Adoption Experiences for Infertile Couples

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), 12% of the American population of reproductive age, approximately 7.3 million women and their partners, are estimated to be faced with infertility. Infertility is defined as the inability to obtain and sustain a pregnancy after 12 months of regular, unprotected intercourse for women under 35 and after 6 months for women 35 and over. Those facing fertility challenges and committed to having their own biological offspring often turn to assisted reproductive technologies (e.g., fertility drugs, in vitro fertilization, donor sperm and/or eggs, surrogacy) to build their families. Fertility treatments can extend over several years and are often financially prohibitive. Judith C. Daniluk contends that the medical treatment process is fraught with anxiety and stress, as couples ...