Inconceivable Conceptions

It is over two decades since the first test-tube baby was born. During this period a new belief that all infertile women can now have babies has become widely accepted; indeed, infertile couples may feel great pressure to seek a medical solution. However, the psychological and social effects of the changing experiences of infertility remain confusing, both for those who experience infertility and for wider society. In this book, a distinguished range of contributors, including novelist Hilary Mantel and Germaine Greer, examine the experience of infertility from both male and female perspectives, the psychological aspects of infertility diagnosis and treatment, and the often radical and unexpected effects on kinship. Drawing from a wide range of theoretical backgrounds including Jungian, analytical, and compelling personal reflections, this book aims to unravel the implications of advancing reproductive technology for our understanding of ourselves and our families.

Juliet Miller is a Jungian Analyst in full time private practice in London. Prior to training as an analyst she worked as a writer and producer/director of documentaries and made films on many aspects of women's, environmental and social issues. Jane Haynes is a Jungian Analyst working in full time private practice in central London.

Introduction Jane Haynes, Juliet Miller, Introduction. Dickinson B. Cowan, Assisted Reproductive Technology and the Fertility Clinic. Experiencing Infertility. Hilary Mantel, Clinical Waste. Ronald Higgins, One Man's Story. Psychological Aspects,Joan Raphael-Leff, Eros And Art. Juliet Miller, Mourning the Never Born and the Loss of The Angel. Michael Pawson, The Battle With Mortality and the Urge to Procreate. Sammy Lee, Myth And Reality In Male Infertility. George Christie, Ann Morgan, Love, Hate and the Generative Couple. Changing Patterns Of Kinship. Emma Scrimgeour, The Story Of Seth's Egg. Flora Srimgeour, Seth. Monica Konrad, Gifts Of Life In Absentia: Regenerative Fertility And The Puzzle Of The 'Missing Genetrix'. Jane Haynes, Women's Work: The Practice of Donor Insemination Amongst Some Lesbian Women. Sue Stewart-Smith, Egg Donation: The Mission to Have a Child. The Shadow. Diane Finiello Zervas, Dark Reflections: The Shadow Side of Assisted Reproductive Techniques. Afterword, Germaine Greer , Afterword. Appendix. Glossary of terms used in ART (assisted reproductive technology). Index.