KOCHI: Bengaluru-settled Malayali, Rohini Rajagopal had promised herself she would pen her struggles in life — her fight with infertility five years ago. Her debut book, ‘What’s A Lemon Squeezer Doing In My Vagina’ published by Penguin India is a memoir on infertility. In a world where the conversation on infertility is still taboo, Rohini narrates her bumpy road to motherhood, hoping to make it easier for many others.
According to Rohini, the book throws light on a period of her life which was walled by shame, stigma and silence. “The book will take the readers on the emotional, medical, psychological and social journey that I had gone through before giving birth to my son five years ago. My attempt was to put a stop to the concept of addressing infertility as a shame ful thing and make the society understand it, so they can support those who are going through it rather than pointing fingers at them,” says Rohini.
Over the course of 20 chapters, the book describes the medical procedures, Rohini’s anxieties and questions from family and friends in a witty and moving manner. For her, the phrase ‘welcome to the parenthood club’ was filled with stress and anxiety. “I had two miscarriages and had severe issues with the third one. I shared my angst on In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), through various online communities. This gave me assurance and helped me get some clarity. To help those who are going through a similar journey, I wrote the memoir. The book was a promise to myself,” says Rohini who is now a mother of a six-year-old boy.
More than traversing on her medical journey, the narrator touches on the other segments of her life - life with her husband Ranjith, how she grew up in Thiruvananthapuram and being a mother to her son. “I added the other episodes of my life to prevent the reader from getting hooked on to just the medical aspects. That said, the content is simple enough to make a layman understand the various aspects of infertility treatment,” she adds.
The book is the outcome of two and half years worth of effort, says the debut writer who wishes to continue her new stint. “Sharing information on the medical terms was another difficult task for me. But I feel content with my effort as many strangers contacted me directly over the phone and social media and shared their history on infertility and conveyed my book was a relief for them during their hard times,” signs off Rohini.