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A Unique Type Of Loneliness: Infertility In Nineteenth-Century America, Abigail Butler
A Unique Type Of Loneliness: Infertility In Nineteenth-Century America, Abigail Butler
Theses and Dissertations from 2020
Many diaries and letters written by nineteenth-century Americans display the aching for parenthood and pain of loss due to miscarriage. Though some women felt joy or relief when they recognized they had miscarried or were not pregnant, infertility negatively affected the everyday lives of many men and women in the nineteenth century. Infertility not only disturbed their personal beliefs of family and their role in society, but could cause marital discord, feeling outcast from society, and could lead to other health problems. Women in slavery faced even more serious consequences that included being sold away from their family and/or receiving …