He is advocating for male fertility as part of European Fertility Week
A Kilcullen resident and male fertility advocate has raised awareness about the subject as part of European Fertility Week (EFI).
Established in 2016 and held annually during the first full week of November, it's a campaign dedicated to raising awareness about fertility, infertility, and the far-reaching implications of involuntary childlessness.
Its mission is not only to inform the public but also to highlight the personal and societal challenges faced by individuals experiencing infertility and involuntary childlessness, while emphasising the importance of early and comprehensive education to empower people to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
Speaking on Kildare Today, Kilcullen man Gareth Lundy opened up about him and his wife's fertility journey.
He aims to break the stigma as an advocate, saying that he's "sick to death" of women taking the shame of burden of infertility, and that it is often men who experience the issues:
"I don't think it's fair that society keeps perpetuating this myth that women are the issues, when honestly half of the time it's men."
Gareth added that one in six couples have fertility issues.
He praised the Donor Conception Network, which has allowed him to have children through donor sperm, when all hope seemed lost:
"We now have children because we used donor sperm, which is a positive thing to say.
"We went through a lot, we're all raised with this idea that we can all naturally have children, and when that's compromised or potentially taken away from you, it's the most crushing thing.
"People think the cars they drive are important, they're irrelevant, they are just not important. When your fertility is potentially compromised, there are not the words to describe it," he concluded.
A number of charities support people with fertility, infertility and involuntary childlessness, such as the National Infertility and Support Information Group (NISIG), Klinefelter's Syndrome Association (KSA) and Donor Conception Network (DCN).
The full interview with Gareth Lundy can be heard below:
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