Product Description
In the only book to make sense of the worlds of adoption and fertility treatment, Bartholet combines moving personal narrative with compelling policy analysis. Family Bonds is newly available at a time when more children than ever are waiting to be adopted and infertility treatment is not only a growing business but also an increasingly expensive and sophisticated technology.
"A jewel. . . . Recommended to anyone contemplating or involved with adoption and to any citizen concerned about the welfare of children in our society."


—Carolyn Moore Newberger, The Boston Globe
"It would take a book—a very smart and sane book—to deal with these matters and come to the aid of the parties to adoption, and, on the bright side of coincidence, someone is about to publish it [Family Bonds].


—The New Yorker
"Anyone seeking to become a parent should both heed and take heart from Elizabeth Bartholet. Family Bonds is at once powerful testimony to the robust ties adoptive families form and an urgent plea for the rights and needs of children everywhere."


—Diane Cole, Newsday
"Essential reading for policymakers, lawyers, and child welfare workers."


—Joan Hollinger, editor, Adoption Law and Practice ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Intelligent Exploration of Adoption
Family Bonds is a bit more personal than Bartholet's other title, Nobody's Children.Bartholet is a mother to one child born prior to her divorce, and two boys adopted from Peru as a single, divorcee.Batholet states that "The myth is that the legal structure surrounding adoption is designed to serve the best interests of the child.Actually experiencing the system as an adoptive parent shattered this myth for me."As a woman who endured the international adoption process I too had this myth shattered.The current adoption system, both domestic and international, is a travesty.The needs of children are the lowest priority and their "best interests" is something to which only lip service is paid. Anyone who has traveled to a foreign country can attest to the heartbreaking conditions of orphanages and the bizarre affinity for orphanages over international adoption.You need only be exposed briefly to babies languishing in wooden cribs or strapped to potties as early as possible to be appalled by the fact that so-called "advocates" for children oppose adoption and actually support anti-adoption sentiments.Most of the children in these orphanages are not legally "available" for adoption, yet they are purportedly "better off" being NOBODY'S CHILD than being an American's child.It is a disquieting notion, but nonetheless a reality.

Elizabeth Bartholet is a voice of reason in the adoption world; a world that is sadly perverted by anti-adoption forces clinging to a mythological ideology that blood equates to the best parenting scenario for all children.This is a dangerous ideology as many are willing to sacrifice children's lives in order to defend it.Children rot away in the foster care system and most are reunited with their parents at all costs - to the point that many are killed by their biological parents who are unfit to parent them.It is reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's short story The Lottery.We cling to barbaric ways simply because it is "the way we've always done it".

Compassionate ideas
I found Elizabeth Bartholet's view of parenting to be thoughtful, intelligent and compassionate.As the birth mother of one, this book made me want to consider adoption as a compassionate way to expand my family -- even without fertility problems as the motivation.

Family Bonds
If you're an adoptee or birthmother, don't waste your money on this narrow-minded view of adoption.Bartholet has little to say about birthmothers!When she does mention birthmothers, she seems to view them as inconsequential baby machines.No empathy in this book! ... Read more

Product Description
This volume describes in step-by-step detail a uniquetherapeutic approach developed to treat couples confronting thepainful challenge of infertility. Therapists learn how they can helpcouples accept the possibility of not having genetically relatedchildren; acknowledge each other's feelings and deal with problemsthat may arise in their relationship; and assess the potential gains,pitfalls, and psychological effects of available treatmentoptions. Detailed guidelines are set forth for implementingtherapeutic interventions in each of five unique stages typicallyexperienced by couples.Illuminating the tasks that couples andtherapists face throughout the process, the book is illustrated withextensive case examples that bring the material to life. A usefulAppendix provides current information on medical evaluation andtreatment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A helpful, compassionate book
As an individual and as part of a couple I've read dozens of books on infertility. Unfortunately, they are usually preachy and/or clinical. "Couple Therapy For Infertility" was neither. It offered newinsight into how infertility effects relationships. It gave me personalguidance - I've recommended it to friends and to my therapist! I amthrilled such a book has *finally* been published. This is an importanttopic that demands such sensitivity and compassion. Recommended reading forall couples. Thank you sincerely!

