Infertility

Originally published in 1989, Infertility looks at how fertility treatments fail women. At the time there was disturbing evidence of medical malpractice and invasive technologies which violated women’s bodies and took a heavy toll on their lives. Here for the first time, women – from all over the world – tell their own stories about: the pain and stigma of infertility; never-ending cycles of drugs and hormone injections; the trauma of the ‘test-tube baby’ method (IVF); their unmet hopes when technology fails – yet again; the damage caused by experimental medicine and surgery; how they have been exploited as so-called ‘surrogate’ mothers. These shocking stories shattered the myths of benevolent doctors working in the interests of women. The women who speak out in this book offer support and suggest alternative strategies for other people with fertility problems. Their experiences show that we urgently need to resist the false promise of reproductive technologies if all women are not to become test-sites for medical experimentation and scientific ambition. Still often discussed today it is considered a classic in the field.