Embryo Culture: Making Babies in the Twenty-First Century

With Embryo Culture, we welcome a thinking woman's guide to the experience of undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Like the recent Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein, it is a personal account of overcoming infertility that covers the attendant marital tension, feelings of frustration and inadequacy, and the ups and downs of medical intervention. Perhaps more interestingly, however, this is also a comprehensive rundown of the soul searching and philosophical speculation that accompanies IVF for the patient, supplemented by facts, statistics and compelling cultural analysis. Kohl deftly leads us through religious attitudes; the ethics, risks and rewards of tampering with nature; and whether IVF represents a symptom of Western consumerist excess when there are so many children awaiting adoption. While the writing about her personal experiences sometimes includes random and artless tangents, Kohl's writing is at its best during the quasi-journalistic, philosophical and analytical passages. Unfortunately, the book does not offer a feminist perspective on women's quest for meaning through parenthood. Kohl laments, "With my polycystic ovaries, I worried I was doomed to a depthless life, and that I'd die with my mothering strength un-tapped and my life purpose unfulfilled." She does not question the non-biological programming that may be in part responsible for feelings of inadequacy related to her infertility, or prompt herself to examine why an educated and accomplished woman might feel doomed to a "depthless life" without children. In recent years, the drive to have their own biological children has driven many infertile women to medical (and financial) extremes, and one is led to wonder whether it is somehow culturally related to the enormous numbers of middle-class women electing to be stay-at-home moms. Both phenomena remind us that the pendulum has swung all the way back from the time that had women questioning the premise of marriage and parenthood as venues for fulfillment. Notwithstanding this potential issue for prospective feminist readers, Embryo Culture is a compelling read and especially helpful for those considering IVF.

Beth Kohl has done a marvelous job making the reader feel as if he or she is a silent observer of the long road to parenthood that she and her husband traveled. From the nitty gritty of IVF to the scary parts of pregnancy to the humor of it all, Beth gives us a rare window into her journey to parenthood. She also outlines and discusses many of the legal, moral and ethical issues raised by IVF and other reproductive technologies, and shares her views on these issues. An excellent read for anyone who is a parent or might become one !