Reproductive agency, assisted reproductive technology & obstetric violence

Abstract

In this article, I draw on ethnographic research I conducted in the UK and Spain. I analyse the experiences of women who chose to become mothers with the assistance of reproductive technologies (ART). All the women intended to have a natural birth in hospital and they reported that hospitals categorised their pregnancies as high-risk on the basis of their age (35-47 years) and the use of ART. How do these women deal with their reproductive treatment? How does hospital culture impact on women's birthing bodies and psyche? What are the struggles they undergo to defend their wish to have a “natural” birth?

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.