Beyond the Binary: Intersectional Nursing Approaches to Male Infertility

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Reproductive Health
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Male infertility accounts for nearly half of global infertility cases.
• Nursing scholarship has historically marginalized men's experiences with infertility.
• Reproduction is often narrowly equated with femininity, excluding male perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reframe male infertility as a relational and socially embedded issue.
• To explore how intersecting factors like race, class, and sexuality create compounded stigma and barriers to care for men.
• To propose an intersectional nursing approach to address these inequities.

Main Methods:

• Drawing on intersectionality, masculinity theory, performativity, and stigma.
• Analyzing how social determinants impact men's experiences with infertility.
• Utilizing visual scaffolding (tables, figures) to illustrate theoretical pathways.

Main Results:

• Male infertility experiences are shaped by intersecting identities (race, class, sexuality, disability).
• Queer and trans men face invisibility in reproductive discourse.
• Men in low-resource settings encounter systemic barriers to psychosocial support.
• Existing approaches create compounded stigma and restricted access to care.

Conclusions:

• Nursing must adopt an intersectional framework to address male infertility.
• An intersectional nursing proposition involves reflexivity, cultural humility, couple-centeredness, and structural awareness.
• Reconceptualizing care, vulnerability, and reproductive justice is crucial for diverse masculinities and reducing inequities.