Revisiting “her” infertility: Medicalized embodiment, self-identification and distress

Doing Gender, Doing Surveys? Women's Gatekeeping and Men's Non‐Participation in Multi‐Actor Reproductive Surveys

“…Counter to our expectations, women who reported experiencing primary infertility (difficulty conceiving a first pregnancy) were less likely to object to partner callbacks (OR = .50, p < .01) and women who reported ever having had an abortion were also less likely to object to partner callbacks (OR = .39, p < .01). While we expected that women with primary infertility might be more likely to gatekeep because of how infertility tends to be constructed as “her” problem (Greil ; Johnson and Fledderjohann ), it is possible that women were less likely to gatekeep because they thought the study was more relevant to their partner (i.e., salience) since it was specifically a study on fertility problems. The finding on abortion is particularly intriguing because it is also counter to our expectation that women might be less willing to allow access to a partner because of the cultural stigmatization of abortion in the United States (Norris et al.…”

‘Just because a doctor says something, doesn't mean that [it] will happen’: self‐perception as having a Fertility Problem among Infertility Patients

“…In contrast, some women push for diagnosis, having already perceived a problem (Becker and Nachtigall , Greil et al . , Johnson and Fledderjohann ). Why there are differences in these trends is, as of yet, unknown.…”

“…Some studies suggest that whereas some women perceive a problem only after receiving a diagnosis, other women self-identify as having a fertility problem after both diagnosis and treatment. In contrast, some women push for diagnosis, having already perceived a problem (Becker and Nachtigall 1992, Greil et al 2011a, Johnson and Fledderjohann 2012. Why there are differences in these trends is, as of yet, unknown.…”

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Infertility: Cultural and Religious Influences in a Multicultural Canadian Setting

“…Other studies found that African and Arab women were not considered ''real'' women unless they had children, and were at a higher risk for domestic abuse. 9,[36][37][38] In Western biomedical models of treatment, the woman's body becomes the primary focus of infertility treatment, regardless of the physiologic cause of infertility, 3,39,40 highlighting the fact that Western culture is not exempt from the female-focused bias in infertility and assisted reproductive technology. Given these findings, it is possible that the greater use of CAM among our non-Western female participants was influenced by culturally based beliefs that they were responsible for infertility.…”