Addressing Infertility in Emergent Reproductive Markets: An Anthropology of Cross-Border Reproductive Care in Contemporary Central Asia

The market for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) is increasing in many countries of the global South. This has fostered new sites of public and religious debate about the ethics of assisted reproduction, the social costs of infertility, and the role of state authorities in mediating access to reproductive care. We will examine the place of ARTs in wider therapeutic landscapes through an anthropological study of reproductive health-seeking practices across the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. The health infrastructure in these states has been significantly transformed by the post-Soviet marketization of medial care, the growing influence of Islam and the revival of previously-marginalised forms of traditional healing. We will study how individuals and couples integrate different healing practices, therapeutic settings, and sources of medical and religious authority to address involuntary childlessness. This is significant for understanding how infertility is understood and addressed in emergent reproductive markets in the global South.