"Nobody thinks twice about asking": women with a fertility problem and requests for information.
For women with a fertility problem, responding to questions about childbearing, pregnancy, and the nature of infertility is a salient issue. In this study of talking about infertility, women described their experiences in handling such requests for information. Results suggest that requests come in a variety of forms, that women attribute multiple and potentially conflicting meanings to such requests, and that requests can elicit a variety of responses. From a communication standpoint, such inquiries suggest the varied ways that conversational partners can attempt to elicit disclosive information, thus enabling or constraining the emergent nature of the interaction.
Bute
Jennifer J
JJ
School of Communication Studies, Ohio University, Lasher Hall, Athens, OH 45701, USA. bute@ohio.edu
D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility; D008875:Middle Aged; D018907:Privacy; D012650:Self Disclosure