Stigma: The hidden burden of infertility
- 1 January 1995
- journal article
- case report
- Published by Elsevier BV in Social Science & Medicine
- Vol. 40 (1), 27-36
- https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(94)00124-c
Abstract
Infertility is experienced by 5 million U.S. couples, some of whom perceive it a stigmatizing condition. Recent technological innovations have created a multitude of medical interventions for those infertile individuals who can financially afford them. For some infertile women, those interventions also transform infertility from a private pain to a public, prolonged crisis. Our research focuses on 25 U.S. women who sought medical treatment for infertility and describes their perception of the stigma associated with infertility. We apply a critical, feminist perspective to our analysis of the women's lived experiences within the social and medical contexts in which they occur.Keywords
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