New UK Charity Launches to Tackle Fertility Blind Spot in Public Health

Nov. 04, 2025

A new UK charity, Fertility Futures Project, launched today to improve public understanding of fertility, infertility and reproductive health. In its inaugural Fertility Futures Pulse Report, the charity reveals that although 1 in 7 UK couples (approximately 3.5 million people) face fertility challenges, the nation trails behind in awareness, education, and open dialogue. A striking 67% of the population rarely or never discuss fertility and reproductive health, more than double the proportion who avoid topics like mental health. Just 44% feel comfortable talking about fertility, making it the least comfortable subject compared to menopause, mental health, and grief.

Based on the research findings, Fertility Futures Project seeks to take fertility and infertility from a taboo conversation to a shared health issue. To become a normalised part of everyday life and society, encouraging open conversation across genders, and to deliver early, accessible fertility education, particularly for young adults.

The charity’s research shows that while 1 in 7 couples experience infertility in the UK, just 8% of the UK population feel they’ve received substantial education on fertility and reproductive health, with many people delaying learning about fertility until they’re actively trying to conceive.

Fuelling this knowledge gap, the research also revealed that there is a huge cultural stigma surrounding fertility and infertility, with 26% of people feeling quite to very uncomfortable discussing fertility. Worsening this stigma is the underrepresentation of fertility, infertility and reproductive health in the media, with just 10% of those surveyed saying they recall seeing a lot of coverage featuring these topics on TV, news and across social media. On the rare occasions it is discussed, only around half the UK population feels confident in the accuracy of this information, showing a current feeling of mistrust and uncertainty about the limited information available.

The charity's founder, Louise Johnson, was inspired to set up the Fertility Futures Project following her own seven-year fertility journey, which, like many, she navigated in silence. Louise, whose endometriosis and diminished ovarian reserve caused fertility complications, questioned why school education focused only on avoiding pregnancy, without teaching how fertility changes over time or how to plan responsibly for the future. 

Louise Johnson, Fertility Futures Project founder, said: 

"For too long, fertility has felt like a taboo conversation. A hidden part of your life that is only explored when you’re looking to start planning for a family, and for too many UK families, this is simply too late. Fertility Futures Project is built on the belief that fertility is not one person’s responsibility; it’s a shared conversation that society should be having openly. We’re passionate about creating a society where fertility health is seen as a basic right, not a luxury. That means starting education early, increasing understanding around modern family planning, pushing for scientific research, and replacing silence with proactive dialogue."

 

The research found that a further issue compounding the problem is the gendered experience of infertility. Male infertility accounts for over a third of cases, but fertility is often framed as a “women’s issue”, leaving men undereducated, under-discussed and underrepresented in the discourse.

Johnson added: 

"To truly normalise the conversation around fertility, we have to talk about both men and women. Infertility affects everyone, yet men are too often left out of the dialogue. We want to ensure every voice is heard and fertility is recognised as a shared health issue, not a gendered one."

 

Dr. Kathiuska Kriedt, MBBS DRCOG PGCert, Fertility Futures Project trustee and medical advisor, said: 

"Fertility education in the UK is almost non-existent. At school, we're taught how not to get pregnant, but not how our fertility changes over time or how to plan responsibly for our reproductive futures. This leaves millions of people—across all genders—unprepared and underinformed. Fertility Futures Project exists to change that, ensuring everyone has access to trusted, evidence-based information before they need it, not when it's too late.”

 

Following the launch of the charity, Fertility Futures Project is inviting individuals, partners, media, corporates and brands to join the collective to help break the silence around fertility.