Infertility And Adoption

This compassionate book brings together for the first time issues about infertility and adoption. Fifteen to 20 of all married couples in the United States are infertile, and most people have intense psychological and emotional reactions to the experience of infertility. Infertility and Adoption provides a clear understanding of the historical and social context of infertility, its emotional impact, and the process of coping with infertility. A prototype for conducting psychosocial assessments with infertile couples is provided. Practitioners, researchers, and administrators will learn about the latest trends in preparing adoptive parents for the arrival of their child. The multidisciplinary appeal of this book will reach professionals in social work and mental health and better prepare all of those who work with the growing number of individuals touched by infertility.

Around three quarters of people who turn to adoption do so because of infertility and those working in this field need information, guidance and support to assist them in the process of adoption to support the adopters and to deal with any issues that may result from infertility. Adopting after Infertility is an accessible and informative interdisciplinary book that addresses the issues that professionals working with adopters and the adopters themselves face when going through the adoption process and the impact of infertility on their experiences. The book includes chapters on the effects of infertility, why people may choose adoption and the assessment and preparation process. It also covers what an Adoption Panel needs to know about the prospective parents, the experiences of those coming to adoption from minority communities or when living with health conditions and post-adoption support needs. Personal accounts by people who have experienced adopting after infertility are included throughout the book. This book will be essential reading for professionals and academics from a range of disciplines including social work, psychology, health, mental health and counselling. It will also be invaluable to students studying for post-qualifying awards.

Statistics show that over two million couples will experience some type of infertility issue when they try to become pregnant. However, when you are one of those two million, you feel completely alone and believe that no one can truly understand what you are going through. This honest and revealing book documents one couple's long and arduous journey to become parents from the eyes of the author. The longer this process took, the more emotional and difficult things became, and the more the author relied on this journal to sort out all the emotions she was having. She never expected that this journal would last for years, hundreds of hormone shots and pills, blood draws, surgical procedures, terrorist attacks, international flights and the most emotional and financial roller coaster that she had ever been on. But she and her husband were desperate to become parents, to have their own child to love, to hug, to experience life with. By sharing their experience, this book offers insight into the emotional, physical and sociological effects infertility has on a couple's relationship, their families, friends and themselves as individuals. It also provides in-depth detail of popular infertility treatments, domestic and international adoption processes.

Annotation Offers couples and singles all the information they need to navigate the complicated and emotional territory facing those who wish to become families using adoption or assisted reproduction.

The journey through infertility is a nightmare, plain and simple! Whether you are ever able to have a baby on your own, or continue on to adoption, the pressure is indescribable. The sadness and loneliness are sometimes so deep that your hurt no longer remains emotional, but becomes physical as well. You don't feel like you can do this any longer. Is it even worth it? Hope is God's gift for His children which He gives anew every morning. Our hope was realized in the adoption of our two beautiful boys, and we are so thankful we never gave up! Whether you are reading this while on the fertility "scream machine" or have reached the fork in the road of whether or not to adopt, we hope sharing our story with you will encourage you by knowing you are not alone, that we've been through it, survived it, and have come out of the valley of darkness. Hang in, hang on, and never lose hope!