An explosive, timely deep dive into the global fertility industry and the commodification of the maternal body
Investigating what to do with her excess breastmilk, Alev Scott stumbled upon 'Tinder for breastmilk' OnlytheBreast.com and an immensely profitable – yet completely unregulated – industry. Combined with demands for egg freezing, IVF and surrogacy being at an all-time high, Big Fertility is now worth an estimated $54 billion. Never has the maternal body been such a commodity.
Speaking to those who both profit from and participate in the global breastmilk, IVF and surrogacy industries – including a man who buys breastmilk to help his IBS, a professional wetnurse, an unpaid surrogate and an owner of a multi-million-pound fertility company – Alev seeks to answer the controversial question: who should make money from the maternal body? Only women, anyone – or no one?
A fascinating and thorough piece of investigative journalism, Cash Cow is the first deep dive into how these hugely profitable industries operate; the ethical, legal and economic implications; and, ultimately, what they mean for women around the world.
