title: 'The bloke can be a bit hazy about what's going on': men and cross-border reproductive treatment.
abstract: While social science research has begun to demonstrate the significant impact of infertility and involuntary childlessness for men, far fewer studies have specifically explored the male experience of, or men's involvement in, infertility treatment-seeking and there are few published studies which specifically describe men's experiences with cross-border reproduction. This paper presents data from the first UK study of transnational treatment-seeking and specifically explores men's involvement in this process. Data from interviews with 10 men and 34 women who were seeking treatment abroad are organized according to three themes: 'going along with it'; 'being a rock'; and 'doing their bit'. The paper argues that gender is an important aspect of the cross-border treatment experience and that both traditional and emergent gender identities are expressed in the process of treatment-seeking. Healthcare providers need to actively explore men's perspectives of the treatment process in all locations, to improve quality of care by reducing men's feelings of marginalization and enhancing their experience of treatment, especially but not exclusively, around the issue of semen collection.
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Social Sciences, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK. nhudson@dmu.ac.uk
authors.forename: Nicky
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Culley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D057193:Medical Tourism / Q000523:psychology*; D008571:Men / Q000523:psychology*; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000523:psychology*; D062487:Social Marginalization
keywords: IVF; cross-border reproductive care; fertility tourism; gender; male