Alex Johnston

Inconceivable Alex Johnston

Alex has a truly unbelievable story: this is a wild journey to motherhood, filled with hard-won insights into how society can help families struggling with infertility.


-- Gillian Deacon, host of CBC's Here and Now

Fifteen years ago, when Alex first started trying--and struggling--to get pregnant, she received outdated medical information and erroneous advice. Unfortunately, this incorrect information is still widely offered to women today, and barriers to accessing treatment haven't changed. Alex shares what she learned on her own path to parenthood, including navigating infertility and IVF treatments, surviving the loss of her first child, having two daughters through surrogacy in Canada and the United States, and finally, after many years of trying, giving birth to a baby boy the old-fashioned way. All the while, Alex fought for a government policy change to better support people trying to build their families.

Inconceivable is an emotional roller-coaster ride with a purpose and a goal: to inform women about the realities of their fertility through sharing a painful and private experience with infertility. Through telling her own story and recounting those of other women, Alex explores the complexity of this issue while contextualizing these intimate experiences with rigorous research and investigation. She wants to "pay it forward" for other women and create a platform to drive the conversations around infertility that we need to have as a culture.

When I started reading this book, I could not put it down. It is a gem. Sorrowful, deeply personal, heart-rendering, beautifully written, and with a happy ending. Alex deserves our deep gratitude for sharing this journey with so many, and for bringing greater awareness, understanding, and action to this important issue.


-- Katie Taylor, Chair of the Board of Royal Bank of Canada