title: Stigma: the hidden burden of infertility.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology Soc 107, University of South Florida, Tampa 33620.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Whiteford
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D010819:Physician's Role; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health