In this powerful episode we were joined by consultant perinatal psychologist Julianne Boutaleb to dive deep into male fertility trauma, birth trauma, and the overlooked mental health struggles of fathers.With over 25 years of experience in perinatal psychology, Julianne unpacks why men are so often expected to be "the rock," how medical settings inadvertently sideline partners, and what happens when trauma goes unaddressed.
We explore:
The Invisible Father: Why healthcare settings, fertility clinics, and support networks routinely treat men as an afterthought, leaving them isolated during scans, diagnoses, and loss.
Upstream Preconception Trauma: The psychological toll of male-factor diagnoses (like azoospermia), the clinical sterility of sample collection rooms, and how "baby-making sex" erodes intimacy.
The Paternal Brain: Fascinating neuroscience showing how a father's brain changes during pregnancy and early parenting, and how proximity to a baby can trigger preverbal, unresolved childhood trauma.
The Three-Year Crisis: Why relationship satisfaction often plummets years down the line when unaddressed trauma resurfaces during second-child planning.
Systemic Gaps: The lack of trauma-informed care and standard mental health resources for men in fertility medicine compared to other branches of healthcare.
To find out more about Julianne's work visit:
https://www.parenthoodinmind.co.uk/
