Description

In this episode, we chat with Matthew Zukowski — host of the Where’s Your Head At? podcast and I'm a Celebrity... contestant — about finding out he was infertile in his early 20s, long before fatherhood was front of mind. Matt opens up about the shock of being told he had no sperm count, finding out he had undescended testes as a child and the complicated emotions that surfaced around the diagnosis. He also reflects on masculinity, dating with an infertility diagnosis and using his platform to talk openly about men’s fertility.

Key takeaways:

• Matt found out he’s infertile after a girlfriend made an offhand comment about his semen and it prompted him to get tested
• He was born with undescended testes, had surgery as a baby, and was told he should check his fertility around age 25 
• He talks honestly about the masculinity hit: His first reaction is “what a man’s meant to do is have kids”
• Being public about infertility has become part of his coping: using his platform to normalise it, hearing from other men with similar histories, and feeling less alone through community
• Infertility has become something people “already know” about him and comes up while dating
• Becoming a stepdad to his ex-wife's children helped him realise parenting isn’t only biological, and he's kept space for multiple futures — sperm retrieval, donor sperm, adoption, stepkids, nieces/nephews
• His learning is that infertility is not your fault, it’s not a “problem” that defines you — it’s a complication you can face, talk about, and make a plan around

More resources:

You can follow Matt on Instagram and listen to Where’s Your Head At?

Got questions or feedback? 

Email us at podcasts@healthymale.org.au. We love getting your voice notes.

The end bits:

This podcast was created by Healthy Male — an Australian not-for-profit that provides evidence-based information on men's health. You can find more from us on Instagram, TikTok and our website.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which this podcast was recorded — the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today.

This podcast is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for diagnosis, treatment and personalised medical guidance.