Patient-Centred IVF

Trudie Gerrits is Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), Netherlands, where she is co-director of the Masters in Medical Anthropology and Sociology (MAS).

“The ethnographic perspective of the book offers a valuable insight into the limitations that patient-centred approaches offer to solving the issues of medicalization in the context of ART. What is more, the book provides a close look into the daily work of health care providers, which is extremely valuable as it offers a careful analysis of health care providers’ interactions with patients, including mundane details often left outside of the analytical gaze.” • Medicine Anthropology Theory“The social scientific study of reproduction is a growing field and scholars in that field will welcome a book on ART in the Dutch context as do a wide range of scholars and general readers interested in either feminism, gender, or health care. Physicians and other medical professionals will be interested in this work due to its clear implications for practice.” • Arthur L. Greil, Alfred University

• AcknowledgementsAbbreviationsIntroductionMedicalization and PersistencePatient-Centred MedicineOutline of the Book
Chapter 1. Studying ARTs: Theory, Context, the Clinic and Methods    Understanding the Use of ARTsDutch Context – Families, Children and ChildlessnessThe Radboud ClinicThe StudyChapter 2. ‘Dutch IVF’. Legislation, Guidelines and Health InsurancesLegislation and GuidelinesHealth Insurance CoverageConclusionChapter 3. The Couples and their Quest for a ChildSocial and Demographic CharacteristicsFacing Fertility Problems: Diverse Points of DepartureCouples’ Quest for a Child: the ProcessComplementary and Alternative MedicineAdoption as a Last ResortConclusionChapter 4. Daily Practices in the Patient-Centred ClinicInterpersonal Aspects of CarePrivacy (or Not)Abundant InformationPsycho-Social Support and EmpathyDecision Making – Multiple  DynamicsConclusionChapter 5. Information and Interpretation. Risks and RatesIVF Success Rates: What Do They Tell Us?Risks: Facts and PerceptionsBeyond Facts – Uncertainty and TrustConclusionChapter 6. The Body and Visualizing TechnologiesGaining Insight in the Reproductive Body and its FlawsVisualization of Reproduction through IVFCase: Louise’s DiaryTrying Once More? Compelling TechnologyConclusionChapter 7. Gendered Suffering and SupportThe Gendered and Unequal Burdens of IVFSharing the Grief of Loss after IVFEssentializing Genetics and Gender DynamicsConclusionChapter 8. Bioethics in PracticeMulti-Disciplinary Ethics MeetingCase: Woman Carrier of a Cancer GeneConcerns in ContextAddressing Ethically Sensitive RequestsConclusionChapter 9. ConclusionDutch IVFBioethics in PracticePatient-Centred PracticesGender Inequality and the Imperative of GeneticsFinal Thoughts: Implications for the Field and Future ResearchAppendicesAppendix I: MethodsAppendix II: Social and Demographic Background Data Of Study  ParticipantsAppendix III: Patients’ or Couples’ Characteristics or Situations Leading to Concerns among Clinic Staff and their Reasons for Withholding TreatmentGlossaryReference listIndex