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This is massive. For the first time ever, the UK has launched a proper, dedicated Men’s Health Strategy. For too long, men's health challenges have been under-recognised, leading to unacceptable health inequalities, including a lower life expectancy and disproportionate struggles with major health conditions.
At testhim, we are genuinely thrilled. This isn't just a tick-box exercise; it's a 10-year plan designed to tackle the big stuff: why men die younger, why we’re struggling with mental health, and why we often avoid the doctor. We’re proud to have fed our ideas into this and will continue to ensure the male fertility voice remains at the table.
The strategy gets one thing spot-on immediately: it says that focusing on men's health isn't taking anything away from women’s health. It’s not a "zero-sum game." We all do better when everyone is healthier. Agreed!
The good stuff: Why this is a game-changer
The plan is built around six key areas, and these are the ones we’re cheering for:
• Easier access to healthcare: Let's face it, getting men into a GP surgery is often like pulling teeth. The strategy promises to bring services closer to where we live and work in the shape of Neighbourhood Health Centres and better digital access. This is huge. The easier it is, the sooner we go.
• Fixing societal norms: This is the big, deep stuff. They acknowledge that the old "man up" culture harms us. The plan is to challenge the deep-seated pressures that stop men from reaching out for help. This is vital for all health, including the sensitive topic of fertility.
• Prevention and lifestyle: They want to help men live healthier lives. Bingo! This gives us the perfect opening. If you want a guy to quit smoking or cut down on drinking, telling him it will boost his sperm health and help him become a father is often the most powerful motivation available and will help men engage in their health and fertility sooner.
The crucial link: Mental health and fertility
A central pillar of the new strategy is its focus on Mental health and suicide prevention, with suicide tragically being the biggest killer of men under 50. We wholeheartedly support the strategy's commitment to tackling this national emergency, including the £69 million research fund and targeted community programmes.
However, the strategy misses an opportunity to connect this mental health crisis with the specific, immense psychological burden carried by men dealing with male infertility.
• The emotional toll: For many men, an infertility diagnosis evokes intense feelings of shame, failure, guilt, and inadequacy, directly challenging deeply ingrained societal norms that link masculinity to virility. Men are often expected to be the "stoic" partner in the fertility journey, leaving them isolated with their emotional burden.
• Mental health fallout: Studies show that when couples embark on fertility treatment, men experience significant rates of anxiety and depression. Furthermore, the societal pressure on men to "man up" can lead to avoidance behaviours such as substance misuse, which tragically contribute to the very health challenges, including suicide risk, the strategy is trying to prevent.
• A clear pathway for support: The strategy promises to foster strong social, community and family networks and commits to ensuring men are referred directly to trusted charities and support organisations at the point of diagnosis for major conditions. We must now ensure that male infertility is treated as a condition warranting this level of mental and social support. Fertility clinics and GPs must be mandated to refer men to male-specific emotional and peer-to-peer support services, leveraging the strategy’s existing framework.
Where they missed the mark!
Despite all the good intentions, the strategy barely mentions male fertility even though it affects one in seven couples with male factor infertility being the sole cause in 30% of cases.
• The pre-conception blind spot: The strategy gives specific focus to fatherhood, but totally skips pre-conception care and the opportunities it creates! Getting a health check and advice before trying for a baby is the ultimate preventative health move. It's a missed "golden opportunity" to engage younger men.
• Sperm health = General health: This is huge. Poor sperm health isn't just about fertility; it's a silent early warning signal for other diseases. Men with fertility problems face a higher risk of things like heart disease and diabetes later in life, again a key focus of the strategy. If the strategy wants to catch major illnesses early, they should be checking sperm health!
• Training gap: The strategy talks about better training for doctors on men’s issues. Fantastic, this is very much needed! But they need to specifically include male reproductive health so our GPs and specialists know how to diagnose, treat and when to refer appropriately.
• Education gap: The strategy highlights the need for male-specific health information, yet male reproductive health isn't mentioned. We know much of the current fertility information is targeted only at women, contributing to men's lower knowledge and their failure to engage in their own reproductive health. We need explicit strategies for infertility education targeted directly at men.
• Testing and pathway weakness: The strategy talks about reorienting services for men, but again, nothing on infertility or broader reproductive health. We need to strengthen male infertility testing services and the pathways for men so that when they do seek help, the process is clear, efficient, and standardised, rather than the fragmented approach we see today.
Our call to action: Making fertility-inclusion inevitable
This new Men's Health Strategy is a great starting point and must be celebrated. However we need to ensure this 10 year plan doesn’t leave men’s reproductive health behind.
Our mission now is clear, just as it’s always been. We will continue our work to advocate that the male fertility journey is unique and that fertility isn’t just a female problem. We will push to ensure that men’s reproductive health must be part of this overall strategy if the Government are serious about men’s health. We will push for male fertility services to be fully integrated into the strategy’s existing mental health, access, and community support frameworks focussing on key areas such as:
• Mandatory referral pathways: Ensuring all men diagnosed with male factor infertility are automatically referred to male-specific emotional support, leveraging the strategy's commitment to linking men to charities at the point of diagnosis.
• Training: Campaign for male reproductive health and its associated mental health risks to be a core module in the new clinician training and e-learning resources.
• Pre-conception as prevention: Position pre-conception assessment as the ultimate preventative health check, supporting the strategy’s goal of helping men live longer, healthier lives.
This strategy is a monumental step forward, but for it to truly deliver on its promise to improve the health and well-being of all men and boys, it must become fertility-inclusive. We are ready to make that happen.
In summary
A vision for the future we are thrilled the UK finally has a Men's Health Strategy. We applaud its commitment to better access and tackling big crises like suicide. But for this strategy to truly make a difference, it needs to see the whole picture. By embracing sperm health as an early health biomarker, using the pre-conception phase as a powerful engagement tool, by upskilling our clinicians, by directly educating men about their reproductive health, and by strengthening testing pathways, and actively supporting the mental health crisis surrounding infertility, we can take a good strategy and make it truly great.
This response and article has been produced in partnership and is supported by Fertility Action and Men’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters.
