4 Best Fiction Books About Women Struggling With Infertility, According To Reviews

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If you're a woman experiencing potential signs that you may have fertility problems, reading about characters going through the same thing can be cathartic. There's a reason many turn to books to get through romantic heartbreaks, personal grief, and even to help cope with a devastating pet loss. Sometimes seeing our own struggles through the eyes of a protagonist makes us feel heard and less alone. According to the World Health Organization, about one in six people experienced infertility as of 2023, which means that there's a wide audience for authors to reach surrounding this topic.

Whether you're going through IVF or simply curious as to what to know about your biological clock, there are plenty of fiction books that cover all topics related to fertility. It's clear that folks are seeking it, as one reader asked on Facebook, "I am in the thick of infertility. IUI#3 beta today was negative and I am moping. Can you recommend me a book where the FMC is struggling with an infertility diagnosis? At this point the outcome doesn't matter (if she ends up pregnant or not), I'd just like to read about someone with similar feelings." When you don't want a self-help book, getting lost in a story can be just what you need, and we've rounded up some great reads that can help you navigate your reproductive journey.

Although Linda McCullough isn't the main protagonist in "Little Fires Everywhere," her storyline about having multiple miscarriages and eventually adopting an abandoned baby is a huge arc in Celeste Ng's novel. May Ling, who is renamed Mirabelle by the McCulloughs, is revealed to be the baby of a local Chinese restaurant employee named Bebe Chow, who left her at a fire station. When it's discovered that Mirabelle is Chow's child, McCullough has to fight for her right to keep her, only to have her stolen away by her biological mom.

While many can certainly sympathize with Chow dealing with postpartum, readers felt McCullough's heartbreak at having her adoptive daughter suddenly snatched from her. One Reddit user shared, "Having struggled with infertility before I felt for Mrs McCullough! They had wanted a baby so bad and had truly bonded with May Ling. They hadn't just taken her, the state had brought them a baby who needed to be cared for." With over a 4-star rating on Goodreads and landing on the New York Times Best Sellers list, "Little Fires Everywhere" resonated with readers, particularly the custody battle between McCullough and Chow, which wasn't always black and white. "I flip flopped back and forth between whose side I was on. The heartache of both sides was palpable," a Goodreads reviewer shared. 

Set in a dystopian world, "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood centers around women who are unable to conceive and therefore use "handmaids" who are fertile in order to make a baby with their husbands. Although the premise is wildly out-there, the longing for a child is real enough to make others sympathize with Serena Joy, who uses Offred as a way to provide a baby for the Commander. "I could see why some in the infertility community would identify more with the Commander's Wife, given that she is not able to conceive and must resort to any means necessary to bear a child. She sacrifices both her genetics and the experience of carrying a child," fertility expert Annie Kuo told HuffPost.

It may be hard to relate to Serena, who may seem like the antithesis of feminism, but the 1985 book has themes that resonate even now. "In a setting where more and more women are becoming infertile, female feminists are outlaws called 'unwomen,' as a reminder of how they deny their natural and intended purpose on Earth as live, walking wombs," a reviewer wrote on Goodreads. Almost 2.5 million folks gave "The Handmaid's Tale" a 4.15 rating on the site, making this oldie a timeless classic.

"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins is not a light read by any means, with the central character, Rachel Watson, falling into despair and turning to alcohol after failing to conceive children with her now-ex-husband. Post-divorce, her life starts to spiral when she loses her job, but still takes the train every day to the city in order to keep a semblance of some sort of routine and facade. When a woman she sees every day goes missing, Watson tries to piece together what has happened, but has unreliable memories due to her drinking. 

Hawkins' debut novel was a hit, becoming the New York Times' number one bestseller and getting a movie adaptation. While Watson is deeply flawed, there's something about her that is compelling to readers. "I thought her quite unappealing at first when I thought she was a depressed and aging alcoholic. But when I discovered that she had several psychological pathologies, I loved her the way I love traffic pile-ups across the median," a reader wrote on Amazon. "Loss and how we as people deal with it plays huge in the themes category as well. Rachel as the barren mother turned alcoholic tries to fill the void in her life by helping Scott find his missing piece — just who murdered his wife. But she had in turn lost her dream of being a mother when it was discovered her womb was barren." Hawkins paints a portrait of a woman dealing with infertility and a failed marriage so poignantly that, despite Watson's many downward spirals, readers will find themselves rooting for her to succeed.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Those who are longing to conceive might understand Isabel Graysmark's morally gray decision to keep a baby belonging to another woman in "The Light Between Oceans." M.L. Stedman's historical novel revolves around Graysmark and her husband Tom Sherbourne, who have suffered multiple miscarriages, only to find a dead man and his infant daughter drifting in a boat off a remote Australian Island. Despite Sherbourne's protests, Graysmark insists on keeping the child, which later leads to ethical dilemmas and legal ramifications.

Fans gave "The Light Between Oceans" 4.4 stars on Amazon, with one writing, "As a reader, I genuinely felt every emotion the characters did — happiness, sadness, loneliness, humiliation, frustration, fear — it was a real emotional roller coaster." And, it wasn't just Graysmark's longing for a child that readers connected with. Another reviewer shared, "I identified more with Tom who knew from the get-go that keeping this infant and not attempting to find the real parents was flat out wrong. However, I loved him for his willingness to set his conscience aside and going along with Isabel's reasoning and plans because of his profound love for her." If you're looking for a tearjerker, this book will give you all the feels, so be ready for a good cry as you fall in love with the characters.

Because we were specifically focusing on themes of infertility, we searched for books that dealt with characters who had trouble conceiving or experienced miscarriages. These four reads were some of the most popular ones out there, with all of them either becoming film or television adaptations. We took to Goodreads and Amazon to peruse reviews and chose books that received at least 3.9 stars and mostly favorable remarks. We also considered commentary from a fertility expert, as well as thoughts shared by readers on Reddit to contextualize the high ratings. All in all, we felt like these four picks represented all the different aspects of the experience of going through infertility.