interview

• There are many people who are struggling because they can't have a baby, but it seems like their struggles are often overlooked.

  • —What are your thoughts on the current situation and future challenges regarding fertility treatment in Japan?

    While shotgun weddings are often openly discussed because they are joyous occasions, cases involving fertility treatments and attempts to conceive are rarely talked about publicly. It's not visible, so we don't realize it, but I think it's not widely known that many people struggle with infertility just as much as, or even more than, those who have shotgun weddings.
    Society is changing, and in many cases, both partners are now supporting the family financially. So, it seems strange that pregnancy and childbirth are considered solely the responsibility of one person. Personally, I believe that as a united family, both partners should consider and discuss fertility treatment together.

• Men are structurally less likely to receive information, which creates a gap between men and women.

  • —Infertility problems are often difficult to notice unless you talk about them.

    I feel that many men think "having children is easy." This is probably due to a strong ingrained belief that "not using contraception = getting pregnant," which is great in the sense that it helps avoid unwanted pregnancies. The other day, I was surprised when a single male friend in his 30s said, "When I have children..." as if it were a given that he would have children. For him, having children is as natural as growing old. The lifetime single rate for men is close to 25%, so it's strange that he even assumes he will get married. On the other hand, for women, it's harder to separate career from pregnancy and childbirth, so they start thinking about it earlier, and they also have opportunities to hear stories of hardship from friends who are trying to conceive, so there tends to be a lot of women with a more serious attitude towards it around me.

  • ―So, where is the best place to gather information about trying to conceive?

    I think many people first encounter information about fertility treatment through social media, where such information flows in passively. However, due to the nature of social media, there are many negative opinions, and people are even less likely to share detailed information about the highly private topic of fertility treatment. Rather than searching on the internet, it's more reliable and realistic to first listen to the stories of close friends and acquaintances. You could also ask friends who have given birth about their experiences, such as "how long did it take from when you decided you wanted to have a baby?" and "what did you start with?"

  • —When we conducted a survey on perceptions of men and women who are pregnant or trying to conceive, we found a gap between men and women in this area as well.
    While women undergoing fertility treatment were often perceived negatively as "seemingly suffering," men undergoing fertility treatment were generally seen as "family-oriented."

    Perhaps this is because men and women have different definitions of "trying to conceive." For men, trying to conceive seems to start with simply talking about wanting children, but for women, the focus seems to be on "going to fertility treatments," which might make it seem like a lot of work. Improving lifestyle habits and keeping your body warm are also considered part of trying to conceive, but these are things that mothers have told us to do on a daily basis, so I think they've become habits. If we can consider these things as part of trying to conceive, it might lower the psychological barrier to trying to conceive.

  • —Many people, both men and women, cite financial concerns as a psychological hurdle when it comes to trying to conceive.
    The results showed that 27% of men and over half of women agreed.

    It might be a matter of income inequality. While society is becoming more inclusive of women, the average annual income for women nationwide is still around 3 million yen, a difference of over 2 million yen between men and women. In that case, if the cost of fertility treatment is 1 million yen, the perceived value of that amount will likely differ between men and women. Furthermore, women may have to reduce their work hours to focus on fertility treatment, and the resulting income instability might lead them to consider the matter more critically.

  • —There may certainly be some truth to that. The next most common reason cited by men trying to conceive was "lack of knowledge."

    The other day, when I was talking to a male acquaintance, he told me that "men don't really talk to each other about fertility treatment, or pregnancy and childbirth in general." For men, it might be difficult to admit that they are undergoing fertility treatment due to pride. However, in reality, there are many things that can be improved through lifestyle changes, and undergoing fertility treatment does not mean that one has low reproductive capacity, so I hope that this will be understood. If many men have few opportunities to talk about fertility treatment and do not feel the need to gather information, then I think this is a problem that needs to be changed little by little. Even among men I know, there are some who are over 35 but do not know that the probability of infertility increases with age. It would be good if they could start by talking to their partners and gradually become able to have conversations about it.

