History Main / SterilityPlague

* In ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', the Combine have set up some sort of device which makes humans unable to reproduce. In the expansions this has been deactivated, leading to Dr. Kleiner to suggest that repopulation can begin.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterile_insect_technique sterile insect technique]] is a method that the US government used to extirpate the screw-worm fly by sterilizing male flies with radiation and then releasing them back into the wild to compete with non-sterile males, as the females only mate once. Thus saving billions of dollars every year to farm and cattle industry.
** Which [[StupidEvil Sen. William Proxmire]] made fun of, giving his Golden Fleece award to scientists who were so silly as to waste taxpayer money investigating the sex lives of screw-worm flies.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterile_insect_technique sterile insect technique]] is a method that the US government used to extirpate the screw-worm fly by sterilizing male flies with radiation and then releasing them back into the wild to compete with non-sterile males, as the females only mate once.
** Which Sen. William Proxmire made fun of, giving his Golden Fleece award to scientists who were so silly as to waste taxpayer money investigating the sex lives of screw-worm flies.

* Waidwen's Legacy in ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity'' is a variation. Children are ''born'', technically, but they're hollowborn, lacking [[OurSoulsAreDifferent souls]] and being nothing but {{empty shell}}s. Attempts to give them souls ended... [[BodyHorror poorly]].

* While it's not quite a sterility plague (yet), the heavy pollution in Sarnia, Ontario's Chemical Valley has contributed to a high rate of miscarriages and low (male) birth rate on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation [[http://www.chatelaine.com/health/canadas-toxic-town/ reserve]].
* Similarly, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Canal Love Canal]], one of the most notorious toxic dump sites in the U.S., caused a high number of miscarriages among its residents.

* In the ''Literature/BookOfGenesis'', after Sarah is taken into the Pharaoh's RoyalHarem (and later, that of a local Canaanite king by the name of Abimelech) because her husband grabbed the IdiotBall out of fear for his own safety, {{God}} prevents Pharaoh/Abimelech from leaving her DefiledForever by making him [[TheLoinsSleepTonight unable to perform sexually]] when he's with her. Not only that, but all the women in the harem are unable to conceive and/or have miscarriages. This goes on until Pharaoh/Abimelech figures out that his latest addition to the harem is already married to someone else, and returns her to her rightful husband, after which things return to normal.

** which Sen. William Proxmire made fun of, giving his Golden Fleece award to scientists who were so silly as to waste taxpayer money investigating the sex flies of screw-worm flies.

* Creator/NKJemisin's ''Literature/InheritanceTrilogy'': All the gods and godlings have been sterile since the [[GodIsDead death]] of Enefa, Goddess of Life and Death. Zig-zagged at the end of the first book when [[spoiler:Yeine [[DeityOfHumanOrigin ascends to godhood]] in her place.]]

* In one storyline in ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'', Superia attempted to release a plague that would sterilize the world's female population except for her and her cadre of supervillainesses. As the only fertile women in the world, they would essentially have been able to hold the world to ransom. She didn't seem to have considered the idea that the world would probably decide to hold ''her'' prisoner in order to [[FridgeHorror use her as breeding stock]] to prevent the human species from dying out.

** In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'', it's mentioned that early in the history of the Space Colonies, natural pregnancy and childbirth was difficult and pretty much always [[DeathByChildbirth deadly]], [[RealityEnsues because of microgravity, cosmic radiation, and so on that humans just aren't adapted to]]. The way around this was to grow babies in {{Uterine Replicator}}s, until at some point, a way to have a safe natural pregnancy was discovered. All 29 of Quatre's sisters were grown in {{Uterine Replicator}}s. Quatre's mom wanted to give birth to her husband's son (and [[HeirClubForMen heir]]) naturally, and she did, but because she didn't have the workaround (whatever it was) she died right afterwards, with her husband asking her if it was ''really'' worth it. He elects ''not'' to tell Quatre about the circumstances of his birth, so that he wouldn't blame himself, which results in Quatre {{Angst}}ing about being easily replaceable, until the Manguanacs set him straight.

* ''Literature/{{Stormsong}}'' by C.L. Polk: The nobility of Aeland are threatened with a {{Curse}} of sterility by the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Amaranthine]] for the crime of [[spoiler:stealing witches' souls for [[SoulPoweredEngine power]]]]. It's not an idle threat: when an Amaranthine once told an offending king that "You will wither", his wife miscarried on the spot, his entire bloodline became infertile, and his dynasty fell out of power well before it died out.

* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' it's revealed that [[spoiler: [[WellIntentionedExtremist Zeke Yeager]]]]'s master plan is to [[spoiler: MercyKill his entire race by using the power of the Founding Titan to render all Eldians infertile so that future generations [[FantasticRacism wouldn't exist just to suffer at the hands of the other races]].]]

* The ''Series/StargateSG1'' fanfic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3070316/1/Bless-the-Children-Ship-Version Bless the Children]]'' by MaureenT sees SG-1 meet a race of aliens with a fertility problem and an unusual solution, the consequences of which drives the plot of the story.

* ''Literature/{{Semiosis}}'': The second and third generations of human colonists on the planet Pax have high rates of sterility among the men as they adapt to local conditions. It's not severe enough to threaten the colony, but Higgins does have conflicted feelings about being effectively put to stud as a fertile man.

* This is part of the reason of the Elves isolationism in ''Webcomic/ErrantStory'' (That and a healthy dose of OurElvesAreBetter). Misa was the last known full-blooded elf birth and she's 1500 years old. No one knows why and no one's been able to fix it. Note that Elves are only sterile with ''each other''; they can cross-breed with humans with little issue.

** In "Dark Rain", a chemical war has left most of humanity sterile. The rare women with viable pregnancies are sought out by the US government and confined to hospitals so the newborns can be seized as wards of the state.

** Exposure to [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-336 SCP-336]] (Greatly implied to be [[spoiler: UsefulNotes/{{Lilith}}]]) causes this in females.

* In ''The Boyfriend Story'', one of the stories in the horror manga anthology ''Screaming Lessons'', this is brought about by humans perfecting a cell app that allows for the creation of perfect holographic replicas to serve as the existing humans' companions of any sort. Friends, lovers, spouses, children. With this, the need for meaningful human interaction and consequently birth rates plummet, leading to a world populated solely by replicas.