A must read for couples facing infertility treatment!
This is a magnificent resource.Infertility treatment has become so common.The medical advances have been tremendous.But before this book appeared few experts in infertility paid attention to the psychologicalconsequences couples oftenface when they try to conceive.Many times theemotional difficulty can literally tear a couple apart.Using case studiesand extremely thoughtful analysis, the authors prevent a guide for bothcouples and professionals to help overcome the many hurdles raised by thisrapidly expanding technology ... Read more

Product Description

Infertility and Patriarchy explores the lives of infertile women whose personal stories depict their daily struggles to resist disempowerment and stigmatization. Marcia C. Inhorn has produced a unique study of gender, politics, and family life in contemporary Egypt.

Product Description

Coping with Infertility is an essential source of emotional support for any couple struggling with involuntary childlessness. The book offers proven techniques and real-life examples from both men and women, in order to outline common emotional reactions and remind couples that they are not alone in their ups and downs. The coping skills discussed in the book have been assembled from years of working with individuals in clinical trials and have undergone rigorous scientific testing. These state-of-the-art techniques have been shown to be effective in helping couples deal with the stress, depression, relationship problems, and grief often associated with infertility. Coping with Infertility is an easily accessible and problem-focused guide for couples to use in overcoming the emotional roadblocks of infertility.

Customer Reviews (1)

Just OK
I am not done reading the book yet, but so far it is just ok.It goes into a lot of things i already knew and realized.It isn't quite the book i was looking for.I was looking to put my mind at east that what i have been dealing with and how i have been dealing with it is normal. ... Read more

Product Description
This text is devoted to the crisis of being unable to conceive or carry a child to term following the birth of one or more children, with special issues and strategies for resolution. It focuses on issues such as anger and depression, the effects on marriage, and relationships with family.Amazon.com Review
Secondary infertility is often a "hidden" issue, and couplessuffering from the inability to have another wanted child often feel caughtin the netherworld between the childless infertile and parents of largerfamilies. Harriet Fishman Simons, a clinician specializing in fertilityissues and a support group leader for RESOLVE, an advocacy group forinfertile individuals, has been involved ininfertility issues for over 20 years. In her book Wanting Another Child: Coping with Secondary Infertility, Simons discusses the plightof the secondarily infertile--the awkwardness of being among infertilecouples without children, the pain of watching other families conceiveagain. The book takes a broad-based look at an issue that is becoming morecommon as more couples rely on fertility treatments to form their families.Simons weaves personal stories with theory and sociological data. Sheincludes chapters on social and emotional issues (the effects of secondaryinfertility on the couple as well as friends, family,and coworkers), parenting during secondary infertility issues (helpingchildren cope with their parent's secondary infertility), and possibleresolutions to and strategies for coping with secondary infertility.Simons's style may be academic, but the information and message is not, andthis book is a welcome addition to a new subfield of study.--Ericka Lutz ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

shared emotions, but no solutions....
I checked out this book from the library with high hopes of finding answers to my various questions about secondary infertility, but was v. disappointed that it was no more than a collection of experiences sent to the author by a wide variety of people who are living with this infertility.OK so there's a whole community out there who are experiencing similar emotions and questions; what I am looking for are some guidelines and helpful suggestions.The author fails to provide good advice or useful decision-making tools to those dealing with this issue.Although a subject such as secondary infertility has a very large audience, perusing this book made me no wiser in answering questions I have about the situation.2 pts. for dealing with a topic important to many of us, -3 for not shedding light on my questtions.I failed to see the value-add from the author other than making the reader aware that there are many other people out there grappling with the same issues and emotions.Don't waste your time with this book.

Why is this out of print?
I found this book so helpful in making me realize I wasn't alone in this strange mixture of feelings.While I found it helpful to be part of a support group for others suffering from infertility, I also found it difficult at times to relate to those suffering from primary infertility, and I did not want to seem ungrateful for the wonderful child I had when so many people had no child at all.I have passed this book along to several other people and have suggested it to others online -- I only wish it were still in print!

