Reece Conca - Tackling Male Infertility

All too often when talking about infertility, we only tell one side of the story. Traditionally in the public discourse, it has very much fallen into the category of a ‘women’s issue’. However, as our guest this week Reece Conca can all too painfully attest, 40% of infertility issues are actually male factor related.
Reece Conca is a former Australian Rules Footballer, who played over 150 games for Richmond and Freemantle.
When Reece and his partner Bell were finding it difficult to conceive, it took them far too long to discover that Reece has a condition called Azoospermia, which effects 1% of men - a condition where in Reece had no sperm in his semen.
In this Vulnerabiltea House, Reece speaks openly and honestly about the physical and emotional toll of a fertility journey he is very much still on, the hormone injections, the surgeries and much, much more.
00:00 - What’s the Difference Between a Cuddle and a Hug?
07:43 - Facing the Unknown
16:30 - Ground Zero
23:01 - Sitting With Your Feelings
29:16 - The Rollercoaster of Infertility
38:12 - Giving It Everything
46:14 - Everything Was Wrong, Let’s Start Again
52:22 - Talking About It In Real Time
56:04 - The Blame Game
1:02:24 - It’s All Encompassing
To follow Annabelle and Reece on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@annabelleandreece
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-imperfects/id1476501557
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6ZmSCzsv0W2ZZAPFCbqhOd?si=3ea38e716bb344e1
Instagram: @theimperfectspodcast
The Imperfects is not a licensed mental health service and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice, treatment or assessment. The advice given in this episode is general in nature, but if you’re struggling, please see a healthcare professional, or call lifeline on 13 11 14.

[@jacoboblanco1555]

This is such a great conversation. Love the bit about setting boundaries with his partner about him needing her to be clear about what is really bothering her. That can be really tough to do. There’s so much advice out there on how men ought to communicate and relate to their partners feelings but it’s rare to hear about what you need as a man in those scenarios. It can seem sometimes like as a man you’re doing things wrong and you need to accommodate and grow to support the women in your life better, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have emotional needs and idiosyncrasies of our own and it’s rare to hear people talking about how you’re meant to go about getting those needs met.