The Labours of Eve: Women’s Experience of Infertility

Test-tube babies, virgin births, post-menopausal mothers, surrogate grandmothers: in the last half-century efforts to control fertility and birth have undergone convulsive changes. Amidst this welter of change, many women facing heart-rending decisions have found themselves using, abusing or even breaking the law with a clear conscience. In this book, tied to a BBC Television series, some of them tell the stories of what has happened to them: the side-effects of drugs, the physical and mental traumas, and the often degrading nature of the treatment. There are also amusing aspects: how they interpret the strange language of the professionals, how information always seems to come at inopportune moments, and how planning sex becomes a logistical nightmare. With detailed descriptions of the diagnostic techniques and medical treatments which are currently available for each individual problem, the book offers a contribution to our understanding of reproductive technbology, and the practical and emotional problems it brings into women’s lives.