Test Him: the podcast that is putting men back into the fertility conversation

The public conversation around infertility – the advocates, the influencers, the awareness campaigns – remains almost exclusively focused on women. Men sometimes get tested, receive a diagnosis, are handed a semen analysis result – and after that, largely sidelined.

Ian Stones wants to change that. A fertility acupuncture therapist, former director of Hove Fertility and Wellness, and one of the founding members of the Zita West Fertility Network, Stones is one of the co-creators of Test Him a podcast and video podcast dedicated to male infertility. Launched in January 2023, Test Him has grown to over 30 episodes and earned multiple awards: at the Fertility Care Awards 2025 gala in Paris, organised by the European Fertility Society, Test Him won an award ex aequo with Hannah Pearn's podcast “Don't Tell Me to Relax”.

Eleonora Voltolina, journalist and founder of The Why Wait Agenda, sat down with Ian Stones in Paris, on the sidelines of the ESHRE 2025 meeting, to record a special episode of The Why Wait Agenda podcast. With the imminent opening of ESHRE 2026 in London (5–8 July), we are publishing this and the other episodes recorded in Paris.

Addressing the elephant in the room

The fertility industry is worth billions and brings together pharmaceutical companies, laboratories, and R&D centres working on reproductive products. But it is almost entirely oriented toward women. «There is a huge focus on women through fertility treatment, and understandably so: they are obviously the ones on the receiving end of the injections and the scans», Stones says. «But we're still missing a huge part of the equation by not actually talking to the men and making sure they're an equal part of the conversation».

Things are changing, he says, but unevenly: «There are still a lot of men out there completely in the dark. They're not getting the support from the community or the clinics because it's not being addressed consistently across the board yet».

More than a podcast

Test Him covers a broad range of topics – from reproductive medicine and the latest research to nutrition and emotional well-being – and actively encourages men to explore their options before entering a clinical treatment pathway. But «it's not all science!», Stones assures: «We're just three guys who want to share experience and knowledge». Guests have ranged from embryologists and urologists to patients who share their personal journeys.

Voltolina asks Stones about the story that has moved him most. Here it is: an email from a listener, sent almost live from a hospital maternity ward. The man and his partner had a long fertility journey behind them. He had come across a Test Him Instagram live about varicocele repair, and it was thanks to the information in that episode that he managed to resolve a medical issue and have a child. In his email he thanked everyone who had been part of his journey. Stones was moved: Test Him had quietly changed someone's life. That listener later became a guest on the show.

Breaking the stigma

«It is breaking down that masculine male stereotype that men have to be strong, that we can't show our emotions, that we're weak if we cry. It's so damaging to men in terms of their mental health and their well-being».

Infertility «strikes quite deeply at men's core, ego, and identity», Stones says. Men are told their semen analysis shows a problem, pointed toward IVF or ICSI, and sent off without further conversation. «They're not empowered to think about: what can I do to change it? What can I do to improve my sperm quality? What can I do to deal with the emotions I've got going on?»

Test Him sends a simple, straightforward message to men: «Your infertility or your fertility struggles do not define you as a man». And also: «It's okay if you're depressed, it's okay if you're crying, it's okay if you feel like a bit of a failure. There's people out there that can help you».

The full conversation with Ian Stones is available on The Why Wait Agenda podcast. Listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or visit thewhywaitagenda.com.