Editorial: Childless or childfree. A journey of self-realisation

Abstract

Motherhood has long been regarded as the pinnacle of martyrdom, the ultimate self-sacrifice and what a woman needs to feel complete, 'to fulfill her natural and divinely ordained role in society'.3 There is an ongoing misconception in society that people who do not have children are self-centred, lack empathy and live a lifestyle of exuberance.4 Infertility is therefore a phenomenon associated with utmost shame and a failure of humankind, intensified by the medicalisation of pregnancy and the emergence of childbearing as a commodity. GPs support patients through their journeys of distress, battery of medical procedures (including assisted reproductive technology) and sometimes, regretfully, their journeys of acceptance of a lost cause. Infertility has long been regarded as the ultimate curse; however, it is imperative to remove the deep-seated stigma associated with the inability to bear a child and attribute deeper meaning to the sanctity of life, which includes leaving behind a positive legacy based on good deeds and constructive contributions to community, as opposed to simply genetic propagation.