As Mother's Day 2026 approaches on Sunday, May 10, the world will once again pause to honour the women who nurture, sacrifice, and love unconditionally. This year's global theme, "The Great Unburdening," invites us to look beyond bouquets and brunches — to recognise the invisible emotional, social, and physical weight that mothers carry every single day, and to actively help lift it.
But as a fertility specialist who has spent over two decades walking alongside women on their journey to motherhood, I want to extend this conversation to a group too often left out of Mother's Day narratives — the women who long to be mothers but are still waiting. The women whose burden is heaviest not because of what motherhood demands, but because of what infertility takes away.
The Burden No One Sees
At ART Fertility Mumbai clinic, I meet women every day who carry a weight the world rarely acknowledges. They smile through baby showers, dodge questions at family dinners, and scroll past pregnancy announcements with a quiet ache. They blame themselves for cycles that do not end in pink lines. They apologise — to their partners, their parents, even to themselves — for a body they feel has failed them.
Infertility affects 1 in 6 couples globally, and in India, that number continues to rise due to delayed marriages, lifestyle factors, PCOS, endometriosis, declining ovarian reserve, and rising stress levels. Yet despite how common it is, infertility remains shrouded in silence and shame — particularly for women, who disproportionately bear the social judgment, the medical investigations, and the emotional toll.
This is the burden "The Great Unburdening" must include.
The Many Layers of a Woman's Infertility Journey
When a woman struggles to conceive, she is not just dealing with a medical condition — she is navigating a maze of pressures:
The emotional burden: Anxiety, grief, depression, and a persistent sense of inadequacy. Studies show that women undergoing fertility treatment experience stress levels comparable to those facing cancer or heart disease.
The social burden: Intrusive questions from relatives ("Any good news yet?"), unsolicited advice, and the cultural expectation — especially in India — that motherhood defines womanhood.
The marital burden: Strain on relationships, intimacy reduced to ovulation calendars, and the silent fear of being "the reason" a couple cannot have a child.
The financial burden: Multiple cycles of treatment, tests, medications, and time away from work — often borne quietly because infertility is still not openly discussed at workplaces.
The physical burden: Hormonal injections, ultrasounds, procedures, and recovery — endured month after month, often while continuing to show up "normally" for everyone else.
This is not a burden any woman should carry alone. And it is certainly not a burden she should carry in silence.
What "Unburdening" Truly Means in Fertility Care
At ART Fertility Clinics, we believe that treating infertility is not just about embryos and implantation rates — it is about restoring hope, dignity, and emotional well-being to every woman who walks through our doors. The science of reproductive medicine has advanced extraordinarily: from precision IVF protocols and genetic testing (PGT-A) to fertility preservation, endometrial receptivity testing, and individualised treatment for poor ovarian reserve. But the most powerful tool in fertility care remains compassionate conversation.
Unburdening a woman struggling with infertility means:
- Replacing blame with biology. Infertility is a medical condition — not a personal failing, not a punishment, not karma.
- Encouraging early evaluation. If a couple under 35 has been trying for over a year (or six months if the woman is over 35), it is time to consult a specialist. Time is a critical factor in fertility outcomes.
- Normalising fertility preservation. Egg freezing is no longer a Plan B — it is a powerful Plan A for women who wish to delay motherhood for career, health, or personal reasons.
- Including mental health in fertility treatment. Counselling, support groups, and mindfulness are not optional add-ons; they are essential pillars of care.
- Empowering women with information. Knowledge about AMH levels, ovarian reserve, lifestyle factors, and treatment options gives women agency over their reproductive futures.
A Message to Every Woman Waiting to Be a mother.
If you are reading this and you are on a fertility journey — whether you are just beginning to wonder, in the middle of treatment, or recovering from a loss — I want you to know this: You are already carrying enough. You do not need to carry the weight of guilt, shame, or silence as well.
Motherhood is not a measure of your worth. Your body is not your enemy. And there are pathways forward — medical, emotional, and personal — that you do not have to walk alone.
A Message to Families and Society
This Mother's Day, "The Great Unburdening" calls on all of us to do better. Stop asking couples when they will have children. Stop assuming infertility is a woman's "problem." Stop making motherhood the sole metric of female fulfilment. Instead, offer presence over advice, empathy over expectation, and support over scrutiny.
To the mothers, the mothers-in-waiting, the mothers who have lost, the mothers through adoption and surrogacy, the mothers through IVF, and the women still authoring their own story, we see you. We honour you. And we are here to help lighten your load.
This Mother's Day, let us truly unburden each other.
— Dr Richa Jagtap is Medical Director and Consultant in Reproductive Medicine at ART Fertility Clinics, India. She is a recipient of the ET Health World National Fertility Awards Hall of Fame (IVF Specialist) and a founder member of the Fertility Preservation Society of India.