Infertility in the Age of IVF: Can Life Still Be Fruitful? with Leigh Snead

In an age of IVF, embryo selection, and a rapidly expanding fertility industry, couples facing infertility are often given a clear message: if you want a child badly enough, technology can make it happen.

But what if that’s not the whole story?

What if infertility is not just a medical condition to be solved but a profound personal, relational, and even spiritual trial? And what if a life without biological children can still be deeply meaningful and truly fruitful?

In this episode of Bioethics Babe, I sit down with Leigh Snead, author of Infertile but Fruitful, fellow with the Catholic Association, and co-host of the nationally syndicated show Conversations with Consequences to explore the deeper questions surrounding infertility in the age of IVF.

We discuss:

• Why infertility is often misunderstood as a problem technology must fix
• The ethical and emotional questions many couples are never told about IVF
• Why adoption is not a “solution” to infertility but a distinct vocation
• The hidden grief many couples carry, even years later
• What it really means to live a fruitful life beyond biological parenthood

This conversation challenges one of the most dominant assumptions of our time: that every form of suffering should be eliminated and that every desire for a child must be fulfilled through technology and by any means necessary.

Instead, it asks a deeper question: What if fruitfulness is bigger than biology?

If this conversation resonated with you, consider subscribing to Bioethics Babe for more discussions at the intersection of medicine, ethics, and human dignity.

For Episode Resources, please visit the episode page here.

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Bioethics Babe

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