1. Introduction: Infertility and Non-Traditional Family Building

Academic disciplines from gender theory, media research and motherhood studies have overlooked the topic of infertility and non-traditional family building in the media. So too, feminist movements have been accused of ignoring the needs of those affected by an infertility diagnosis. In short, we live in a pronatal period in which motherhood is assumed to be a ‘normal’ element of adulthood and indeed a ‘natural’ part of a woman’s life. With this in mind, this chapter foregrounds how little fertility issues are discussed in society, before making the case for a much-needed analysis of infertility and adoption in the media, with a justification for employing phrases that cite controversy such as pregnancy loss, involuntary childlessness and miscarriage.