In Fertility: The Story of a Miracle and the Big Business Behind It

by Kathryn Blaze Baum

From award-winning journalist Kathryn Blaze Baum, a powerful account of one woman's quest for answers—and a miracle—from the big business of fertility.

After having their first child without issue, Kathryn and her husband were trying for a second. She suffered one miscarriage after another, and ultimately turned to in vitro fertilization for help. A fertility odyssey two IVF clinics, many failed embryo transfers, two surrogates, more than 100 transvaginal ultrasounds and an untold number of blood draws. She gave herself hundreds of injections. Had nearly two hundred eggs removed from her body. And spent hundreds of thousands of dollars. But a story told in numbers is far from the whole picture.

While Kathryn's struggles were extreme, they're also alarmingly common. It's not often, though, that an investigative reporter with the skill to probe her own quest and the fertility sector more broadly finds herself at the centre of the story. Using her own experiences as a jumping-off point to propel a page-turning personal narrative, one of Canada's top journalists gives voice to the women and families at the industry's mercy. She dives deep into a world ripe for scrutiny while peeling back layers, exploring the exhilarating highs and the devastating lows of her own journey. Countless hours of research and more than 100 interviews later, Kathryn shines a light on the key players and pressing issues in the realm of assisted reproduction. Her examination of the industry delves into matters of access, ethics, the law, trauma, economics and the relationships between clinics, surrogacy agencies and patients—whose needs and best interests aren’t always the priority.

Perhaps most importantly, In Fertility asks the difficult questions and uncovers essential truths for anyone embarking on their own fertility journey. The result is a tour de force, with an incredible plot twist, that will leave you feeling shocked, uplifted, informed and hopeful.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2026

Reviews

[Terra]

A fantastic read from a Canadian journalist navigating the Ontario reproductive care landscape. While I haven’t reached a point in my life where I’m ready to have kids, I wholeheartedly believe this is a book everyone -even those who know they don’t want kids- would benefit from.

Odds are you or someone you care about will experience set backs or difficulties with fertility, and this can be a lonely experience when we don’t talk about it or have the language to discuss it.

This book was incredibly eye opening and I always appreciate a Canadian perspective!!

[Charlotte Chan]

My heart broke about 10,000 times reading this book and then I was crying tears of joy at the end🥹 what a wonderfully vulnerable memoir, and eye-opening look into the fertility industry.

[Mars Leung]

An engrossing book where the author bravely shares her long and challenging fertility journey, while interweaving fascinating facts about the IVF and surrogacy landscape in Canada. I applaud the author for being so open about such a personal topic, shedding light on an issue many couples have sadly experienced. However, this isn’t necessarily a relatable story, as it’s revealed the author and her husband spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to build their family. While the author is careful to stress that many couples stop pursuing their IVF dreams and go on to live fulfilling lives, this is not that story. Still a highly enjoyable read for anyone who’s experienced or is experiencing infertility.

[Nicole Dunn]

3.5 stars rounded up. I could relate to a lot of this book such as not being able to relieve stress through physical activity during treatment, living your life from appointment to appointment and never being able to plan anything, keeping everything secret and bottled up inside, and the insane amounts of money it costs. But there’s a lot I couldn’t relate to like her reactions to the medications, her deep feelings of needing and yearning for a second baby, and how sensitive she was to everyone who had more than one child. The surprise ending was unexpected. I also felt it was written more like a news-piece than a memoir which is a style I don’t love.

[Wendelle]

The road to having children is not straightforward for everyone. In this book, investigative journalist Kathryn Baum shares her personal fertility story, striking back at the opacity of the IVF journey, and showing the usual roadmap and protocols that surround assistive reproduction technologies. This is an enlightening book for people embarking or wanting to learn more about this process that can be arduous at times.

[Alexandra Posadzki]

I had the privilege of reading an advanced copy of my Globe and Mail colleague's book and it is phenomenal. I cried more than once, and I learned so much about the fertility industry. She beautifully weaves together her personal journey with her investigative work. A brave, beautifully written and informative book.

