Your coworker asks again when you're finally having kids.
You've thought about just saying you can't.
One sentence, and maybe the questions stop for good.
But you've also seen how a line like that can travel through an office.
Before you say it out loud, treat it as a decision, not a quick script.
Decide what you're actually trying to stop
Start by naming the outcome you want.
You're not trying to punish her for asking.
You want the topic gone, permanently, with no sequel conversation next week.
Most people skip this step and reach for the sharpest line they can think of.
Honest answers rarely land the way you'd expect.
Say "we're not sure yet" and the follow-up isn't relief, it's more questions.
People start asking about your timeline, your money, sometimes your sex life.
An open-ended truth reads as an invitation, not a closed door.
That's why you're considering something firmer.
Firmer doesn't have to mean invented.
It just needs to leave nothing else to ask about.
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Choose the version that can't be traced
Two very different tactics get used here, and they don't carry equal risk.
One is claiming you're pregnant.
That story needs a due date, a bump, eventually an explanation for why neither arrived.
The other is simply saying you can't have children.
That's a closed door, not an unfolding story people can check on.
Nobody asks for updates on a door that's already shut.
This is the middle path, and it's the one most likely to actually hold.
It needs no props, no performance, no follow-up chapter.
You say it once, it's final, and there's nothing to verify.
A pregnancy story needs upkeep for months across every coworker who hears it.
One slipped detail and the whole thing collapses under its own weight.
A flat statement about not having kids asks people to believe one sentence, not a plot.
That's the version that won't blow up in your face later.
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Say it once, and say it flat
How you deliver it matters more than the words themselves.
Perform it like a tragedy, and people respond like it's a tragedy.
They ask questions, offer comfort, want details, check in later.
That's the opposite of what you're trying to do.
Say it flat, like a fact you settled a while ago.
"We're not able to have kids, we've made peace with it" works better than tears.
No pause for sympathy, no invitation to dig deeper.
You're not asking anyone to feel sorry for you.
You're stating a fact and moving the conversation along.
Pair it with a quick pivot, ask about her weekend, shift the subject yourself.
That signals the topic is closed, not paused for later.
People take their cue from your tone more than your actual words.
Calm and final reads as final.
Searching and sad reads as an opening.
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Control the aftermath before it starts
Say it to the person asking, not to the whole office.
If it spreads, it spreads through her retelling, not yours.
That's fine, you don't need to manage every version that circulates.
Resist explaining further if it comes back to you secondhand.
"Yeah, that's just where we landed" closes a follow-up conversation as well as the original line did.
One thing worth watching for.
If you know a coworker is actually struggling with infertility, don't use this line near her.
She's already carrying something heavy and private.
Hearing you claim it casually can feel like mockery of what she's living through.
Save the line for the people being nosy, not for spaces where someone real might be listening.
That distinction is what makes this a boundary instead of a careless one.
No guilt required if you use it with that kind of care.
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Know when this tactic is the wrong tool
This isn't for every version of the question.
If a coworker asks once, out of real warmth, a plain "we're not going there" is enough.
Save the stronger line for the one who's asked five times and ignored every honest answer already.
That repeat offender is the actual audience for this tactic.
Think about future you as well.
If your situation ever changes, walking back this statement is awkward but survivable.
You never gave anyone a timeline to check in the first place.
That's very different from unwinding a pregnancy story with a due date attached to it.
Success here looks quiet, not triumphant.
The coworker stops asking.
Nobody's telling a dramatic story about you over lunch.
You're not rehearsing an answer in the elevator anymore.
No one gets hurt by an overheard line, and no story needs to be kept straight for months.
You said one flat sentence, and the topic actually closed.
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