1. Prologue
1.1. Amira, 40-years old, enters an IVF clinic since she is having trouble conceiving. During her first marriage she was pregnant 4 times (all ended in abortion). Now that she is in a happy, second marriage, she wants to get pregnant but is unable due to her husband's fertility issues.
1.1.1. Hope
1.1.1.1. Now that she is in a happy, second marriage, Amira wants to get pregnant but has been unable due to her husband's fertility issues. They move and are able to find an IVF clinic.
1.1.2. Resignation
1.1.2.1. Amira and her husband try six times to concieve via IVF but are unsuccessful.
1.1.2.2. Amira blames her previous abortions as "sin" and says that her inability to have a child now is a punishment from God. She struggles with her lifelong desire for a big, big family. She will never get it.
2. Chapter 1
2.1. Demand for IVF is growing around the world, but especially in Third World societies in the Middle East such as Egypt.
2.1.1. The Global Demand for New Reproductive Technologies
2.1.2. Demography and Epidemiology
2.1.2.1. Infertility is a global health issue. Between 29.4 and 44.1 percent of those infertile people are Muslim. What does this mean? That "infertility belt" will be a hotbed of people searching for other ways to concieve.
2.1.2.2. Infertility is considered a "woman's problem" causing many couples to flock to IVF clinics.
2.1.3. Fertility-Infertility Dialectic and Pronatalism
2.1.3.1. Infertile women in this area are more at risk for HIV and other diseases.
2.1.3.2. Women in these countries also desire children more. This is due to economic and social reasons. Social power and perpetuity mostly.
2.1.4. Gendered Suffering and Social Stigma
2.1.4.1. Infertility leads to much gendered suffering and social stigma. This is due to the fact that most women around the world can only prove social status with their existence in motherhood.
2.1.4.2. Infertile women are often ostracized. Community members may harass them. Infertile women are regarded as "socially invisible."
2.1.5. Adoption Restrictions
2.1.5.1. In Muslim communites, adoption is deemed inappropriate. The adopted child is an "outsider."
2.1.5.2. Adopted children are highly stigmatized.
2.1.6. Health Care Seeking
2.1.6.1. Women seek traditional and non-traditional forms of health care when they are faced with infertility problems.
2.1.6.2. Infertility treatments in Egypt are not coordinated and the people believe that such facilities don't have their best interest at heart.
2.1.7. The Local in the Global
2.1.7.1. New reproductive technologies aren't transferred completely when they enter new societies.
2.1.7.2. Global dispersion of such technologies has to enter each culture. They are often very expensive and difficult for people to achieve.
2.1.8. Local Actors in Moral Worlds
2.1.8.1. The book is based on stories about real people. They are the "actors."
2.1.8.1.1. Egyptian patients of IVF clinics are often more religious than westerners. Their moral compass will be set up much differently.
2.1.9. Time, Place, and People
2.1.9.1. This book surrounds different people in different places and time periods.