Highly Recommend - it REALLY helped me!!!
Where was this book when I REALLY needed it!!! They need to reprint this because there are so many people who could benifit from this book. I have dealt with my secondary infertility for 8 years from childbirth complications. I have never really felt like I "fit in" with the infertile childless and the people who could have more kids.I recommend this book with 5 stars+++. It may bring on some tears but that is part of the process of coming to terms and the grieving process. You will read about how other ladies have dealt with other peoples pregancies, caught between two worlds of the fertile and infertile, how families do not really give the support you hoped for and knowing they still love you, the second child you had in your mind and heart will never be and you have to mourn for that child, validating your idea of what is a family, adoption as an option, and accepting an only child family. It really helped me out a lot to realise I am not alone and validate my feelings that I have had the past 8 years. If you are a good friend or family member dealing with secondary infertility get this and read it then pass it on to your friend. She/he will feel so good that you cared enough to give it.It was written by a RESOLVE counselor. It is an EXCELLENT book for husbands to read because they see this differently in a lot of ways and this book will help them see the wives point of view. I highly recommend it. Please reprint it!!

An Excellent Read for Those Coping, or if You Know Someone
I had no expectations when I opened this book, having read a number of books on infertility. What a pleasant surprise to discover that Ms. Fishman Simons knows the subject of secondary infertility so well and provides in her book just what couples experiencing this very much ignored problem need for guidance. While reading it was emotionally difficult at times, I found many perspectives that matched what I had felt and some insightful comments on how to get past secondary infertility. I highly recommend this book to anyone coping with secondary infertility, certainly as a beginning to "recovery," and to family and friends of the secondary infertile couple.

An Excellent Read for Those Coping, or if You Know Someone
I had no expectations when I opened this book, having read a number of books on infertility. What a pleasant surprise to discover that Ms. Fishman Simons knows the subject of secondary infertility so well and provides in her book just what couples experiencing this very much ignored problem need for guidance. While reading it was emotionally difficult at times, I found many perspectives that matched what I had felt and some insightful comments on how to get past secondary infertility. I highly recommend this book to anyone coping with secondary infertility, certainly as a beginning to "recovery," and to family and friends of the secondary infertile couple. ... Read more

Product Description
What is the right time to have a baby? And if starting a family means interrupting your career, cementing your relationship irrevocably, permanently changing your way of life - how does anyone decide the right time? This book examines the whole issue of reproduction and family planning, and argues that fertility education is as much of a necessity for adults as sex education is for children. Drawing on a number of real case histories, Maureen Freely and Celia Pyper consider contraception and the links between children, youth and death, and offer a revolutionary view on how to be as rational as possible about the biggest and perhaps the wildest decision we ever make. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

thank goodness for this book
Make sure you read this book early on, maybe even before you get off the infertility merry go round. This book made me feel so good. It was a serious path forward. Even though we had already decided to adopt, reading the early chapters helped me go through and review my feelings and how we made our decisions. It was such a balm to my soul.
That being said, it is out of date, as anything related to science, medicine or adoption is. But its still worth it.

Great place to start
I think this was a well written book, that covered many topics on adopting after going through the craziness of infertility.I actually felt empowered and like I had options when reading this book.My husband and I are now on the road to adoption.Not everything in this book applies to every situation, but it was great to read.

Loved It
This is by far the best book I read after my journey through infertility and as I began considering adoption.My husband and I now have a 3 1/2 year old son from Russia and we are in the process of adopting child number two.The truth is that adopting is extremely different from having a biological child and it is very important to work through your emotional issues before becoming an adoptive parent.I am grateful that I took the time to work through the issues addressed in this book before adopting my son.I am a better mother as a result.I highly recommend this book!

Spend your money elsewhere
There was not much useful information in this book (unless you like being talked down to), and I also noticed a lot of incorrect information in what there was.The author comes off as pompous and sort of a "know it all" in many areas, which is a bit odd for a person who obviously doesn't know as much as she is claiming to know.Our family has adopted four children over the recent years, all in separate adoptions, and I can tell you for a fact that the author is way off base in some of her claims.I would not recommend this book to anyone because adoption is a very tricky process, and a lot can go wrong, especially if you are following incorrect information from a supposed "expert" such as in a book like this.

