A recent publication from Human Fertility highlights this growing trend, showing how patients increasingly turn to social media for fertility information, peer stories, and emotional support. For many, especially those navigating the isolating experience of infertility, online communities offer validation and connection that traditional healthcare settings sometimes lack.

From a nursing perspective, this opens up both opportunity and challenge. On the one hand, social media provides a powerful platform for education and awareness. Fertility nurses are uniquely placed to offer accurate, empathetic content that helps demystify treatment pathways, hormone injections, and complex terminology like AMH or blastocyst transfer. At Juniper, we’ve used social media to help broaden access to fertility insights, particularly for underrepresented communities.

However, the informality and speed of social media can blur professional boundaries and risk spreading misinformation. One of the most concerning trends I’ve noticed is the “viral success stories” that create unrealistic expectations for patients—particularly around outcomes, timelines, or alternative therapies. When every swipe brings a miracle story, it’s no wonder our patients can feel pressure, guilt, or shame when their journey looks different.

As nurses, we also face the question of how visible we should be online. Sharing insights can humanise our profession and reach patients we’d otherwise never meet—but it also raises questions about confidentiality, personal boundaries and professional conduct. The NMC Code requires us to maintain public trust and uphold our professional reputation, and this extends to our online behaviour too.
What struck me most from the Kings Fertility report is how much patients want honesty and clarity. They’re not just looking for reassurance—they want real talk, delivered with compassion. That’s something fertility nurses do exceptionally well, and we must find ways to bring that into digital spaces without compromising our ethics or mental health.

In conclusion, social media is not going anywhere. As fertility nurses, we need to be part of the conversation—advocating for safe, inclusive, evidence-based information while protecting our professional integrity. Whether that’s through direct posting, supporting our organisations’ communications teams, or simply helping patients navigate the noise—we have a critical role to play.

Dhanoya, T., O’Marcaigh, K., Sambare, T., Sarris, I., & Vigneswaran, K. (2025). #misinformation: The perils of using social media for medical advice regarding infertility. Human Fertility, 28(1).