In[?]fertility
Infertility, both male and female, is still a taboo subject in our society. Few are willing to openly speak about it, since it is very private and it always hurts. Yet, male infertility is even more stigmatised. Meanwhile, the statistics shows that the issue is becoming more pressing. In Russia male infertility diagnoses doubled in the last two years. Every couple facing infertility handles it in their own way. Nearly every couple comes to a fertility clinic for an IVF procedure (IVF stands for in-vitro fertilisation). Some do just one cycle, some do several, some keep trying until they run out of physical, moral, and financial resources. Every failed attempt means shattered hopes, pain of the loss, trauma. The more cycles you go through, the worse the trauma.
My project is about pain, trauma, sense of incompleteness, blame, but it is also about hope, support and love. My main goal was to show the relationship in a couple that has gone down this path. It is also some kind of therapy helping me live through this again and accept all the circumstances in which we have found ourselves.
I speak about things that constantly live inside me, they are a very important part of me, they are me. This is an attempt to reflect — as honestly as possible — the essence of all the emotions that we have faced. And the most important thing I wanted to show is that all this hasn’t destroyed our relationship. We are on this road together. Hand in hand.