Lea Eisenstein

Israel is a pronatalist (birth-promoting) country, in which the government funds virtually unlimited cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF) for all women, between ages 18 and 45, until they have two children. The sociological and anthropological literature on IVF in Israel alludes to the tendency of IVF providers in Israel to downplay the risks of IVF in their communication with patients about the procedure. Yet, current explanations of this tendency are merely speculative. My thesis draws upon two months of ethnographic fieldwork at IVF clinics in Israel to identify key factors that shape provider-patient IVF risk communication in Israel. This thesis demonstrates that the manner in which physicians communicate with their patients about the risks of IVF in Israel is inextricably linked to broader issues of national conflict, budgetary politics, and the socio-cultural dynamics of gender roles in the country. Additionally, this thesis elucidates that the manner in which physicians communicate with patients about IVF risks contributes to women’s sense of access to IVF in Israel, alongside other prominent factors affecting access, such as finance and proximity to IVF clinics.