Assisted reproduction: Brazilian heterosexual couples' testimonies on the care of specialists

In this article we examine experiences and representations of care, as expressed by couples' testimonies on their relationships with assisted reproduction clinics and specialists in Brazil. Our goal is to capture how care is recognized in the context of highly complex technologies. The intersections of affect, technology and the notion of God comprise hybrid elements that connect emotions, science, technology and (medical) specializations, and are recognized aspects of this type of care. Gratitude to God and gratitude to specialists are conjoined within a specific recognition of care as part of the expanded reproductive activities of our times, concerning both the bodies of women in search of maternity and of men in search of paternity, as well as embryos and gametes. These relationships of care are established through a process in which specialists become recognized as those that provide shelter from pain, hardship, waiting periods, frustrations and disappointments, for couples who have unsuccessfully attempted to conceive in the past. A carefully tended relationship of trust is forged, increasing clinics' and specialists' capacities to offer solutions for attaining pregnancy.