Passet-Wittig, Jasmin; Bujard, Martin (2021)
In: Schneider, Norbert F.; Kreyenfeld, Michaela (Hrsg.): Research Handbook on the Sociology of the Family. United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing: 417–438
DOI: 10.4337/9781788975544.00023
This chapter provides an overview of reproductive medicine in developed countries, with a focus on the implications of MAR for individuals and societies. We start by introducing the relevant medical terminology and most important MAR treatments in Section 2. In Section 3, we discuss how MAR is regulated in developed countries, including which methods are allowed, how the treatment costs are reimbursed, and how these factors are associated with the use of MAR. Next, in Section 4, we shift our perspective to explore the implications of infertility and fertility treatments for MAR users. In Section 5, we examine the health and the development of ‘MAR families’. In Section 6, we discuss how fertility trends and MAR are interrelated. In the final section, we present several conclusions, and discuss avenues for social scientific research in the field of MAR.