[Olena]

Baum's story is heartbreaking and inspiring. Her fortitude is incredible. Her story validated my complicated feelings toward my own IVF experience (especially the way I feel about my doctor and clinic). It's so great to finally read a book about the big business of fertility specifically in Canada - most of the other stuff I've read is US focussed. Bravo to Baum - an incredible and important book. Thank you for writing it.

[Terry Linday]

Wow. As an IVF mom, this book hit me in a way very few books ever have.

This isn’t a typical polished, sugar-coated, "success" story about the road to baby in arms. It’s raw, messy, vulnerable, and at times painfully honest, and that’s exactly what makes it so powerful. Kathryn captures the emotional whiplash of IVF so precisely- the hope, the grief, the waiting, the endless “what ifs,” and the quiet, often invisible toll it takes on your identity, your relationships, and your sense of self.

Reading it felt like someone had finally put words to experiences I’ve carried in silence. The complete tunnel vision towards the goal of baby in arms that stops you from even really interrogating why that is so important to us in the first place.

What I appreciated most is how she doesn’t try to tidy up the story. There’s no forced positivity or easy resolution. Instead, she honours the complexity of infertility and IVF in a way that feels deeply validating for those of us who have lived it. The messiness of feeling happy for friends and family who are getting pregnant, while devastated that you are not or the gratitude for the child you do have, while longing for another.

Kathryn's personal infertility story is particularly wild, it truly felt like I was watching a thriller movie, unsure what next set back or hospital visit or plot twist was coming next. I also love that she brought in her impressive investigative journalism skills in reporting on the big business of IVF and surrogacy. I learned so much about the wild world of surrogacy that shocked me!

If you’ve walked this path, you’ll surely see yourself in these pages. And if you haven’t, this book offers a rare, compassionate window into what so many go through behind closed doors.

Even though I came out the other side of IVF with the family I wanted, I still hold a lot of trauma that I'm still trying to unpack and unlearn. And reading this book felt like an important step in my own healing journey. Highly recommended.

[Lyndsay Lazzaro]

This book was phenomenal. I encourage everyone to read this, whether you yourself have dealt with infertility, been a surrogate, or you've never been apart of this community at all. I feel Kathryn did an amazing job touching on all aspects of surrogacy (and infertility). I especially loved, when she acknowledged that she may have missed the mark a bit with her surrogate, surrounding holding the baby after birth. As a surrogate myself, this was something I talked in depth with my ips about how I know the baby isn't mine but my body doesn't. The acknowledgement and how Kathryn touched on this was humbling. I also love how she didn't hold back on speaking about the agency, and the two fertility doctors who saw her through her journey. She was honest, but fair. The way she was treated at cfc was not a one off, and honestly, I could relate to SO much of what she said and how she was spoken too via Leia. Kathryn, thank you for writing such a real and honest book. It's definitely in one of my top 5 favourite reads. Pick this one up guys, you won't be disappointed.

[Shannon Lough]

An unpacking of the fertility industry in Canada told through a woman’s personal account of spending 4 years going through IVF treatment and surrogacy to grow her family. For anyone facing an uphill fertility journey and is curious about what options exist out there in Canada, including the flexible regulations, or lack thereof, and the prohibitive costs.

It’s not a light read. Be gentle with yourself. If you are on a similar path, I can say that I emerged better informed and felt more seen by the questions raised by journalist and mother Kathryn Baum.

What I liked best was the thread of hope for a happy ending - a miracle - throughout.

[Michelle Pressé]

I couldn’t devour this book fast enough. Kathryn’s incredible story, paired with her sharply honed storytelling skills, made this one of the most memorable books I’ve read recently. Infertility is something that I know I’m fortunate not to have experienced, but as a mother who had dreamt of having children, her story was still relatable. It reads like a personal, in-depth investigative journalism at its best and was nearly impossible to put down. Listening to the audiobook and hearing the author’s story literally in her own words elevated my experience as a reader. I will recommend this book to anyone who will listen.

[Pam]

I was interested in reading this book because my daughter and son-in-law had to go through IVF, which resulted in a beautiful, healthy baby boy, yet was a difficult process, both emotionally and physically. I think Ms. Baum did a fantastic job detailing her own experience with fertility issues and IVF. She provides valuable information and insights for those who are going through similar situations. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Viking for the eARC and the opportunity to read his novel. All opinions are my own.

