a century ago, is the postponement of childbearing.
This is usually because we delay marriage, pursue educational or career goals, or wish to first secure some economic stability.
Because of this, the common thing we are often taught or seek out to be aware of is knowing how to protect against pregnancy during our pursuit of these other goals.
But during this phase, rarely do we ponder on the state of our fertility or reproductive health. And maybe that’s normal.
However, should that be the case 🤔?
The awareness of the state of our fertility is often a big missing piece in our conversations.
We rarely talk or think about the limitations of our fertility, how it can be enhanced, or whether we even need it to be enhanced in the first instance.
Fertility, although an issue for both men and women, also seems to have its attention centred on only one of those parties.
It’s quite interesting that the average man naturally expects to be "ready to go" to have children despite research showing men contribute 50% of infertility issues, but women still have to contend with the higher stigma surrounding (in)fertility and physical ordeals of fertility treatments.
This is why we think Improving one's knowledge about fertility should be part of a normal conversation in our social circles, the same way we talk about our career, finances, travel and everything else.
Knowing about the state of our fertility is a general healthy practice and prepares us better for a future we might be looking forward to.
Maybe today is also a good day to pause and reflect on what your currently held views are about the stigma around early fertility, the rising infertility rates in the world, the social pressure of pregnancy expectations, abortions and everything in between.