Author: Salome Ahene Mate (Counselling Psychologist)
Every May, Purple Month reminds us to turn mental health awareness into action. This year’s theme, “Mental Wellbeing for All: Turning Awareness into Action,” is especially meaningful when we talk about infertility.
Infertility is often seen only as a medical condition, but it can also deeply affect a person’s mental and emotional wellbeing. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines infertility as the failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse and estimates that about 1 in 6 adults globally experience infertility in their lifetime.
For many people, infertility comes with anxiety, sadness, guilt, shame, loneliness, low self-esteem, and grief. Each negative pregnancy test, medical appointment, or question from family and friends can reopen emotional wounds.
In many societies, people experiencing infertility, especially women, may also face blame, stigma, or pressure, which can make the experience even more painful.
Infertility can also affect relationships. Couples may struggle with communication, intimacy, finances, or feelings of disappointment. Men may experience shame and emotional distress, but their pain is often overlooked because infertility is wrongly treated as only a woman’s issue. Despite the high prevalence of psychological issues in this population, most patients undergoing fertility treatment are not provided with information on or referrals for mental health treatment.
Fertility care should go beyond medical tests and treatments, to include emotional and psychological support. Fertility care should acknowledge the vital role of qualified mental health professionals in reproductive medicine. Counsellors, psychologists, therapists, and psychiatrists can help individuals and couples cope with stress, grief, anxiety, depression, and the uncertainty that often comes with infertility.
Turning awareness into action means changing how we speak and respond. Instead of asking, “When are you having children?” we can choose kindness and sensitivity. Families, faith communities, workplaces, and health professionals must create safe spaces where people experiencing infertility feel supported rather than judged.
This Purple Month, let us remember that mental wellbeing must include everyone, including those silently carrying the emotional weight of infertility. Awareness is important, but action is what brings healing.
To anyone facing infertility: your pain is real, and your worth is not defined by your ability to conceive. Seeking help is not weakness. Protecting your peace is not selfish. You deserve care for both your body and your mind.
Seek Professional Help!
If you need help, do not hesitate to reach out to Dialogue Genitalia Ghana for professional assistance.
Sources:
Bagade, T., Mersha, A. G., & Majeed, T. (2023). The social determinants of mental health disorders among women with infertility: a systematic review. BMC Women’s Health, 23(1), 668. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02828-9
Braverman, A. M., Davoudian, T., Levin, I. K., Bocage, A., & Wodoslawsky, S. (2024). Depression, anxiety, quality of life, and infertility: a global lens on the last decade of research. Fertility and Sterility, 121(3), 379-383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2024.01.013
Committee, P. (2021). Guidance on qualifications for fertility counselors: a committee opinion. Fertility and Sterility, 115(6), 1411-1415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.02.016
Pasch, L. A., Holley, S. R., Bleil, M. E., Shehab, D., Katz, P. P., & Adler, N. E. (2016). Addressing the needs of fertility treatment patients and their partners: are they informed of and do they receive mental health services? Fertility and Sterility, 106(1), 209-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2016.03.006
World Health Organization. (2025) Infertility. WHO Fact Sheet.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infertility
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