'Tries, Sighs and Lullabies': Anthology sheds light on taboo subject of infertility

From a newlywed woman who was born without a womb to a Bhopal-based homosexual couple trying to have a family of their own, a new anthology, ''Tries, Sighs and Lullabies: The Untold Stories of Infertility'', chronicles some of the most intimate and real-life stories of loss, hope, endurance and sacrifice.

The book, written by leading IVF specialist Dr Anjali Malpani and published by Westland Books, brings up issues about the patriarchal society and its judgement of infertility, especially when it comes to women.

It will be released on July 1 on the occasion of 'National Doctors Day' in India.

''Dr Anjali Malpani is a pioneer in the field of fertility treatment in India and successfully manages to capture the emotional, physical, and social dimensions of these complex stories in the book. Through her empathetic and resonant writing, she provides an honest look at the traumas and triumphs involved in the journey of infertility,'' said the publishers in a statement.

''The book throws light upon a subject like infertility during a time when it was considered a stigma and when the usage of words like sperm and semen were considered a taboo,'' they added.

Dr Malpani has been credited for starting India's first sperm bank in 1990 and performing the first pregnancy in India using GIFT (gamete intrafallopian transfer).

Till date, around 15,000 babies have been born as a result of Dr Malpani's treatments.

Besides women infertility, the book also discusses the question of male infertility and the reluctance of acceptance, along with ethics related to egg donation by young women in India.

Some of the highlighted stories in the book include a man who is infertile not by birth but because he was one of the unfortunate victims of the mass sterilization drive during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s time of emergency in 1976, and a woman who undergoes 17 unsuccessful cycles of IVF only to triumph at the 18th attempt.

The founder-director of Malpani Infertility Clinic, Mumbai -- one of India's first private IVF clinics -- Dr Malpani is a professor emeritus at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai and has also authored several bestselling books that have been translated into multiple languages.