Although fertility has traditionally been viewed as the responsibility of women, recent studies suggest that reduced sperm function is a major cause of the recurrent pregnancy loss that affects 1 to 2 percent of couples. The reproductive and nutritional history of King Henry VIII indicates that 70 percent of the legitimate pregnancies attributed to Henry and his six wives resulted in miscarriage or stillbirth. By comparison, only 10 percent of the recorded pregnancies of the thirty-one noblemen closely associated with Henry had the same outcomes. Henry’s reproductive health likely contributed to the fertility problems for which his wives took the blame. The disregard of male infertility in Henry’s case may offer a clue to the reasons for the under-reporting of male reproductive health, then and now, to the detriment of both men and women.

尽管传统上生育能力被视为女性的责任，但最近的研究表明，精子功能下降是影响 1% 至 2% 夫妇反复流产的主要原因。亨利八世国王的生殖和营养史表明，亨利和他的六个妻子的合法怀孕中有 70% 导致流产或死产。相比之下，与亨利密切相关的 31 位贵族的记录怀孕中只有 10% 的结果相同。亨利的生殖健康很可能导致了他的妻子应承担的生育问题。在亨利的案例中对男性不育症的忽视可能为男性生殖健康报告不足的原因提供了线索，当时和现在对男性和女性都不利。