T.CLUB
KATHRYN BLAZE BAUM
On bringing visibility to infertility—and the power of telling the full story.
How she tells the story.
Kathryn Blaze Baum is an award-winning journalist at The Globe and Mail and the author of In Fertility — a deeply personal and investigative account of infertility. Through her work, she brings clarity and compassion to complex, often unspoken experiences, shedding light on the emotional realities that shape how we live.
A journalist of nearly two decades, I have long known that stories hold power – that sharing them can bring clarity and comfort to the storyteller as well as the reader. My hope is that In Fertitlity helps people going through infertility feel seen and supported, while at the same time helping their loved ones gain insight into the patient experience. I’m deeply grateful to the people who shared their stories with me so that I could share them more broadly.
"A journalist of nearly two decades, I have long known that stories hold power – that sharing them can bring clarity and comfort to the storyteller as well as the reader."
When I was in the trenches of our fertility journey, I would lie on the clinic exam table, feet in stirrups, and think to myself, ‘One day, I will write about this.’ I was the patient, of course, but I’m also an investigative reporter. It’s hard for me not to see the world from that perspective. Although my story is unique because it’s mine, it is, at its core, all too common. One in six people in Canada struggles with infertility. I wanted to write the book I wish I had when we were going through IVF. I wanted to give people an unvarnished look at what treatment entails, so they could protect their hearts and bodies. The book, then, is deeply personal and deeply reported.
I strongly believe we need to do a better job measuring patients’ expectations at the outset of IVF treatment. Speaking for myself, I went into it not just hoping that IVF would work the first time, but expecting it to. I was told I was an excellent candidate for IVF – that my initial workup was promising – so I was convinced modern science would handily save the day. Unfortunately, my experience was all but straightforward. I wish I had better calibrated my expectations.
"I wanted to give people an unvarnished look at what treatment entails, so they could protect their hearts and bodies. The book, then, is deeply personal and deeply reported."
In reporting and writing the book, I went through 4,000 emails I sent or received that were directly related to the creation of a child through IVF. I went through hundreds of text messages and thousands of photos that were taken during the course of our years-long journey. The communications and photos exposed to me a different version of myself and also rooted me in gratitude. During the three years I spent working on this book, I was constantly reminded, in a visceral way, of all we had been through. It made me want to hold my children tight and take joy in the everyday.
I’m a denim and button-down kind of woman. Dress it up or dress it down, the pairing always feels “me” – effortless, but polished.
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KATHRYN'S EDIT
