Out In The Open

'I felt very much like a bad feminist': How experiencing infertility challenged this woman's sense of self

When Katy Lindemann found out that she was infertile, she struggled to reconcile her feminism with feeling like a "failure" as a woman.

Katy Lindemann's experience of infertility has motivated her to reclaim the word 'barren'

Katy Lindemann's experience of infertility motivated her to create a community known as the Uber Barrens Club. (Submitted by Katy Lindemann)

This story was originally published on January 3, 2020.

In less than two years, Katy Lindemann went through four IVF cycles, approximately seven cancelled cycles, two pregnancies, and two pregnancy losses.

After spending thousands of dollars and consulting with numerous doctors, it was confirmed that Lindemann could not sustain a pregnancy.

The diagnosis left her struggling to reconcile her feminism with feeling like a "failure" as a woman. She speaks with Out in the Open host Piya Chattopadhyay about that tension and how her experience motivated her to reclaim the word "barren" for herself and others who have little hope of being able to conceive.


This story appears in the Out in the Open episode "Inside Infertility".