Infertility and Non-Traditional Family Building

This book examines the representation of infertility, assisted reproduction, miscarriage, adoption and surrogacy in a wide range of media, including blogs, vlogs, social media posts and factual programming. In so doing, it illustrates how pregnancy loss, involuntary childlessness and non-traditional mothering are being depicted across the media landscape. Whilst the topic of motherhood has emerged as a significant area of academic debate, narratives of unsuccessful or unconventional mothering have remained largely absent, even at a time when there is a growing conversation about infertility online. Timely, pertinent and original, the book demonstrates the importance of a broader and more informed cultural discussion about fertility and family building.

1. Introduction: infertility and non-traditional family building. -2. Infertility: private confessions in a public arena. -3. Assisted reproduction: family, fortunes and fertility clinics. -4. Pregnancy loss: shame and silence over a shared experience. -5. Adoption: eligibility, assessment and selection. -6. Conclusion: future research directions.