Former Bachelor Colton Underwood Was Shocked by Infertility Struggle: ‘I Wish Somebody Had Educated Me'
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Colton Underwood is currently expecting his first child with husband Jordan C. Brown, but the journey was far from what he expected.
The former Bachelor, who came out as gay in 2021 and married Brown in 2023, had planned to document his journey to fatherhood in a podcast after fielding a plethora of questions from loved ones. “I had my own family asking me how this process works, like, Who’s the mom and who’s the dad in the relationship? … Are the egg donor and surrogate the same?” Underwood told Men’s Health.
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His plans changed when he and Brown got their semen tested and Underwood’s revealed shocking results: he only had four sperm in the sample — three of which, the doctor said, were “dead.” For reference, the National Library of Medicine states that a “normal” sperm count varies from 20 million to 150 million per milliliter of ejaculate.
Due to his health-conscious lifestyle, “I just figured I’d be good,” Underwood told the outlet. The reality was eye-opening and revealed how little he knew about male infertility — a common oversight, despite male infertility affecting about 30 to 40 percent of couples dealing with infertility, according to research. “I didn’t know the difference between semen and sperm,” Underwood says. “If you’re [ejaculating], you just assume you have sperm.”
Talking with his doctor, Underwood realized that his low sperm count was actually an effect of the “healthy” lifestyle he thought he’d been living. His daily visits to the hot tub and sauna were exposing his testicles to too much heat (basically overcooking the sperm, which can only be produced at temperatures lower than body temperature); his intense workout regimen was creating too much stress in his body; and he was on testosterone-replacement therapy, which caused his body to produce less of the hormone.
Reflecting on all that he’d learned, Underwood said, “I wish somebody had educated me about my sperm and my body, and the decisions that I made and how it would impact me.”
Luckily for the Bachelor alum, a few lifestyle tweaks were all he needed to get sperm production back on track. He nixed the hot tub soaks, cut back on his workouts, and stopped taking testosterone. Six months later, Underwood’s sperm count was up in the millions and he and Brown were ready to continue their journey to fatherhood.
That process included finding an egg donor and a surrogate, who underwent in vitro fertilization. The egg transfer was successful, and Underwood and Brown are expecting a son in October.
It’s a happy ending to Underwood’s infertility journey, but he soon realized that that struggle was exactly what he needed to share with the world. After initially calling off his podcast amidst the infertility revelation, which felt too private to share, Underwood began to realize how many other people — including his friends — had dealt with the same thing.
“I was like, Oh, I should talk about this publicly,” he explained. “Because nobody talks about this publicly.” He officially launched his podcast, Daddyhood, in February.
Male infertility is a difficult subject for many men, especially given all the assumptions about masculinity that are tied into it — which is part of a broader discussion Underwood wants to have. “For me, having the experiences that I have from both the church and football, I’ve dealt with a lot of the toxic masculinity,” said Underwood, who played football in college and briefly in the NFL. He said he “put [himself] in a corner” by not being honest about his sexuality sooner, an experience informed by his culture and upbringing. “That all ties into the masculinity conversation that men should be having,” he said.
The dad-to-be has officially entered that conversation even as he savors his upcoming parenthood. “[I]t’s worth it,” Underwood said of his infertilitiy experience. “Once the baby’s here, it’s gonna be so rewarding — and I just appreciate the journey that much more.”
Before you go, read up on these stars who’ve shared their health issues to address stigma:
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