ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the available data on the incidence and prevalence of infertility. It identifies the factors that redefined reproductive capacities and incapacities leading to the perception of an infertility epidemic and its appropriate resolution. The chapter suggests that the increased concern about infertility reveals a social redefinition of reproductive capacities and impairments. It argues that recent attention to infertility reflects new social constructions more than an epidemic in biological subfecundity. The focus on new diagnostic and treatment protocols appears to signal a redefinition of the infertility experience. Persons now perceive that not only can the source of infertility be diagnosed, but it can be treated. The structure and organization of current health care system mitigate against such a change of course. As Fisher points out, the United States medical care system is controlled by the private sector, which has a disproportionate investment in revenue-generating technology and illness-oriented treatment.
