Has “Technofertility” Taken Over?

When you have a few minutes (because it’s pretty darn long), go check out this article at Psychology Today entitled, “Who Stole Fertility?”

Originally written for the 1996 March/April issue of Psychology Today Magazine, this article stills feels timely and relevant. I’ve had this page bookmarked for a while and have been digesting it in bits. Don’t be turned off by the first paragraph which states:

Contrary to popular belief, there is no infertility crisis sweeping the nation. We’ve just lost all conception of what it takes to conceive. Reproductive technology has made us impatient with nature. So for increasing numbers of couples the creation of a new human being has become a strangely dehumanizing process.

Because what follows is actually a quite thoughtful and thorough discussion of infertility, assisted reproduction and the role it is now playing in our lives. And, pages later, the article finally does admit that it is nearly impossible to determine whether or not infertility in men is rising or falling and,

Although infertility rates are not on the rise overall, Creighton University sociologist Shirley Scritchfield, Ph.D., points out that they are rising among some subgroups of the population: all young women between the ages of 20 and 24 and women of color.

A rise in sexually transmitted diseases, which can permanently harm reproductive organs, is seen as a primary reason.

The article explores why couples go through such lengths to reproduce and how the insertion of technology into the mix can both dehumanize the process and intensify the desire to add a new human to the family:

Couples undergoing intensive fertility treatments lose their wide-angle perspective on life. They may fall behind in their careers and cut themselves off from friends and family, all in the narcissistic pursuit of cloning their genes. Technology may provide us with the illusion that it’s helping us control our reproductive fate, but in reality, it just adds to the narcissism. “The higher tech the treatment, the more inwardly focused couples become,” says Doherty.

I’m not sure if I agree with those assumptions, but I don’t mind these conclusions:

“Most couples who seek fertility treatment are committed enough to their relationship that they will go through pain and suffering to have a child together,” says Pasch. And if they have the skills to address their problem, their relationships tend to become stronger—even if they never have a baby.”

I would love to hear your take on Psychology Today’s take on “technofertility.”

…after you add your entry to the latest Green Giveaway, which features the kind of high tech Fertility Scope.