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Some faiths, whether intentionally or not, focus on the existence of infertility as retribution for past behaviors, particularly in the case of women. This is, unfortunately, easy for these groups to do, since one of the primary causes of female infertility is tubal blockage or other structural reproductive damage resulting from sexually transmitted infections (STI's). STI is often referred to with judgemental tones in religious literature, even in this day and age when medical technology would teach us otherwise.
To understand some of society's historical views toward infertility, it helps to know how scientifically inaccurate the body of knowledge was about conception in general.
Prior to the 17th century, the human body and its functions were mostly a mystery. The practice of healing bore little resemblance to modern medicine, consisting of beliefs in such things as bloodletting.
In ancient Greece, Aristotle believed that menstrual blood was the actual substance from which life generated. In the 1600s, scientists first observed spermatozoa in seminal fluid, and most importantly, discovered sperm in female reproductive tracts after copulation. This finding eventually led to the end of earlier preformation theories, which held that entire individual humans were present in the female egg, and that sperm acted only somehow to facilitate the release and growth of this individual.
Even as late as the 19th century, physicians still refused to consider the possibility that male factors played a role in fertility at all. It was at that time that modern embryological science began as the mammalian egg was discovered, but sperm's essential role in fertilization remained unproven until 1879.
With such limited understanding, it stands to reason that true medical assistance for infertility did not come to be widely available until the 1960's. Even then, most of the research was leading down the path toward correction of some female problems, while male issues would not be more fully addressed until later.
When given the history of developing anatomical and biological knowledge, and the related advancing medical technologies which have enhanced life, it can be easy to see how fertility in and of itself has been worshipped in varying ways over time. It's also clear how those who have experienced lower rates of fertility might have felt like they were on the outside, looking in at the surrounding world.
© Tracy Morris
