Imagining motherhood and becoming a mother after egg freezing. An anthropological study in the French context

Yolinliztli Pérez-Hernández

doi:10.14198/fem.2023.41.10

Autores/as

Yolinliztli Pérez-Hernández University of Bern, Bern, Suiza https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7483-7108

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14198/fem.2023.41.10

Palabras clave:

Francia, investigación cualitativa, autoconservación social de óvulos, autoconservación médica de óvulos, egg sharing, maternidad normativa, trayectoria reproductiva

Resumen

Este artículo examina cómo las mujeres que acceden a la autoconservación de óvulos por razones sociales, médicas y en el marco de una donación de óvulos (egg sharing), imaginan ser madres (maternidad normativa) en contraste con cómo se convierten en madres (trayectoria reproductiva). Metodológicamente, se utilizan 43 entrevistas en profundidad semiestructuradas, conducidas entre mujeres francesas que han criopreservado sus óvulos en Francia y en el extranjero, cinco de las cuales han tenido hijos. En el análisis se constató que la mayoría de las mujeres entrevistadas asocian la maternidad con la pareja heterosexual, la familia nuclear y un deseo normalizado de maternidad biogenética. Sin embargo, diversas interrupciones ontológicas causadas por la infertilidad, la soltería o una enfermedad introducen la posibilidad de que no puedan tener hijos como lo desean, lo que las lleva a imaginar (y considerar) otras vías para tener hijos/as; vías médicas y no médicas. Las narraciones de las mujeres que se han convertido en madres sobre sus trayectorias alternativas hacia la maternidad describen una fragmentación de la maternidad en componentes genéticos, biológicos y sociales, que se combinan y jerarquizan de forma original. A través de mi argumentación muestro que, aunque las trayectorias reproductivas alternativas pueden modificar los vínculos de parentesco entre las partes implicadas, no necesariamente desafían la maternidad normativa. Que yo sepa, este es el primer estudio empírico realizado en Francia sobre la congelación de óvulos. El mismo contribuye al emergente corpus de literatura académica que explora la autoconservación de óvulos y sus vínculos con la maternidad y moviliza una aproximación innovativa al examinar las similitudes entre congelación de óvulos por razones médicas, sociales y egg sharing. Igualmente, propone que las mujeres que congelan sus óvulos por razones médicas y por egg sharing también aspiran a una maternidad normativa. Finalmente, este artículo contribuye a analizar el proceso de toma de decisión de las mujeres que se convierten en madres después de una autoconservación de óvulos.

Financiación

Agence de la Biomédecine, CONACyT

Citas

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