Ever since starting MOTHER-podcast, I’ve wanted to produce an episode that unpacks reproductive technology in a comprehensive and thought-provoking way.
We are living in an unprecedented moment when the declining fertility rate is driving public policies around the world. From the US to Sweden and China, governments are grappling with how having fewer children will impact their economies long term. At the same time, technological innovation is accelerating faster than ever. So rapidly, in fact, that what once seemed like science fiction (creating embryos from skin cells, growing babies in artificial wombs) is beginning to feel possible. Meanwhile, women are making new life choices from solo motherhood and child-free living to building extraordinary careers and having it all.
Whether we agree with it or not, technological progress in reproductive tech will continue. How will it impact women? And how do we shape this progress in a way that empowers us, rather than letting it slip into something dystopian?
It took me almost 2 years to find the perfect person to explore all of this.
Meet Joyce Harper, an internationally renowned, award-winning scientist, Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London, Institute for Women’s Health. Joyce has worked in the fields of fertility, genetics, reproductive health and women’s health for over 30 years, and regularly appears in the press, on radio and TV, and hosts Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me This? - a podcast about health education with an emphasis on reproductive health.
She's a fantastic science communicator, and in this episode, we discuss:
The real reasons behind declining fertility rates
The fertility timeline for women and men
The process of egg freezing, what it truly entails, and the common misconceptions
The rise of solo motherhood and how it’s reshaping traditional ideas of family and parenting
IVG (in vitro gametogenesis) and the possibility of creating embryos from skin cells
Artificial wombs and the potential future of gestation, from uterus transplants to lab-based environments
Innovations aimed at delaying menopause and extending fertility
Government responses to fertility decline and why reproductive trends are becoming a central issue in economic and social policy
🍿 Listen on your favourite podcast platform
Until next time,
Karina