Why I Built Nua Fertility: Our Journey, the Microbiome, and a New Way of Thinking About Fertility

When my husband Mark and I first started trying for a baby, I never imagined our journey would take years. Like many people, I grew up half-jokingly believing that pregnancy would happen easily — almost accidentally. No one prepares you for the possibility that it won’t.

At the beginning, we were doing everything we were told to do. We tracked cycles. We attended appointments. We followed medical advice to the letter. And yet, month after month, nothing changed.

At the time, I had no idea that this deeply personal experience would eventually lead me to build a fertility health company. I only knew that something wasn’t working — and that the answers we were being given felt incomplete.

Like many couples, we assumed that fertility challenges would automatically sit with me. This assumption is incredibly common, and it’s something I now question often. Why do we place that burden so quickly on women?

After months of tests and appointments, our doctor surprised us both. Medically, everything appeared “normal” for me. The challenges, we were told, were coming from Mark’s side.

That moment was devastating — not only because of the diagnosis, but because of what followed. Mark withdrew emotionally for a long time, carrying a weight of guilt and shame that too many men experience in silence. Our fertility journey stopped feeling like something we were navigating together and became heavy, isolating, and painful for us both.

Male fertility is still rarely spoken about openly. Emotionally and medically, men are often left without adequate support, despite the fact that fertility challenges affect men and women almost equally.

Eventually, we were incredibly lucky to welcome our beautiful daughter into the world. But it did not happen until we changed how we thought about fertility altogether.

The microbiome refers to the trillions of bacteria that live in and on our bodies. These microbial communities exist throughout the body, but they are particularly important in the gut, vagina, and reproductive tract.

These bacteria are not passive passengers. They play an active role in regulating immune function, influencing inflammation, supporting hormone metabolism, and affecting how nutrients are absorbed and utilised by the body.

In recent years, research has increasingly explored the relationship between the microbiome and reproductive health.

Studies suggest that certain vaginal and endometrial microbiome profiles are associated with higher implantation and pregnancy rates, particularly when Lactobacillus species dominate. Microbiome imbalance — often referred to as dysbiosis — has been linked in observational studies to lower IVF success rates and an increased risk of miscarriage.

The gut microbiome may also influence fertility indirectly, through immune signalling, metabolic pathways, and systemic inflammation. While this research does not suggest that the microbiome is the sole cause of infertility, it does point to it as an important — and often overlooked — piece of the fertility puzzle.

After everything we learned, I felt a responsibility to share it.

Nua Fertility was created not to promise miracles or quick fixes, but to offer education, support, and science-led products that reflect how complex fertility truly is. Our mission is rooted in lived experience and supported by emerging research.

Our approach focuses on supporting microbiome balance, educating both women and men, and encouraging a holistic view of reproductive health that works alongside — not instead of — medical care.

At the heart of Nua Fertility is a simple belief: knowledge is power. People navigating fertility deserve more information, more compassion, and more agency over their health.