Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
Sociol Health Illn. 2020 Sep;42(7):1597-1610. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.13150. Epub 2020 Jul 1.
Ovulation biosensors are devices worn on or used with the body, which can help women detect ovulation. The manufacturers of such devices claim that if women know when they ovulate, couples can arrange heterosexual intercourse during this time, and thus increase their chances of conceiving. Within the contemporary UK context, in which becoming pregnant is presented in the popular media, and in medical discourses, as more difficult for women in their thirties and forties, manufacturers' claims are attractive for those trying to conceive. Yet few sociological studies have examined women's practices of ovulation biosensing. Drawing on women's accounts of tracking ovulation, this paper explores how such practices fit into their trajectories of trying to conceive. It examines why ovulation biosensing seemingly becomes helpful, relevant or important during this time. Ovulation biosensors, it argues, alter the landscape of trying to become pregnant by introducing new stages and materialities which seemingly place women closer to conception. Women engage in ovulation biosensing, not only to help them become pregnant, but also as a way to manage the complexities of fertility and the uncertainties of becoming pregnant in contemporary society.
排卵生物传感器是佩戴在身体上或与身体一起使用的设备，可以帮助女性检测排卵。此类设备的制造商声称，如果女性知道自己何时排卵，夫妇可以在这段时间安排异性性交，从而增加怀孕的机会。在当代英国的背景下，在大众媒体和医学话语中，三十多岁和四十多岁的女性怀孕变得更加困难，对于那些试图怀孕的人来说，制造商的说法很有吸引力。然而，很少有社会学研究考察过女性对排卵生物传感的实践。本文通过女性对跟踪排卵的描述，探讨了这些实践如何融入她们的怀孕尝试轨迹。它还研究了为什么在这段时间内，排卵生物传感似乎变得有帮助、相关或重要。本文认为，排卵生物传感器通过引入新的阶段和物质性，改变了怀孕的方式，似乎使女性更接近受孕。女性进行排卵生物传感，不仅是为了帮助她们怀孕，也是为了应对现代社会中生育的复杂性和怀孕的不确定性。
