Joy, the Story of the Unsung Heroine of Reproductive Medicine on Netflix

A few months ago, Netflix released the film “Joy”, based on the true story behind the conception of IVF, the assisted reproductive technology known as “in vitro fertilisation”. The film stars Bill Nighy as obstetrician Patrick Steptoe, James Norton as biologist Robert Edwards, and Thomasin McKenzie as embryologist nurse Jean Purdy, the "triad" that invented IVF.

In 2010 Edwards and Steptoe were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for this extraordinary outcome; Edwards, the only one still alive at the time, always insisted that Purdy's contributions to IVF should be publicly recognised. Even before the Nobel, in the early eighties – when Purdy's name had not been mentioned on a plaque honoring the IVF pioneers – he advocated for her, writing explicitly «I regard her as an equal contributor to Patrick Steptoe and myself». It was not until 2022, however, that a new plaque was set up, this time with Purdy's name on it too.

Who was this woman, who had remained in the shade for far too long? Why did she enter the battle to cure infertility, what were her motives? What did she gain, and lose, in that journey?

«The movie “Joy” is a big tribute to Jean Purdy, whose contribution was overlooked for many years, despite Edwards himself acknowledging her major role in the effort, culminating in the birth of Luise Brown» says Zuzana Holubcová, Head of the Gametogenesis and Early Embryo Development Research Group at the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic: «The story is told in Edwards’ autobiographical book, “A Matter of Life”; the movie only differs on a few minor points». 

The American daily webmagazine Slate has listed the differences between fact and fiction in an article, thanks to the insights of two of Edwards’ and Purdy’s coworkers. The biggest mystery is probably Purdy's own health condition – endometriosis – which prevented her from getting pregnant. Did the tv authors make that up, to add pathos? Or maybe it was Edwards that, while writing his book, chose not to mention Purdy's health condition, considering it perhaps too private? When the book came out, in 1980, Purdy was still alive; she died of cancer five years later, at the age of 39.

«I bet this is just the authors’ input, by which they wanted to demonstrate that there are conditions for which we had no cure then and, sadly, still have none. In my opinion, slight differences to the true story are not a big deal: the key is the message» points out Holubcová: «I loved watching the movie and felt moved once again by the resilience and determination of the brave pioneers working against the odds. The movie creators draw people’s attention to the story behind IVF, so that even a lay audience can better appreciate what reproductive medicine has achieved since its early days». 

Other fertility experts are more inclined to believe Purdy’s endometriosis to be true: «The thing that most struck and moved me was the Jean Purdy story» says Jessica Hepburn, the author of the memoir “The Pursuit of Motherhood” and of “21 Miles: swimming in search of the meaning of motherhood”. Both books focus on the need to talk openly about the stigma of infertility and unsuccessful IVF. «Obviously, I knew of her contribution to IVF science and am delighted to see that she’s finally being more widely acknowledged for this. What I didn’t know is that she had her own fertility / infertility story and wasn’t able to conceive». As one of the most renowned fertility awareness ambassadors in Europe, Hepburn’s also been one of the guest of the first season of The Why Wait Agenda’s podcast. «The bit where Jean Purdy wept for what she would never have moved me tremendously» she confides: «I thought this was one of the best aspects of the whole film – its commitment to bringing out both parts of the IVF story – the joy and success, and the sorrow and failure».

In vitro fertilisation took more than a decade of medical attempts to become a reality: the birth of the very first “test-tube baby”, Louise Joy Brown (“Joy” is her second name, hence the title of the film), has been paved by the efforts and grief of hundreds of women – who called themselves the “Ovum club” – who underwent taxing procedures, failures, and experienced early miscarriages. But again, science proceeds by trial and error: and scientific progress is literally built on failure.

Some other fertility experts have noticed the lack of men in the movie – at least, “regular” men, ones not in positions of power. «One thing that really caught my attention was the absence of men on the patients’ side!» exclaims professor Heidi Mertes, an expert in Medical Ethics, Bioethics and Applied Ethics at Ghent University in Belgium: «I think the only one that appears is the father of Louise Brown. I keep wondering if they were also absent in real life, or if this was a choice made by the filmmakers».

In the film, men are everywhere in the “experts” area – most of the doctors are men, which was undeniably quite standard practice back in the late sixties and seventies, when the film is set. Two thirds of the Steptoe-Edwards-Purdy professional triad were also men. Wannabe fathers, on the other hand, seem to be non-existent, as Mertes states – save for Mr. Brown, and some anonymous men in a peculiar scene with the handover of sperm sample cups. 

One might wonder if the situation is completely different nowadays. Sometimes, even in the current public debate, reproductive medicine and IVF seem to still be ascribed mainly to women. As if longing for children were just a female thing.

Also, a woman's drive towards motherhood can be oversimplified, too. «The movie is a good attempt to show the world how IVF came into being» argues Pratyashee Ojah, Doctoral Fellow in Biostatistics and Demography at the International Institute for Population Sciences of Mumbai, who’s writing a PhD thesis on the sociocultural aspects of medically assisted reproduction treatment seeking in India: «However, I felt the movie had foregrounded the personal issues of the character of Jean Purdy more than the women in the Ovum club and beyond. If we look at the social aspects, the attitude of the family of the baby seekers was not captured. A couple’s motivation for parenthood can be driven by various forces, and not only personal desire».

As a matter of fact, in “Joy” the motivations of the Ovum Club participants fall a bit flat. The dialogue about the importance of reproductive medicine revolves almost completely around women: all the main characters, in one way or another, stress the fact that so many women hurt because of their infertility, feel bad and at a loss if they can't become mothers. One of the members of the Ovum Club even states that she would like to have a baby in order to have “something of her own”, as if becoming a mother was the only way to fulfil herself.

Was motherhood all about this, fifty years ago? How strong was social pressure towards motherhood (and against childlessness)? And – is the situation truly different today? 

“Joy” has the great merit of raising important, urgent questions about the quest to parenthood, and the helping hand science can lend. It also opens conversations about why people want children, what they’re willing to do to fulfil their desire, and what reproductive medicine can offer in terms of diagnosis, drugs, new techniques, and even AI now. Since 1978, more than 10 million children globally have been born subsequent to assisted reproductive technologies (ART), and approximately 500,000 babies are nowadays born every year thanks to reproductive medicine. 

It’s worth keeping in mind, however, that on average IVF still only works just 30% of the time. 47 years ago Patrick Steptoe, Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy opened a glorious path: but there’s still a very long way to go to be able to guarantee that every person can have the children they dream of.