• Even if you don't have any plans for pregnancy or childbirth, knowing about these things early on will broaden your options later on.

  • —We also surveyed young people who were not yet trying to conceive, and they had a positive image of fertility treatment.

    Our generation might be in a more open and easy-to-talk-to environment. I think that's because there are fewer fixed answers and template-based thinking like "this is how it must be done" or "this is what should be done," and there are more options available.

  • —What are your thoughts on fertility treatment among young people?

    I know people in their 20s who are trying to conceive or undergoing fertility treatment, but I was surprised to learn from a survey that one in three people start trying to conceive in their late 20s. I realized that there is still a lot I don't know, so I want to increase my knowledge. After all, "whether or not to have a baby" and "whether or not to know" are two different things.

  • —Are you currently doing anything to help with your fertility treatment, Ms. Hayakawa?

    That's right. I believe that a career can be built through one's own efforts and acquired skills, but I think that pregnancy and childbirth are highly irreversible in terms of time. I think the first step is to know in advance about the state of your own body, how long it takes to get pregnant, and what you need to do after you become pregnant. Right now, I'm talking to my partner, reading books to gain knowledge, and talking to people around me.

  • —Are there any initial things that young people should keep in mind when they start trying to conceive?

    When it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, there are things that are beyond your control. From talking to people who have gone through pregnancy and childbirth, I realized that while you can anticipate and plan your career to a certain extent, nothing is "certain" when it comes to pregnancy, so things don't always go as planned. Knowing that things don't always go according to plan, it's best to relax and approach it with a calm mind.

• It would be great if people could share their experiences of trying to conceive within their local communities.

  • —I'd also like to ask about how to interact with the older generation. If Ms. Hayakawa were to try to conceive,
    What kind of communication do you want to have with your parents?

    My parents aren't experts, so I don't think I'll go to them for advice on fertility treatment. However, considering what happens after childbirth, having their support would be incredibly helpful, so I want to strategically involve them by consulting with them and keeping them updated. With advances in medical technology, I think there's a gap in knowledge about fertility treatment between my parents' generation and the current generation. I want to talk to them regularly about modern fertility treatment to bridge that generational gap.

  • —How do you think we can smoothly share knowledge with the older generation?

    First, I think it's important to let them know about current fertility treatments. You could start with casual conversation, like, "My friend is trying to conceive, and apparently this is what they're doing now," or you could hand them a booklet like a fertility treatment guide and talk about it. If there are any dramas or shows with "modern fertility treatments" as a theme, you could watch them together.

  • —At Rohto Pharmaceutical, we offer not only "couple-led fertility treatment" that couples work together on, but also
    Starting this year, we are advocating the concept of "fertility sharing," where parents and society as a whole support each other during the fertility journey.
    How do you think it will spread?

    As a premise, Japan is currently an extremely individualistic society. I believe that having children in such an environment is very difficult. It may be difficult to bring about a change where "society as a whole supports fertility treatment!" right away, but it might be a good idea to start with familiar communities such as companies and local governments.

  • —What do you think are the specific things needed to make this a reality?

    It's about those around the person having an awareness of "respecting someone's values in life," and the person themselves "sharing their own wishes early on." If it's shared at an early stage, those around them can take measures, and it also contributes to the person's psychological safety, so I think it's beneficial for everyone.

  • —First, start by creating an atmosphere in your local community where it's easy to share your experiences with trying to conceive.

    Having been in a supervisory position, I've realized that there are limits to what can be solved through systems alone. For example, even if the system makes it easy to take maternity leave, it's difficult to take it if there's a critical atmosphere. Therefore, I believe it's important for managers and other key players in the workplace to show a joyous attitude when someone becomes pregnant and to consistently demonstrate a positive attitude towards pregnancy and childbirth. I hope that a trend will develop where both men and women are seen as cool for being able to talk about fertility treatments.

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