Description
Book SynopsisCatherine Waldby trace how the history of the valuing of human oocytes—the reproductive cells specific to women—intersects with the biological and social life of women.
Trade Review"What Waldby presents so compellingly is that there is an oocyte economy. Eggs have value and meaning, indeed they have different values and meanings in different contexts." -- Jane Maienschein * Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences *
"Waldby has a long and impressive history of publications dealing with the social, political, ethical, and biomedical aspects of changing global markets for stem cells, umbilical cord blood, human eggs, fertilized blastocysts, embryos, and other (by-)products of artificially assisted reproduction." -- A. H. Koblitz * Choice *
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The Oocyte Economy is not only a rigorous study but a riveting read." -- Claire Horn * Women's Review of Books *
"This book offers a fascinating foray into the changing meaning of human oocytes for Western women and reproductive scientists. As such, it is a must-read for scholars of reproduction, and for related courses in anthropology, sociology, gender studies, and the history of science and medicine."
-- Marcia C. Inhorn * Bulletin of the History of Medicine *
"A thought-provoking and original examination of the emergence of an economy premised on deep cultural beliefs about the meaning of oocytes.… Likely to become required reading in medicine, gender, and in the interdisciplinary field of reproduction." -- Rosanna Hertz * Society *
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The Oocyte Economy ultimately provides unparalleled insights into fertility practices to better conceptualize ethical arguments pertaining to assisted reproductive technologies. This book will appeal to social sciences and humanities scholars of medicine, especially those seeking refined theorizing on tissue donation made possible by the unique features of human eggs." -- Nathalie Egalite * International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics *
"A fascinating account of the complex social meanings attached to egg cells and the possibilities and mysteries that technoscience is still unlocking about them. . . .
The Oocyte Economy is replete with historical accounts and quotes from a range of different participants, making this book of particular interest to anybody interested in the expanding reproductive markets with a focus on tissue economies, IVF patients, and reproductive labor." -- Anna Molas * Medical Anthropology Quarterly *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
1. Temporal Oocytes: Fertility and Deep Time 23
2. Twentieth-Century Oocytes: Experiment and Experience 41
3. Precious Oocytes: IVF and the Deficit Spiral 64
4. Global Oocytes: Medical Tourism and the Transaction of Fertility 88
5. Cold-Chain Oocytes: Vitrification and the Formation of Corporate Egg Banks 119
6. Private Oocytes: Personal Egg Banking and Generational Time 114
7. Innovation Oocytes: Therapeutic Cloning and Mitochondrial Donation 161
Conclusion 191
Appendix 199
Notes 205
References 211
Index 231
