There is a lot of buzz in the blog world about television shows attempting to fictionalize infertility. I’ve seen lots of negative comments – not showing the emotion behind it, the financial distress, pressure on the marriage, the time it takes …. well duh. Why would anyone want to watch that? My journey is not funny (most the time) or worthy of an hour during prime time. Nor do I look to television to confirm I’m normal and my situation is normal. It’s entertainment, and I can appreciate that.
Here are some shows I discovered that have a story line relevant to infertility. I am sure there are more, but these are the ones I watch (I hear Grey’s Anatomy had a good story line going).
Parenthood – Julia Braverman struggles with secondary infertility and in this season, takes in a foster kid. She also was thisclose to adopting from the coffee cart teenager at work, but that fell through in the hospital. This is really the first show I sobbed with while Julia was going through everything.
Friends – Monica and Chandler struggle to get pregnant, find out they are both dealing with fertility challenges, and end up adopting twins. She also learned she won’t have biological children after watching Rachel have an unplanned pregnancy.
How I Met Your Mother – After struggling with not getting pregnant, they find out Marshall is infertile – a great plot twist, there isn’t much discussion around male infertility. Also, Robin learned that she won’t be able to have biological kids, and even though that was never part of her life plan, it was heartbreaking for her to learn she didn’t have the ability to change her mind.
Rules of Engagement – Audrey and Jeff explore IVF and have a surrogate. PS – I find this show insufferable sometimes. Even the infertility end of it is dragging on and Jeff is a moron. I can’t even tell you more about the storyline since I barely watch the show.
Brothers & Sisters – I miss this show so much. Kitty started doing infertility treatments, which were unsuccessful and ultimately adopted a baby. This show is all about baby making! The gay couple adopted an older foster kid, though he donated sperm to his brother who was infertile. If you think this soap opera-esque is hard to follow, just watch the show on Netflix. You will be hooked.
