What I do at work: male fertility nurse

Francesca Steyn has spent nearly two decades at the forefront of reproductive care, blending clinical expertise with compassionate support. Now leading clinical services at MaleBox Health, she’s reshaping how patients navigate a complex, often misunderstood part of their fertility journey.

Read on to learn about her varied working week, from assessing research developments to being a member of the RCN Fertility Nursing Forum.

How would you describe your role?

As head of Clinical Services, Quality and Compliance, at MaleBox Health, I lead clinical governance and ensure safe, high-quality, evidence-based care for our male fertility patients. MaleBox Health provides at-home male fertility testing services. Our main product is a semen analysis kit that lets individuals collect a sample at home and send it to the laboratory for clinical-grade analysis.

Fertility nurses then deliver the results to patients in a consultation and advise on next steps.  

Common issues in male fertility include sperm production disorders and hormonal imbalances. Sometimes they’re linked to lifestyle, other times they’re genetic, and sometimes there’s no known cause. Male infertility can be confusing, so I guide patients and partners through the process.

How did you get to this point in your nursing career?

After training as a registered nurse, I worked in sexual health and HIV care. Using the skills developed there, I joined the team at what was then called the Assisted Conception Unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Here, I was part of the sperm washing programme that was the UK's only dedicated service supporting people with a blood-borne virus to become parents using fertility treatment. This specialist procedure separates the highest quality sperm from surrounding fluid, and can reduce the risk of viral transmission to patients’ partners and babies. I then built my career in reproductive and fertility care, establishing strong clinical and leadership skills, and developing governance experience.  

Increasingly, I became involved in service development and quality assurance, which led me into my current role overseeing clinical services, quality and compliance at MaleBox Health.

In recent years, I chaired the RCN’s Fertility Nursing Forum too, which I’m still a member of. This has included speaking at RCN Congress, as seen in the image above.

Why have you stayed so passionate about fertility nursing?  

Fertility nursing combines advanced clinical practice and research, while providing physical and emotional care. I was drawn to the specialty because fertility issues affect people physically and psychologically. Nursing staff are in a unique position to support patients through that complexity at the same time as delivering high standards of evidence-based care.  

The science also still fascinates me, even after nearly 20 years in the field.

What do you wish others – nursing staff or patients – knew about fertility nursing?

Fertility nursing isn’t just about IVF treatment. It covers awareness, education, emotional support, physical care and safeguarding. Fertility nurses are the glue holding the patient pathway together in a fertility clinic setting. We play a crucial role in maintaining standards, supporting informed consent and ensuring patients feel respected throughout their care.  

This is an innovative area of medicine with many steps for patients – and it's usually fertility nurses guiding them through them all.  

What stereotypes do you come across?

There’s still a misconception that fertility care focuses on women. In reality, male factor fertility is the cause for around half of couples struggling to conceive, but it's not always looked at as a first step or even a first point in testing or diagnosing problems.  

Addressing this gap is a key part of my work. There’s also an assumption that fertility treatment is straightforward, when it’s often complex and highly individual.  

What are five things you do in a typical week?

• Conduct consultations and interpret the results.  

• Advise patients trying to conceive.  

• Review our internal policies.

• Discuss research projects and ideas with the wider team.  

• Review our patients’ pathways and experiences.  

What’s the main thing you’ve learned about communicating with patients about fertility?  

Never make assumptions. Every patient’s experience, background and expectations are different, so it’s essential to listen carefully and communicate with sensitivity and honesty.  

Additionally, the first round of IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) sadly won’t be successful for most patients, but you want them and their partners, if applicable, to feel supported by you.

Fertility is often overwhelming, so it's always important to clarify if patients have understood what I’ve said, or need more time to ask questions.  

What makes a fertility nurse unique?

Fertility nurses combine specialist knowledge with empathy in a particularly sensitive area of health care. Whether working directly with patients or at leadership level, we play a key role in maintaining trust, safety and quality within fertility care.  

We often practise at advanced levels and work alongside medical colleagues to deliver nurse-led treatment throughout the patient journey. We’re also in the position of being part of innovation and research.  

What’s the most challenging part of the job?  

Supporting patients when treatment is unsuccessful or they receive difficult news. Managing the emotional side of this, while remaining professional and compassionate, can be difficult.

And the most rewarding?

Helping patients through their journey and, when it happens, sharing in their joy that treatment has worked out. Even if outcomes aren’t what patients hoped for, knowing you’ve provided excellent care is incredibly satisfying.

How can nursing staff support colleagues experiencing infertility?  

By creating a workplace culture that recognises fertility as a health issue. Infertility is classified as a disease by the World Health Organization, yet many organisations still feel it's a lifestyle choice.

Offering compassion, flexibility and support, plus avoiding assumptions, is key. LGBTQ+ colleagues and single people may also be on a fertility journey, so support must be inclusive.

Why would you recommend other nursing staff consider specialising in fertility care?  

Fertility nursing is a distinctive, fulfilling specialism, allowing nurses to both develop advanced clinical skills and make meaningful differences to patients’ lives. It’s a role where compassion and science come together, so it offers an exceptional career path.

Interview by Ellie Philpotts