Attitudes to Fertility in Contemporary Cinema: How Cinema Reflects the Journey to Motherhood

Fertility is a topic that has remained more “behind the scenes” than on screen for decades. Unlike stories about love, friendship or family dramas, the path to motherhood, with all its trials, medical procedures and psychological experiences, has long been almost out of the directors’ spotlight. But recent years have shown that cinema is no longer afraid to talk about what was previously considered too personal.

Today, we see films and series where a woman not only dreams of a child, but also faces real medical and social challenges: infertility, IVF procedures, the difficult choice between a career and a family. This is not only a reflection of current discussions in society, but also an important cultural shift that influences how millions of viewers think about motherhood.

Why is this topic coming to the screen now?

It’s not just about the courage of the scriptwriters. Data from the World Health Organization confirms that approximately every sixth couple in the world faces fertility problems. As women age to have children (in developed countries, the average age of first-time mothers has already passed 30), the topic becomes increasingly relevant.

Cinema, in essence, adapts to social demand. If earlier romantic comedies ended with a kiss against the backdrop of a wedding march, today the viewer wants to see what happens next. And this “next” often includes the difficult path to pregnancy.

From stereotypes to honesty

For many years, screen stories about motherhood were reduced to cliches. A woman wanted a child, cried a little, then a miracle happened – and the final credits closed all questions. But only the cinema of past decades looks like this.

Modern directors increasingly raise the topics of:

• The emotional consequences of unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant.
• The pressure of society and family on women who are “time”.
• Ethics of technologies like IVF or surrogacy.

While such films can be painful to watch, they make the conversation about fertility honest, without idealization.

Examples that break the mold

In the TV series “This Is Us”, one of the storylines touches on unsuccessful pregnancies, adoption, and the heroine’s inner struggle.

In the film “Private Life” (2018), the heroes face the grueling process of IVF, showing how it affects both relationships and self-esteem.

European cinema is increasingly turning to the topic of late motherhood, emphasizing that the biological clock is not an abstraction, but a reality that thousands of women face.

It is interesting that even references to modern medical practices are starting to appear on the screen. For example, the heroines use not only ovulation tests, but also devices as fertility monitor kits. For the viewer, this may seem like an element of drama or even comedy (remember the scenes where the heroes rush home “on the right day”), but in fact, it is a reflection of a real change in culture: technology is becoming part of intimate life.

The great majority of modern women planning a pregnancy actively use digital tools to track their cycle. And cinema, of course, cannot ignore this phenomenon.

Cinema as a mirror of social pressure

If you look closely, there is always another invisible character in films about fertility – society. It is society that makes the heroines feel “inferior” if pregnancy does not occur immediately.

In Eastern European cinema, this theme is especially noticeable: pressure from family and relatives turns into a dramatic conflict. In Western films, the dilemma of “career or children” comes to the fore. In both cases, the screen reflects a painful fact: motherhood is rarely only a personal choice, it is almost always associated with social expectations.

How does cinema affect viewers?

Here it is worth asking: why do films raise such difficult topics at all? The answer is simple – because the viewer recognizes himself in them.

The American Association for Reproductive Medicine notes: after the release of films and TV series that discuss IVF or egg donation, the number of visits to clinics temporarily increases. People see stories on the screen and decide to seek help in reality.

But there is also a downside. Critics point out that excessive dramatization sometimes creates a distorted perception that every story about the struggle for a child must necessarily be tragic. This is not always the case, and here, too, cinema is learning to find a balance.

Instead of a conclusion

Stories about fertility on screen are not about “women’s problems”, but about universal experience: the desire to continue the family line, the search for meaning, the struggle with one’s own fears and hope. Yes, cinema used to avoid these topics, but now it is increasingly like a mirror in which millions of viewers see their own experiences.

And if yesterday the heroines of the films simply “lived happily ever after”, today they go through doubts, procedures, tears and sometimes long-awaited joy. There is an honesty in this that makes modern cinema closer to reality than ever before.