In Fertility - by Kathryn Blaze Baum (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From award-winning journalist Kathryn Blaze Baum, a powerful account of one woman's quest for answers--and a miracle--from the big business of fertility.

After having their first child without issue, Kathryn and her husband were trying for a second. She suffered one miscarriage after another, and ultimately turned to in vitro fertilization for help. A fertility odyssey ensued: two IVF clinics, many failed embryo transfers, two surrogates, more than 100 transvaginal ultrasounds and an untold number of blood draws. She gave herself hundreds of injections. Had nearly two hundred eggs removed from her body. And spent hundreds of thousands of dollars. But a story told in numbers is far from the whole picture.

While Kathryn's struggles were extreme, they're also alarmingly common. It's not often, though, that an investigative reporter with the skill to probe her own quest and the fertility sector more broadly finds herself at the centre of the story. Using her own experiences as a jumping-off point to propel a page-turning personal narrative, one of Canada's top journalists gives voice to the women and families at the industry's mercy. She dives deep into a world ripe for scrutiny while peeling back layers, exploring the exhilarating highs and the devastating lows of her own journey. Countless hours of research and more than 100 interviews later, Kathryn shines a light on the key players and pressing issues in the realm of assisted reproduction. Her examination of the industry delves into matters of access, ethics, the law, trauma, economics and the relationships between clinics, surrogacy agencies and patients--whose needs and best interests aren't always the priority.

Perhaps most importantly, In Fertility asks the difficult questions and uncovers essential truths for anyone embarking on their own fertility journey. The result is a tour de force, with an incredible plot twist, that will leave you feeling shocked, uplifted, informed and hopeful.

Review Quotes

Praise for In Fertility

"A remarkable story that will resonate with so many readers on their own journeys in fertility."
--Leah Hazard, bestselling author of Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began

"Kathryn Blaze Baum's In Fertility is a must-read for anyone embarking on the uncertain journey of starting or growing a family. Baum does for infertility what Emily Oster did for pregnancy--this is both a riveting personal account that is candid and thoughtful, and a highly informative and balanced exploration of an industry and process that touches so many, yet few know the truth about. I'm so grateful this book exists, and for Baum's brave and compassionate voice."
--Ashley Audrain, bestselling author of The Push and The Whispers

"In Fertility is a powerful, deeply-needed guide for anyone struggling to get pregnant. It's also an invaluable resource for the people in their lives who are supporting them. I wish I had had something like this when so many of my friends were in the trenches. The book is part impeccably reported science journalism, part memoir, and at times reads almost like a thriller."
--Robyn Doolittle, award-winning journalist and bestselling author of Had It Coming

"In Fertility is both memoir and exposé, but it reads like a page-turner. Kathryn Blaze Baum brings her seasoned journalist's unflinching eye to an industry where costs and stakes run sky-high--and business is conducted inside women's bodies, including the author's own. In Fertility illuminates a subject of intimate importance to millions of Canadians, and makes visible the suffering that is too often invisible. It is also a gripping story, movingly told."
--Emma Knight, Giller-shortlisted author of The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus

"Anyone considering fertility treatments should first read this book. In Fertility is a no-holds-barred examination of the labyrinthine process, the medical minutiae, the multi-billion-dollar baby-making industry, and the punishing costs (physical, emotional and financial), combined with Kathryn Blaze Baum's deeply personal reflections on the life-altering impacts of IVF and surrogacy."
--André Picard, award-winning health reporter and bestselling author of Neglected No More

"Kathryn Blaze Baum expertly weaves her deeply personal fertility saga with an incisive investigation of the fertility industry and a thoughtful exploration of the ethics of surrogacy. The result is a brave, vulnerable and unflinchingly honest book that will be a source of wisdom and solace for countless couples on their journeys to parenthood."
--Alexandra Posadzki, award-winning author of Rogers v. Rogers: The Battle for Control of Canada's Telecom Empire

"A deeply informative indictment of our judgmental baby-mad culture that blames people with uteruses for their failure--and, yes, we treat it as failure--to bear children, and then fails them medically, financially, logistically and informationally when they seek help."
--Anna Mehler Paperny, bestselling author of Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me

About the Author

KATHRYN BLAZE BAUM is an award-winning investigative reporter with The Globe and Mail. Since joining The Globe in 2013, she has probed systemic failures related to criminal justice, healthcare, immigration and child welfare, raised awareness of Indigenous issues and exposed gaps in government oversight. Kathryn has won two National Newspaper Awards and has been a finalist for the prestigious Michener Award for public-service journalism. Kathryn lives in Toronto with her family.