title: In vitro fertilization and gender politics.
abstract: From the point of view of the couple rather than the individual, infertility is in many ways a social rather than a physiological problem. Originally developed to bypass the blocked or missing Fallopian tubes of infertile women, IVF treatment has expanded to cases of male infertility due to poor sperm motility or low sperm count. In these cases, the woman may be physiologically normal reproductively, but nonetheless must undergo hormonal stimulation, sonargrams, and laparoscopy. Health care professionals so take it for granted that the most sophisticated techniques will be sought for correction of patients' problems that they rarely question patients on their motivations to undergo discomforting, expensive, and possibly dangerous treatments. Despite our culture's emphasis on motherhood, men are often the dominant partner in reproductive decisions. The increasing popularity of the use of IVF treatment in cases of male infertility is understandable in the light of men's investment in biological parenting and women's willingness to take on the physiological responsibility for treatment.
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000628:therapy*; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D012945:Social Values; D014933:Women's Rights