Love and Cells: an infertility memoir
Date
2017-06-15
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MFA in Creative Writing, The University of Tampa
Abstract
In Love and Cells: an infertility memoir, Hayley Riviere reveals she always had a
gut-instinct that she’d have difficulty getting pregnant, despite doctors reassuring her
otherwise. Once married, she discovers she had been right all along, and a battery of tests
reveals her diagnosis of Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS, one of the most
common types of female infertility. Despite PCOS affecting ten percent of all women,
Riviere feels isolated from the people around her, especially after her husband tests
normal for reproductive capabilities. In turn, this causes her to wrestle with her identity as
a “fully functioning” woman. This memoir invites the reader into exam-room scenes of
invasive procedures, and unleashes wit in sections of found forms and flash non-fiction,
revealing the slap-to-the-face social interactions often unintentionally cause during a
fertility struggle. Riviere’s portrait is self-depreciating, spans the course of three years,
and captures infertility “in the heat of the moment.” The author’s quest for motherhood
and self-love yield palpable lessons of empathy for all readers, regardless of their
relationship with parenthood.
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Keywords
Memoir, Female infertility