Portrait of a Woman - Rachel Cox Photography

The following content contains imagery depicting medical injections and nudity. This subject matter may not be appropriate for some viewers and/or viewing situations.

Matt Giving me an Injection (September, 2022), 2022, silver gelatin print

My current research examines the personal and cultural stigmas associated with female infertility while also raising awareness for the millions of people who seek to build their families though assisted reproductive technologies (ART). This narrative is told through the photographic lens of my own experience with miscarriage, abortion, in vitro fertilization, and eventual birth of my daughter via a donor egg.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2022 over 435,000 people underwent In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) cycles in the United States. Additionally, 19% of all women 15-49 have difficulty becoming pregnant (1). If 1 in 5 childbearing age people are experiencing fertility struggles, then this represents a minimum of 13 million individuals who will need access to specialized reproductive healthcare every year (2). This brief data summary underscores the prevalence of one of the most universal healthcare needs experienced by half the US population, yet in my own lifetime I had never spoken to any gynecologist or family member about how this common diagnosis might affect my own body. Rather, miscarriage and infertility are still discussed in private, shared amongst friends, and is a taboo subject to bring into a public dialogue.

Through image making I celebrate profound intimacy, examining gender expectations, and eventually use my camera as a mode for empowerment. The pictures teach me that women are more than their reproductive potential, and meaningful connections with those you love can still thrive through loss. I use my body as a site to reclaim a sense of self, and as a tool to reposition the conversation around reproductive rights. The resulting dialogue provides space for viewers to learn more about women’s bodies, beginning to dismantle institutional and cultural gate keeping that still prevents us from effectively managing basic reproductive healthcare needs.

1. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/infertility.htm

2. https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/data?reg=99&top=14&stop=125&slev=1&obj=3

A series of images depicting self injections from July 2021 until September of 2021 as part of the IVF stimulation cycle.

Your Truth, 2021, 10 individually mounted 5 x 8 inch silver gelatin prints, 18 x 28 inches framed

Matt Giving me an Injection, 2022 (7), 2023, 11 x 14 inches, silver gelatin print

Matt Giving me an Injection, 2022 (3), 2022, 11 x 14 inches, silver gelatin print

God's Wheelhouse (III and I), gum dichromate print, 20 x 26 inches, ed. of 2

Portrait of a Woman, 2023, silver gelatin print mounted to silver gelatin print, 16 x 12 inches.

Self Injection (Intramuscular, August, 2022), 2022, archival inkjet print, 24 x 30 inches

Matt Giving me an Injection, 2021 (2), 2022, 11 x 14 inches, silver gelatin print

Matt Giving me an Injection, 2021 (8), 2022, 11x14 inches, silver gelatin print

Incompatible with Life, palladium prints, 2023. Print measures 5" in diameter. Microscope capture of two embryos at five days old. Both were implanted into my body and did not result in a viable pregnancy.

Self Injection (abdominal, March 2022), 2023, 30 x 24 inches

archival inkjet print

Matt Giving me an Injection (July, 2021), 2021, 35 x 43 inches, selenium toned silver gelatin print

God's Wheelhouse (II and IV), gum dichromate prints, 20 x 26 inches each, ed. of 2

Circles, 2023, silver gelatin pint, 14 x 11 inches

Matt Giving me an Injection, 2021 (1), 2022, 11 x 14 inches, silver gelatin print

Matt Giving me an Injection, 2021 (4), 2022, 11 x 14 inches, silver gelatin print

Capable of Life, palladium print, 2023. Print measures 5" in diameter. Microscope capture of embryo implanted into my uterus which resulted in the birth of my daughter.