Excellent

Of all the books and many, many websites my husband and I have read since we began looking into adoption, "Adopting After Infertility" ranks near, if not at, the top of my list. The best part about this book is how sympathetic Johnston is to [prospective] adoptive parents. I've gone back to this book a few times, after reading more elsewhere and learning more, for her balanced, direct, and kind style. As well as easier on the psyche than others, "Adopting After Infertility" is informative. Not as in depth regarding laws (state by state, country by country) as other sources, there is plenty to get you started in knowing the types of adoption and choices available. Invaluable for making me feel human. An excellent starting point and grounding reference along the way as we encounter the daunting realities. Emotionally, Johnston keeps the reader in line by reminding us that, though we don't have choices or resources we might wish to, we DO have many, which she describes quite well and accurately, providing informationunavailble in the "how to" stlye accounts or in the "pro" or "con" material. Johnston is soft and kind, and empowering at once. If you are considering adoption, whether or not you are infertile, I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description

The birth of the first test tube baby in 1978 focused attention on the sweeping advances in assisted reproductive technology (ART), which is now a multi-billion-dollar business in the United States. Sperm and eggs are bought and sold in a market that has few barriers to its skyrocketing growth. While ART has been an invaluable gift to thousands of people, creating new families, the use of someone else's genetic material raises complex legal and public policy issues that touch on technological anxiety, eugenics, reproductive autonomy, identity, and family structure. How should the use of gametic material be regulated? Should recipients be able to choose the "best" sperm and eggs? Should a child ever be able to discover the identity of her gamete donor? Who can claim parental rights?

Naomi R. Cahn explores these issues and many more in Test Tube Families, noting that although such questions are fundamental to the new reproductive technologies, there are few definitive answers currently provided by the law, ethics, or cultural norms. As a new generation of "donor kids" comes of age, Cahn calls for better regulation of ART, exhorting legal and policy-making communities to cease applying piecemeal laws and instead create legislation that sustains the fertility industry while simultaneously protecting the interests of donors, recipients, and the children that result from successful transfers.

Product Description
Worldwide, over 80 million people are involuntarily childless, a devastating experience for many with significant consequences for the social and psychological well-being of women in particular. This groundbreaking volume is the first to highlight the ways in which diverse ethnic, cultural and religious identities affect understanding of technological solutions for infertility and associated treatment experiences.

The collection begins with a consideration of some of the key methodological challenges for social research on ethnicity and infertility. The book introduces and examines concepts of infertility such as the bio-medical definition and discusses the companion concept of ethnicity, analyzing the shortcomings of simple assessments of ethnicity common in the health literature. It also discusses the relationship between the ethnic identity of both researcher and the researched and outlines some of the major issues, which can arise in engaging minority ethnic populations in research studies on sensitive topics.

Drawing on original research, the book goes on to explore infertility and reproductive technologies in relation to ethnicity in a selection in of “Western” societies and look at the interfaces between the constitutional “right to life of the unborn” and new reproductive technologies in Ireland. ... Read more

Product Description
Covers infertility in the male, antisperm antibodies, tubal disease, nutritional aspects of infertility, hyperprolactinaemia and habitual abortion. This third edition includes updated materials on protocols and more detailed discussion of pathophysiology of infertility disorders. This book is aimed at GPs, infertility clinicians, nurses in obstetrics or gynaecology and postgraduate medical students. ... Read more

Product Description
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. ... Read more

Product Description
cultural and social issues, focus on Hinduism, community, changing role of women ... Read more

Product Description
University of Bologna, Italy.Proceedings of the symposium on Ovulation Induction: Basic Science and Clinical Advances, January 20-22, 1994, Palm Beach, Florida. Advanced fertility research. 114 international contributors. ... Read more

Product Description
Accounts of couples struggling with infertility reach out with comfort and support. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A must read for any infertile couple!
I read this book over 6 years ago when I was experiencing infertility trouble. I couldn't put it down. It brought great comfort to hear someone else talk about the feelings involved with infertility. I was so glad to find it again for someone else I know going through this right now! Thank you for sharing your story, you have no idea how much you've helped other people!

I have finally seen others feel as I do...
I have read this book twice.Once as an undergrad for a class taught by the author.The second time I began to read it when I started to experience infertility myself.I have a beautiful 4 yr. old daughter and have been trying to conceive for nearly 3 years.The book has some very good insight into the feelings a woman goes through when trying to conceive and no one else understands.It has given me some comfort in knowing there are others that understand my feelings and that I am not crazy.Thank you so much, Michelle for this book.

