Nigeria, Sept. 28 -- After nearly a decade of trying to conceive, Fatima Audu has become the subject of constant gossip in her circles. "I have been called barren more times than I can count," said Ms Audu, a 36-year-old teacher in a top Abuja school. "It feels like I carry a scarlet letter everywhere I go."

In Nigeria, where children are often seen as the glue that holds families together, infertility is more than a medical issue; it is also a deep social wound.

The inability to conceive is met not with compassion but with suspicion, ridicule, and, often, rejection.

After marriage, there is almost an unspoken countdown: within nine months, a baby and sometimes, even twins or triplets, is expected to arrive. When that milestone passes ...