Infertility is a difficult diagnosis for any woman or couple to hear, and unfortunately the medicalization of infertility has hindered more women than it has helped. In order to better understand a woman’s decision to seek treatment, it is important to examine the concept of medialization in women’s health, to see it the presentation of infertility as a disease plays a role in the decision to seek treatment. Medicalization is defined as the process of taking of a human condition, not previously considered pathological and redefining it as a medical disorder that requires treatment (Maturo, 2012). Medicalization of women’s reproductive health is not a new phenomenon; premenstrual syndrome and menopause have also been labeled as conditions that …show more content…
Medicalization has caused this shift in perception; currently there are three methods of treatment for women: pharmaceutical intervention, intrauterine insemination (IUI), and assisted reproductive technology (ART) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017). Not only does the availability of these treatments increase the pressure to have children, it also compounds the feelings of stress, failure, and isolation felt by a woman when she is unable to conceive. Societal beliefs regarding social norms and women’s roles have also contributed to the advancement of medicalization. Pronatalist societies such as Canada “create pressure for women to reproduce and follow what society has prescribed as normal” (Forsythe, 2009, p.29), which leads to feelings of failure in women who do not live up to the standards set by our society. This belief that women are failures unless they have children, and are incomplete until they have their own biological children has driven many women to seek infertility treatment (Forsythe, 2009). Medicalization, and the societal pressures that drive it, make the decision to seek infertility treatment involuntary for women. By living in a society where the social norm is that motherhood makes you complete, it is difficult to imagine that a woman can make a truly voluntary decision free from internal or external pressures. Although Forsythe’s literature review did present multiple perspectives on the issue of medicalization, it is important to note that none of these perspectives were from women who had chosen to seek infertility
They believe the only issue is with the fertility clinic not doing their part in creating a sound environment that is geared developing a child not money centered. The third author’s outlook lead more towards providing counseling as a direction for the couple’s situation. They believe that its necessary to seek outside help to provide guidance on handling this matter. The stress, tension, and uncertainty that is arising in the individuals that are involves needs a middle man of a professional background to give insight them on how to handle these matters. The last author displayed his opinion as focuses more on incorporating all parties in the process of child birth. The author believes that everyone should not only consider the importance it has on one’s self, on the unborn, and
beliefs of society. If society imposed a law that it was immoral to have children if you are extremely poor because u can not provide for them and the child’s life wont be satisfying, one could argue that with a little time the mother could move out of poverty and thus have a “good” life, or that the child may find life satisfying without much beyond basic necessities. The author claims that mandatory testing will be beneficial because it can help produce healthy children, yet assumes that all pregnant women at risk will get tested. If testing becomes mandatory many woman who avoid testing, either out of the fear of knowing if they have the disease or that they will pressured into terminating the pregnancy, many woman may avoid prenatal care all together, thus imposing more health risks on the fetus and the mother.
Mary Zimmerman framed that women have not had ultimate control over their own bodies and health as a fundamental assumption underlying women’s health movement. Men control and dominate a huge portion of the of decision making roles in the healthcare field, such as health related research, health policy etc. Whereas women are more seen in social positions. According to the article “The Women’s Health Movement” by Mary K. Zimmerman, the concept of medicalization is the “increasing tendency to apply medical definitions and control to phenomena not previously thought of as medical problems (Zola, 1972; Conrad and Schneider, 1980). In the 1950’s a drug called Thalidomide was created by a German company, claiming that it was safe for pregnant women. Although many women were still using this drug during this time, in 1961, reports began to surface that this drug was causing several birth defects and other health problems. The author presented the Thalidomide case as an example of medicalization by showing us the potential consequences of a style medical
All of the women are to take contraceptives in order to prevent pregnancy (Huxley 38). Babies are now decanted from bottles in factories, and strictly monitored and conditioned throughout development. To have a child naturally is deemed uncivilized, and would be a massive embarrassment to a woman, so all the girls are extremely careful about taking their birth control regularly. Unlike America, where hundreds of children are born each day to mothers without shame. According to the Curriculum Review, in the year 2009, over four-hundred thousand babies were born to mothers here in America, between the ages of 15 and 19 (Responding To Teen Pregnancy, 10). Woman here in America take pride in their pregnancies, even taking pregnancy photographs for memorabilia, and using their nine months of expecting to happily prepare for the coming of their child developing in their womb. The majority of mothers here in America would say pregnancy is difficult, but a life changing experience that leaves their heart filled with more love than they ever thought
Oakley, Ann. “Beyond The Yellow Wallpaper.” Reproductive Health Matters 5.10 (1997): 29-39. JSTOR. Web. 7 April 2011.
