Jessica Hepburn
The Pursuit of Motherhood is about my struggle to have a baby: a journey that has taken me through every test known to woman and doctor, multiple rounds of IVF and the heartbreak of several miscarriages and a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy.
But it's not a unique story. Infertility is a silent epidemic. 1 in 5 couples have difficult conceiving and over 50,000 women a year are going through IVF, many of whom will not be successful. I wanted to tell the story of what it feels like to live with infertility.
The book is said to be a cross between Bridget Jones Diary and Eat Pray, Love, so what are your thoughts on this?
Although it's a sad story and doesn't have a miracle happy ending (yet!), I didn't want it be a depressing read so it's definitely funny in parts, particularly in the short sections I call 'The Infertility Diaries'. It does also feel that trying to conceive and writing the book has been a rite of passage similar to Elizabeth Gilbert's in Eat Pray Love. Whatever happens in the end I now feel that life will be ok. There are different ways of being a mother; there are lots of ways to live a life.
Why in your opinion is it so difficult getting a memoir about treatment right?
I think there can be a danger of maudlin introspection. I hope my book isn't like that.
Why is the book so appropriate for people at the beginning or in the middle of treatment?
It can be bewildering when you start out on fertility treatment. There is so much information to take in and everyone should beware of the dangers of google. I feel like I've gained a lot of knowledge and experience and tried to communicate that through the book in an accessible and, hopefully, enjoyable way.
Was writing the book anything like you imagined it would be?
No! I never thought for a moment that I'd write a book. I didn't think I had anything to say. But for a long time I had looked for a book that could empathize with what I was going through. As I couldn't find it, I started writing it myself.
What is next for you?
Well, I already have a busy job running a theatre in London. Writing is just a side-line. But I have discovered a passion for it and I'm now writing something else. It's very different. Watch this space!