Creating a Family: Talk about Infertility and Adoption

Gays and lesbians often find it harder to adopt. We will talk about what options are open to same sex couples, how to find a gay friendly agency, how to increase the odds of finding a child, and how the children and parents fare post adoption. Our guest will include an adoption attorney that does independent domestic adoptions for same sex couples, a adoption agency representative, and a researcher on same sex families and adoption.

Why do you need to prepare a lifebook for your adopted child and how do you go about doing it. My guest will be Carrie Kitze, editor of EMK Press and author and editor of numerous books and articles on the subject of lifebooks.

When should you stop infertility treatment. At what point do you decide to simply stop trying for the miracle? What are the life long ramifications with making the decision to live child free? My guests for this show are Pamela Tsigdinos, author of Silent Sorority and Stephanie Baffone, a therapist who made the decision to live child free after years in infertility treatment and has counseled with many others facing this decision.

Wrong embryos transferred; embryos, eggs and sperm mislabeling embryos lost; wrong sperm used. Mistakes happen and infertility patients need to be prepared. What should you know to protect yourself? Our guests will be Dr Jacob F Mayer, Embryologist at the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Sean Tipton with The American Society of Reproductive Medicine; and Jessica Berg, Professor of Law and Biomedical Ethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and Associate Director of the Law-Medicine Center.

What countries in Africa are open for international adoptions? How stable are these countries? How do you adopt from Africa? My guests for this show are representatives from three adoption agencies with long standing programs in various African countries: Wide Horizons For Children, Holt International, and Adoption Advocates International

Do you have to use an adoption agency to adopt a baby domestically? Is it faster or easier to do an independent adoption using an adoption attorney? How do you go about adopting independently in the US? Our guests for this show are two of the top adoption attorneys that facilitate independent adoptions: Steven M. Kirsh and Mark McDermott.

Adoption and third party reproduction, such as donor egg, sperm or embryos, have much in common since both create families in which the child is not genetically related to one or both parents. Adoptive families and professionals have walked this road before and have learned some hard lessons that could apply to the 3rd party reproduction community—if they want to hear. Our guests to talk about these issues is Adam Pertman, Executive Director of The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, which recently published a study titled “Old Lessons for a New World: Applying Adoption Research” and Experience to Assisted Reproductive Technology” and Marna Gatlin, founder and Director of the nonprofit, Parents Via Egg Donation.

Our guest will be Dr. Mark Perloe, Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, Medical Director of Georgia Reproductive Specialists, and professor in obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical College of Georgia. We will discuss what you can do to enhance your chances before you start treatment as well as what to do once in treatment to increase your odds of success.

If you suspect your child has reactive attachment disorder, bipolar, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, depression, or if your child acts out and nothing you do seems to help then join us to learn a love-based approach to helping children with severe behaviors. Our guest will be Heather Forbes, therapist, adoptive mom, and author of Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control.

The buzz for the last 15 years has been about the need for instilling cultural identity in our internationally adopted kids. What does the latest research show. Is it really necessary, and if so, what’s the best way to help our kids develop a sense of cultural identity. Join me and our guests Hollee McGinnis, adult Korean adoptee and researcher with the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and Dr. Heather Jacobson, Professor of Sociology & Anthropology, and author of Culture Keeping: White Mothers, International Adoption, and the Negotiation of Family Difference.

International adoptions from China have changed dramatically in the last few years. What does the future hold? Who can adopt from China and who should consider it? Our guests will be representatives from the following adoption agencies with long standing adoption programs in China: Children’s Home Society and Family Service, Children’s Hope International, and Chinese Children Adoption International.

Adolescence presents developmental challenges to all kids. How are these challenges different for the adopted child and how can parents help? My guest will be renowned psychotherapist and attachment specialist, Dr. Gregory Keck, author of many books on attachment in adoption, including his newest titled Parenting the Adopted Adolescent.

Once you finally get your child, either through infertility treatment or adoption, infertility is over. Right? Unfortunately, infertility can and often does affect how we parent. My guest to talk about parenting after infertility is Dorothy Greenfeld, Director of Psychological Services, Yale Fertility Center at Yale University School of Medicine.

Is surrogacy an option for you? How risky is it? How do you find a surrogate? Should you go abroad? How much does it cost? These are just a few of the questions that you face when considering using a surrogate.

How does it work out when you combine kids by birth and adoption in the same family? Does it matter if you adopt out of birth order? Does it make a difference if the adopted child is a baby, toddler, or over the age of six? My guest will be Arleta James, therapist that specializes in adoption and author of Brothers and Sisters in Adoption.