[Reader]

Incredible book. Finally someone is giving a true account of what it's like for real people to go through this experience. Very interesting to know the various incentive structures behind each of the businesses operating within the field. This book will appeal to a very wide audience of readers and I can completely understand why it's hitting best sellers lists so quickly. It's very clear the author has extensive experience writing through her experience as a journalist. Great read, couldn't put it down!

[Patricia Carlson]

In Fertility by Kathryn Baum is a page turner non-fiction! A gripping personal narrative and important guide for anyone struggling to get pregnant, and for anyone who knows someone who is struggling. The author is a international award winning journalist who shines much needed light on the realities of fertility clinics and the surrogacy process. It is a source of knowledge, solace and hope. Highly recommended. It is available on Goodreads (Kindle), Amazon and Indigo (Hard copy and Kindle).

[Marley Bianca]

I could not put this book down!

Blaze Baum combines her own experience with infertility and fertility treatment with a history of fertility treatments and the current landscape of both fertility treatments and surrogacy in Canada.

In Fertility is a raw compassionate glimpse into treatments and the trauma they bring. The author interviewed several other people who have had infertility and interlaces their stories.

I was moved to tears several times and also experienced several WTF moments learning about lack of regulations etc.

[Lauren Millsaps Adams]

Thank you to Penguin 🐧 for the advanced reader copy.
I appreciate a journalists integrity and lack of bias while still incorporating a human element in her own and others’ raw and real stories in their IVF journeys.
This was incredibly hard to read because of how many words felt like reading my own journal entries, but was incredibly helpful in illuminating key considerations and questions to consider ahead of starting to work with a REI. As obvious as it sounds to say based on the title- if infertility is a triggering topic for you I’d encourage you to take the book in bite size pieces 💕

[Becca Kellner]

It’s difficult to rate a memoir because of the innate nature of the retelling of a true story. In this case the story was captivating, gut-wrenching, and felt quite honest. Additionally, the investigative journalism that took place was so thorough that it really gave a strong image of the current state of fertility options and shortcomings in the Canadian landscape.
Baum’s story is vulnerable and relentless and it was a privilege to be let in to the intimacy of her experience with trying to have children. What a gift.

[Sabrina Marie]

Great read. It should be read by those embarking on IVF as a prep to their journey. It’s a very balanced take on the human side and the scientific side. I was myself a surrogate and appreciate the honesty and probing given to this shrouded, but sacred relationship between the parents and surrogate. I also appreciate the circle back to the clinics and agencies, to give further perspective and insight on the experiences. There is much to be learned, and gathered from this.

[DaEun]

In awe of the power and compassion of all the women in this book. I won’t lie I had to stop the audiobook a few times because my heart was breaking for what the author went through and at one point, I just had to look it up if she had a baby at the end. Learned so much about the Canadian reproductive law or lack there of!! Highly recommend!!

[Ava Hall]

Wow, what a rollercoaster. I have so much empathy for people navigating infertility and this memoir really shone an honest light on the toll that IVF, surrogacy, and infertility have on those struggling to conceive. I was genuinely beaming reading by the end. :')

[Ruby Dallas]

Extremely informative and moving meditation on the lengths some of us go to in order to make our family happen. Deeply enjoyed both the journalistic nature of the writing and the deeply personal aspects of the story.

[Tanya James]

As a woman going through infertility and the IVF process, Kathryn’s words are speaking to my soul. I feel this is therapeutic and is saying things out loud that I’ve only said to myself and my husband

Each fertility clinic in Canada should give this out, we pay enough for treatment!!!!!

[Enid Wray]

Interesting read. My heart goes out to all who wish to conceive and have trouble doing so.

I remain appalled at the treatment of women by/in the medical system.

[Patricia L.]

I read this fabulous Hard cover book. It is well written and well researched.
I hardily recommend it.

[Jodie Siu]

Thorough and illuminating. I had no idea that the people in my life suffered so much during their infertility journeys. This book discovers so many areas ripe for regulation and oversight.

[Anne Day]

This book was very informative, with Kathryn sharing her journey with infertility and her research into this issue.