3. Chandra A; Martinez GM, Mosher WD, Abma JC, Jones J (November 2005). Fertility, Family Planning, and Reproductive Health of U.S.Women: Data From the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. Hyattsville, Maryland: US Department of Health and Human Services. pp. 17, 90. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
Being a mother is a lifelong job that requires copious time, energy, and money. There are myriad different reasons in which a woman would consider getting an abortion. The decision is often tragic and painful for the mother. It is one of the biggest choices a woman will make. Many people have strong beliefs about abortion, and if a mother makes a decision that they do not agree with they sometimes turn against the mother, and enkindle egregious feelings about their decision for the rest of their life. Indeed a woman may not get an abortion for selfish reasons or out of convenience, but out of a desire to protect certain important values such as her own health or a decent standard of living for the other members of the family. Additional intentions for having abortion include rape, financial difficulties, obligation by family members, or danger to the baby’s health (Roleff
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2.1 million married couples experience troubles with infertility. Infertility is defined as trying for over a year and not becoming pregnant for women under 35 and trying for six months for women over 35. The cause of the infertility is a male factor one third of the instances, female another third, ten percent of the cause is a combination of both male and female factors and the remaining twenty percent is not apparent. In vitro fertilization is a process that tries to eliminate the problems inherent in the mother and father. It involves an egg is fer...
Since promoting birth control was still illegal in many states, the FDA approved the hormone pills for menstrual disorders, such as irregular periods or PMS. By 1960, the FDA had approved the first oral contraceptive tablet, Envoid, and by 1965 millions of women were on “The Pill”. That same year, the Supreme Court struck down state laws that prohibited contraception use, though only for married couples. Unmarried people were out of luck until 1972, when birth control was deemed legal for all (Seigel). The Pill was not without critics. Many people pointed to the contraceptive as the trigger that changed society. The fact that its rise coincided with feminism and the sexual revolution added fuel to the fire. “Some African-American leaders were especially critical of the Pill, claiming that it was being peddled in their community for the purpose of a “black genocide”(NIBH). However, nothing stopped the Pill from catching on. The Pill was an international revolution as well. Today, more than 100 million women worldwide use the Pill to prevent pregnancy. Yet access to safe and effective birth control still isn’t a universal privilege. A report from the Guttmacher Institute in 2012 found that 222 million women in developing countries want to use birth control, but are not currently able to access modern contraceptives (GLOWM). Even in the U.S., there has been a political push to restrict access. The rise of “religious bills” has also meant that hospital employees, pharmacists, and employer’s religious views on birth control can refuse to fill prescriptions or cover employee’s insurance coverage for contraception. History has shown that women and men will risk their lives or reputations for effective birth control. Restricted access to contraceptives does not necessarily mean that women will not be able to prevent pregnancies, but
Every day, an overwhelming amount of human beings’ lives are terminated. The culprit: unwanted pregnancies. Many woman are (not by choice), becoming pregnant as a result of unsafe sex, rape, and other things. So what is one to do when they discover that they’re pregnant? They have some alternatives: (1) have the child and raise it (2) have the child, then give it up for adoption (3) get an abortion. Sadly, many women choose alternative three, unaware of what they’re getting themselves into.
“Managing Infertility.” USNews.com. Stanford University Medical Center, 31 Mar. 2007. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. .
We have all heard stories of a friend or family member trying to conceive but failing at it for unknown reasons. They spend years, thousands of dollars and many tears only to still not conceive. Then, the woman is finally given the diagnosis of endometriosis. Based on statistical evidence and studies endometriosis is the leading cause of infertility in woman of reproductive age. Not only is it a devastating diagnosis but also an extremely hard disease to diagnosis. At times getting misdiagnosed and ignored by medical professionals. Leading to more years of pain for the woman suffering from a very debilitating disease.
When one contemplates the concept of eugenics, few think of modern contraception and abortion when in reality they are one in the same. The American Eugenics Society, founded in 1923, proudly proclaimed that men with incurable “conditions” should be sterilized. However these conditions were often none that could be helped, such as, one’s intelligence, race, and social class (Schweikart and Allen 529-532). The purpose of the society was to create the perfect class of men; elite in all ways. Likewise, Margaret Sanger’s feminist, contraceptive movement was not originally founded with this purpose. It was marketed as a way to control the population and be merciful to those yet to be born, again determined also by race and intelligence. The similarities in purpose actually brought the two organizations together to form a “liberating movement” to “aid women” known today as Planned Parenthood (Schweikart and Allen 529-532). The name may sound harmless, but the movement hid a darker purpose, to wean out the lower and less educated in order to create a perfect class.
"The Costs of Infertility Treatment." RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. Family Building Magazine/WIN Fertility, 2006. Web
Women’s reproductive rights are a global issue in today’s world. Women have to fight to have the right to regulate their own bodies and reproductive choices, although in some countries their voices are ignored. Abortion, sterilization, contraceptives, and family planning services all encompass this global issue of women’s reproductive rights.