Many qualities that may be considered “genetic” are, in fact, inherited through stories and the ways they are narrated and re-narrated. This article describes therapeutic conversations with a heterosexual couple who had recently confronted a medical diagnosis of male infertility. Grounded in a relational understanding of identity and using the couple’s Tree of Life, I illustrate how fertile ground was generated for the identity of a child conceived through sperm donation. Conversations supported the deconstruction of dominant cultural discourses surrounding fertility, fatherhood, masculinity and genetic inheritance, opening space for preferred stories about the couple’s future and the identity of the child to come.

Key words: fertility, infertility, sperm donation, assisted reproduction, relational identity, couple’s Tree of Life, couple identity, gender, fatherhood, inherited identity, narrative therapy, narrative practice

Karmy, X. S. (2026). Inheritance beyond genes: Narrative conversations about male infertility and inherited identities. International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, (2), 40–48. https://doi.org/10.4320/UNCU4284