Understanding Infertility: Personal Journeys and Historical Perspectives

Content Warning: mentions of infertility, pregnancy loss

We’re coming at you with not one, not two, but THREE whole episodes on IVF (in vitro fertilization) and other forms of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) over the next several weeks. Our first episode in this series starts things off with a broad examination of infertility over space and time. We take a closer look at headlines claiming infertility is on the rise, leading us to ask how we assess and measure infertility and whether those headlines take into account the changing meanings of the concept of infertility over human history. After our voyage through the social history of infertility, we explain what to expect when you go in for fertility testing, covering some of the most common causes of infertility and what “unexplained infertility” means as a diagnosis. But perhaps the most important part of this episode and the rest of this series are the firsthand accounts contributed by listeners who share some of the most intimate and emotional parts of their lives. We are forever indebted to all of you. Tune in today for part one of this series!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.