Creating a Family: Talk about Infertility and Adoption

I will interview Melissa Ford, a.k.a. the Stirrup Queen, about surviving infertility with your humor and sanity intact. Mel is the founder of the hilarious Stirrup Queens and Sperm Palace Jesters website. She is the grand dame of infertility blogging.

Everything you wanted to know about domestic adoption, but were afraid to ask. My guest will be Elizabeth Swire Falker, author of The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Adoption.

Donor eggs and sperm are NOT just the next step on the infertility treadmill. It is important to first think through all the issues involved before using donor gametes. My guest is Carol Jones, a therapist with 25 years experience in infertility as well an someone who has walked this path personally.

Deciding whether to accept the referral or match for a child is the biggest decision an adoptive parent has to make. We will talk with Dr. Dana Johnson, Director of the International Adoption Clinic at the University of Minnesota and Professor of Neonatology, about what factor are red flags, what questions to ask, and how to interpret the scant medical history provided.

For those who are infertile but really want to experience pregnancy, embryo adoption is an option. Join me to find out how to find embryos, how to find a doctor to transfer the embryo, how successful are embryo adoptions, what are the pros and cons, and what are the legal pitfalls.

Attention Deficit Disorder is hard on kids and hard on parents. Join me for my interview with the ADHD guru, Dr. Edward Hallowell, author of numerous books on ADD, including SuperParenting for ADD and Driven to Distraction. We'll talk about parenting techniques that work with children with ADHD.

Multiple births are the dirty secret of infertility treatment. Perhaps most surprising is that most couples starting assisted reproduction prefer twins. Join me when I talk with Dr. Rober Stillman, Dr. Robert Stillman, reproductive endocrinologist and Professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine, and Kelly Damron , mom of IVF twins and author of Tiny Toes. We will talk about the risks of multiples and the advances in assisted reproduction that will reduce the risk of multiple births.

I will interview Dr Angela C. Wu, author of Fertility Wisdom: How Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Help Overcome Infertility, about how Chinese medicine can help you overcome infertility

Deborah Gray, author of Attaching in Adoption and Nurturing Adoptions will talk about the special challenges of adopting a preschool aged child and what parents can do to help their child attach and bond.

Are you infertile and so far haven't been successful with treatment. Are you trying to adopt, but are still waiting? The holidays can be a stressful sorrowful time for parents in waiting. I will interview Dr. Sharon Covington, psychologist specializing in infertility about how to survive the holidays without a child.

What breakthroughs are on the horizon to treat infertility and can they help you? I will interview Dr. Joe Massey, Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, about low stimulation cycles, in vitro maturation, and other developments in assisted reproductive technology.

Ellen Singer, adoption therapist and educator with The Center for Adoption Support & Education, will talk about how children understand and process adoption at different stages of development and what parents can do to help children understand what it means to be adopted.

I will interview Peggy Orenstein, author of Waiting for Daisy: A Tale of Two Continents, Three Religions, Five Infertility Doctors, an Oscar, an Atomic Bomb, and a Romantic Night, about her journey through infertility. Orenstein’s journey is funny, sad, frustrating, and uplifting. It’s a great fun read.

I will interview an adoptive mom, Micky Duxbury, author of Making Room in Our Hearts: Keeping Family Ties Through Open Adoption, and a birth mom, Patricia Dischler, author of Because I Loved You: A Birthmother's View of Open Adoption about what is meant by “open” adoption and how it really works.

Adopting a newborn is possible. We will discuss how, the cost, and the differences between agency and attorney adoptions.