This book saved me
A heartwrenching look at the effects infertility can have on a woman's life, and the ways other women have dealt with this problem.If you have this problem--or know someone who does--get this book.It'll help you so much. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a discourse analysis of a series of interviews with women and couples who have had IVF unsuccessfully and who have subsequently stopped treatment. Taking a feminist approach, the book argues that treatment failure produces an ongoing and profoundly gendered burden of discursive work that is oriented towards locating the self, and the engagement with IVF, as "normal".
... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (8)

Hurtful & Insensitive - Do infertile parents really need more pain?
If you've known the pain of infertility, Diane Ehrensaft's comments will hurt, infuriate, and insult you.I found this book in the library and was absolutely astonished that a publisher would allow such a hurtful book to be printed.She mocks men and women who use assisted reproduction to build their families, insinuating that there is a sexual component behind the joining of sperm and egg in a test tube.She implies that a woman who had to use donor eggs to have her children is doomed to feel uncontrollable envy that her husband is "doing it" - her words - with an egg donor that is likely younger, beautiful, athletic, and more intelligent.There is enough pain and shame associated with infertility.Diane Ehrensaft enjoys kicking people when they are down.

Indeed, Diane Ehrensaft appears to be obsessed with sex, hardly a page goes by without her making some lurid comment, going so far as to name the sub-chapter on using sperm donors, egg donors, or surrogates "The Affair".She implies that men and women whose partners could not contribute sperm, eggs, or womb should worry that the partner who did contribute is having sexual fantasies about the sperm donor, the egg donor, or the surrogate.

Assisted reproduction is a beautiful way to build a family.It is tragic that Diane Ehrensaft's sick, twisted, sex-obsessed views have been compiled and printed in a book.Avoid this book at all costs.There are other books you can buy that will give you the information you need.I can only guess that positive reviews were posted by friends of the author, because the remarks these people made indicate that they obviously haven't felt the pain of infertility.There's a special place in hell for people like Diane Ehrensaft.

don't understand the criticism!
I'm really confused by the previous reviewer who felt the author of this book is cruel to those of us who are dealing with infertility!This could not be more untrue!

I recommend this book very strongly.It is the one of the few books on the topic that talks about the full panoply of emotional issues faced by everyone involved in 3rd party assisted reproduction.

This is not a handbook to pursuing gamete donation or surrogacy.The book Having Your Baby Via Egg Donation covers that ground.This it is an in-depth discussion of an extremely complicated topic, written by a psychologist with extensive experience in this area.

I think this book is especially valuable for those of us who already have donor-gamete conceived children and are looking for guidance in the ongoing task of talking to our children out it.

repetitive and incoherent
The author keeps repeating herself, drift to people stories and does not focus on the point in hand. It is easy to get lost and don't know what she trying to say.

Great place to start
Excellent practical advice. It really helped me get my head around the complexities of egg donation to create a family. I am in New Zealand and although some of the American references didn't apply, the issues are universal and addressed with a lot of care.

Soothing, loving
I love this book. I'm reading it slowly to not miss a word. Of the DE books I read this is the first one I feel is non-judgemental, and so very reasonable.
I got it from the library (cautious by the reviews I read here) and am going to buy it just to keep it.
Reading this book is easing a lot of the stress I'm going through on this path. Once issues are named and identified they lose their ability to subliminally torment you. The book is respectful enough to leave it to the reader to look at things her/his own way, after helping in laying out the issues.
This book is written by a psychoanalyst and will be most enjoyed by people familiar with psychoanalysis. ... Read more

Product Description
The 2nd edition of Male Infertility is a complete revision of the 1st edition, with all chapters rewritten and new chapters added. This is a book for the clinician dealing with the infertile couple, because rational, effective management is only possible if the couple are dealt with together. There is broad coverage of basic science and investigation with emphasis on the newer sperm function tests. Management includes giving a prognosis, medical and surgical treatments, assisted conception and, if all else fails, donor insemination. This book will be invaluable for both the practising clinician who wishes to give practical, up-to-date advice to infertile couples, and for those who specialize in the male factor in infertility. ... Read more

Product Description
Conceiving Kinship is an in-depth journey, the first of its kind, into how heterosexual, lesbian and gay couples using programmes of gamete donation conceptualize and make Italian kinship. It explores the provision of treatment in clinical and non-clinical settings at a time when Italy was considered the "Wild-West" of assisted conception. This compelling study provides a new perspective on hotly debated issues in kinship studies and the modern medical technologies; it offers fresh insights into long-standing questions of cultural continuities and discontinuities in European kinship. ... Read more