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Episode 17 - An Anthropologist's Take on Assisted Reproductive Technology
One complaint I often hear from the women I work with is that fertility treatment can feel so cold and clinical and like you’re put on a conveyor belt where one procedure just leads to the next one.
On this episode of the podcast, I talk to medical anthropologist Trudie Gerrits, who specializes in assisted reproductive technology. We discuss how the interaction between the doctors, the people facing fertility problems and technology affect the way people think about fertility treatment and how they go about their decision-making.
In particular, Trudie underlines the importance of taking a step back every now and then to see if you’re still on track with your treatment process and the need to be aware of the danger that you start to see your body in medical terms only.
Top quotes:
“People have the feeling that they are so close to a pregnancy. And the things that doctors and nurses say with good intentions, ‘wow, your embryos look so good’, there’s the creation of hope there. But then you have the two weeks of anxious waiting coming on. And that’s where most treatments fail. Being more aware of those sorts of dynamics might influence the way you consider the next step of treatment.” - Trudie Gerrits
“I felt so helpless in treatment and that would activate my fight response. But once I realized that, I started telling my doctors how I actually felt and that completely changed the dynamic of our conversations.” - Françoise Molenaar
“Be aware of the seducing mechanisms that occur in that medical environment. It’s not about accusing the system. But make sure for yourself that you’re in charge of your own pathway and that you’re not only following what is being offered and what is possible but follow your own steps and what you feel is good for you.” - Trudie Gerrits
Book recommendation: Gerrits, T. (2016). Patient-centred IVF: Bioethics and care in a Dutch clinic. (Fertility, reproduction and sexuality; No. 33). New York: Berghahn Books.
About Trudie Gerrits
Trudie is Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). In 2008, she received her PhD (cum laude ) at the University of Amsterdam based on her dissertation, which is a hospital ethnography entiteld 'Clinical Encounters. Dynamics of patient-centred practices in a Dutch fertility clinic'. You can find out more about her work here: https://www.uva.nl/en/profile/g/e/g.j.e.gerrits/g.j.e.gerrits.html
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By That Fertile Feeling - The PodcastOne complaint I often hear from the women I work with is that fertility treatment can feel so cold and clinical and like you’re put on a conveyor belt where one procedure just leads to the next one.
On this episode of the podcast, I talk to medical anthropologist Trudie Gerrits, who specializes in assisted reproductive technology. We discuss how the interaction between the doctors, the people facing fertility problems and technology affect the way people think about fertility treatment and how they go about their decision-making.
In particular, Trudie underlines the importance of taking a step back every now and then to see if you’re still on track with your treatment process and the need to be aware of the danger that you start to see your body in medical terms only.
Top quotes:
“People have the feeling that they are so close to a pregnancy. And the things that doctors and nurses say with good intentions, ‘wow, your embryos look so good’, there’s the creation of hope there. But then you have the two weeks of anxious waiting coming on. And that’s where most treatments fail. Being more aware of those sorts of dynamics might influence the way you consider the next step of treatment.” - Trudie Gerrits
“I felt so helpless in treatment and that would activate my fight response. But once I realized that, I started telling my doctors how I actually felt and that completely changed the dynamic of our conversations.” - Françoise Molenaar
“Be aware of the seducing mechanisms that occur in that medical environment. It’s not about accusing the system. But make sure for yourself that you’re in charge of your own pathway and that you’re not only following what is being offered and what is possible but follow your own steps and what you feel is good for you.” - Trudie Gerrits
Book recommendation: Gerrits, T. (2016). Patient-centred IVF: Bioethics and care in a Dutch clinic. (Fertility, reproduction and sexuality; No. 33). New York: Berghahn Books.
About Trudie Gerrits
Trudie is Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). In 2008, she received her PhD (cum laude ) at the University of Amsterdam based on her dissertation, which is a hospital ethnography entiteld 'Clinical Encounters. Dynamics of patient-centred practices in a Dutch fertility clinic'. You can find out more about her work here: https://www.uva.nl/en/profile/g/e/g.j.e.gerrits/g.j.e.gerrits.html