IVF and Assisted Reproduction

This is the first transnational history of IVF and assisted reproduction. It is a key text for scholars and students in social science, history, science and technology studies (STS), cultural studies, and gender and sexuality studies, and a resource for journalists, policymakers, and anyone interested in assisted reproduction. IVF was seen as revolutionary in 1978 when the first two IVF babies were born, in the UK and India. Assisted reproduction has now contributed to the birth of around ten million people. The book traces the work of IVF teams as they developed new techniques and laid the foundations of a multi-billion-dollar industry. It analyses the changing definitions and experience of infertility, the markets for eggs and children through surrogacy, cross-border reproductive treatment, and the impact of regulation. Using interviews with leading IVF figures, archives, media reports, and the latest science, it is a vital addition to the field of reproduction studies.  

‘This pathbreaking account of the global forces behind the rapid rise of the fertility industry is the first to offer such a truly comprehensive overview of this hugely important topic.’ 

—Sarah Franklin, Chair of Sociology, University of Cambridge 

‘In this compelling overview of one of the most significant technological and social interventions ever developed, the cultural and scientific imaginaries of assisted reproduction meet the obdurate histories of laboratory experiments, biological materials, and personal quests. It is an indispensable read for anyone interested in IVF and assisted reproduction.’ 

—Andrea Whittaker, Professor of Anthropology, Monash University

 

“Both books achieve their aims well. … these two books serve well in providing insight into AR practice world-wide … . Both books offer much of interest and value to those with an interest in this domain: AR practitioners, regulators and policy makers, students and researchers, and general readers seeking to understand the growth, complexity, and impact of the world-wide AR industry.” (Ian Smith, Australian Journal of Asian Law, Vol. 23 (2), 2022)

“It is this emphasis on the social, cultural and political – as well as the medical and scientific– that sets this book apart from standard medical histories. … This will be an indispensable reference work for historians of AR, as it maps out the research, clinical, regulatory and societal paths – including dead ends – towards the point we are at now and poses important questions for how we can understand the opportunities and risks AR poses into the future.” (Sianan Healy, History Australia, Vol. 19 (1), 2022)

“Each of the seven chapters has a rich section of references and notes that are very much worth looking at in detail. ... The book can be of interest to a wide audience. ... information useful to those who are new to the field of reproduction studies and also to those more established. ... Here the reader will find an extensive list of scholarly literature … . It also works as a case study book.” (Sandra Patricia Gonzalez Santos, Reproductive Biomedicine & Society Online, Vol. 14, March, 2022)



“IVF and Assisted Reproduction: A Global History manages to give voice to the complexity and depth of its subject area while also providing a sense of the global and national contexts … . Ferber, Marks and Mackie have provided an impressive overview of the history of IVF and assisted reproduction that is readable and empirically detailed. Their book provides the reader with a broad familiarity with the multiple global forces that have driven the continual development of these technologies.” (Erica Millar, Australian Historical Studies, January 24, 2022)



“Commanding an enormous literature in a relatively short book, they give a sober-minded and clearly written overview of the techno-scientific, medical, political, cultural, and economic history … . the book’s clear and balanced exposition, divided with helpful section headers, makes it a pleasant and engaging read. It should be especially useful to historians of technology who are unfamiliar with IVF or its global context, and could work well in conjunction with narrative history/anthropology or primary sources for undergraduate instruction.” (Lara Freidenfelds, Technology and Culture, Vol. 63 (1), January, 2022)

“The book is well structured, informative, blending local analysis with local storytelling. … As a scholar with an interest in AR, I enjoyed reading the book. I have learned new facts … . As a result of this reading, my understanding of AR’s history is now grounded on more data and well-rounded … . The book can be an assigned reading to teach advanced undergraduate seminars or graduate classes on AR’s social and political aspects … .” (Andrea Boggio, Monash Bioethics Review, Vol. 39, 2021)

“This pathbreaking account of the global forces behind the rapid rise of the fertility industry is the first to offer such a truly comprehensive overview of this hugely important topic.” (Sarah Franklin, Chair of Sociology, University of Cambridge)

“In this compelling overview of one of the most significant technological and social interventions ever developed, the cultural and scientific imaginaries of assisted reproduction meet the obdurate histories of laboratory experiments, biological materials, and personal quests. It is an indispensable read for anyone interested in IVF and assisted reproduction.” (Andrea Whittaker, Professor of Anthropology, Monash University)

 

Sarah Ferber is Professor of History at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Her books include: Bioethics in Historical Perspective (2013), and the co-edited The Reproductive Industry: Intimate Experiences and Global Processes (2019), and The Body Divided: Human Beings and Human ‘Material’ in Modern Medical History (2011).   

Nicola J. Marks is Senior Lecturer at the University of Wollongong. She researches the social dimensions of science and medicine, including stem cell research and IVF, and is co-editor of The Reproductive Industry: Intimate Experiences and Global Processes (2019). 

Vera Mackie is Senior Professor of Asian and International Studies at the University of Wollongong. She is co-author of Remembering Women’s Activism (2019), co-editor of The Reproductive Industry: Intimate Experiences and Global Processes (2019), and The Social Sciences in the Asian Century (2015).