Infertility is a deeply personal issue that most people don't want to talk about with others. But the burden of keeping such a secret can strain a character's mental health, undermine their personal identity, intensify feelings of isolation, and complicate future relationship decisions. Despite their attempts at privacy, family and societal expectations (and people close to the character feeling entitled to ask personal questions) can make this a particularly painful secret to keep.

Personal or Private (primary); Family and Relationships; Personal Health Issues; Regrets, Guilt, or Shame

BEING PREGNANT, GIVING UP A CHILD, HAVING A CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITION

ABANDONMENT, BEING JUDGED, BEING LABELED, BEING PITIED, BEING SEPARATED FROM LOVED ONES, BEING UNABLE TO ACHIEVE A DREAM, CONDITIONAL LOVE, CONFLICT, CRITICISM, DISCRIMINATION, HAVING NO PURPOSE, HUMILIATION, INFIDELITY, LEAVING NO LEGACY, LETTING OTHERS DOWN, LOSING ONE'S SOCIAL STANDING, LOSING THE RESPECT OF OTHERS, REJECTION

Being painfully reminded of their secret when loved ones ask about plans for future children
Feeling responsible for their inability to have children, straining their mental health and their relationship with their partner
Feeling humiliated and “less than” compared to people who can have children
Draining their finances to quietly pursue fertility treatments
Being dismissed, pitied, or marginalized in certain circles because they're childless
Avoiding or distancing themselves from friends who become parents to avoid the painful reminders of what they're missing
Suffering alone with depression, despair, and hopelessness
Assuming that future family life goals are unattainable

Feigning disinterest in parenthood 
Deflecting intrusive or well-meaning questions with humor or vague replies
Claiming a prioritization of career or passions over children as an explanation for why the character isn't having kids
Claiming external factors, such as timing or finances, are the reasons for remaining childless

Dismissing a partner's request to “try for a baby”
Sidestepping questions from loved ones about why they the character hasn't started a family