Infertility and Non-Traditional Family Building by Rebecca Feasey

Author:Rebecca Feasey
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030177874
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Bloggers and clinicians alike can be heard stating ‘wouldn’t it be lovely if just one 40 or 50-something celebrity would come forward, be vulnerable and say “I am a mother via egg donation and I am proud”’ (Global IVF cited in pvedadmin 2013). I am not of course suggesting that these women have used assisted reproductive technologies; indeed, most have not admitted reproductive help of any kind. I am merely pointing out that the exceptional nature of their celebrity birth stories might mislead a generation of women as to the reality of their own fertility options. My concern is simply that the successful celebrity infertility narrative masks statistical facts relating to fertility, pregnancy and new motherhood. And although there is a growing trend towards delaying motherhood, as women in their late thirties and beyond are seen to have children, it is worth noting the rise in what is understood as ‘reproductive complacency’ (Ibid.). After all, a ‘survey of educated young professional women found that 90 per cent thought that they could wait until age 45 to start having their own biological children, even though next to none over 44 are able to, despite advanced technology’ (Bonifazi cited in Feasey 2012, p. 132). After all, the ‘live birth rate for women using assistive reproductive technology … with fresh, nondonor eggs or embryos is 15% at age 40, 5% at 43, and 2% after 43’ (Ibid., p. 132).

The average age of a first-time mother in the UK is increasing (ONS 2013); more women than ever before are having children when they are in their late thirties, early forties and beyond (Ibid.); assisted reproductive technologies are advancing; the number of women taking advantage of such treatments is increasing and more celebrities than ever before are presenting their infertility stories in the women’s tabloid and gossip sector. Although one might suggest that the celebrity infertility confessional can offer hope through identification, by defying the privacy of infertility treatment, the partial account on offer here could perhaps lead to reproductive complacency, false hope or further reinforce the sense of stigma and failure that many infertile women yet to experience their own successful pregnancy are said to be undergoing (Whiteford and Gonzalez 1995), none of which are helpful to individuals or beneficial to society (Feasey 2014).

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