Infertile couples who want to adopt find out what’s involved at this week’s Fertility Show

This week’s National Adoption Week raises the plight of children waiting for adoption. It also highlights potential parents hoping to start a family through adoption.

At this week’s Fertility Show, nearly 4,000 visitors are expected to attend, looking for solutions to help overcome their infertility. IVF is often a route many go down. But not everyone succeeds in having their own children.

For those who don’t, adoption is another way forward. At this week’s show, visitors will hear a talk from the London Borough of Brent Adoption Team about exactly what’s involved. With 64,000 children in care in the UK, it would seem like an obvious route.

But many are daunted by newspaper headlines of an over complicated system in the UK with three year delays and intense scrutiny. For some, adopting abroad offers a more compelling solution. This year the show also features a talk from Cecile Trijssenaar, who adopted her son from Russia and who now advises other parents how to do so.

The Fertility Show backs the government’s aims of making adoption in the UK more accessible. With 1 in 6 couples facing infertility at some stage in their lives, there would appear to be huge source of potential adopters if processes can be simplified.

Notes to editors:

- The Fertility Show is backed by leading patient care charity, Infertility Network UK

- It takes place at London’s Olympia Exhibition Centre, Hammersmith, on Friday and Saturday Nov 4-5, 2011. Admission price £10 in advance, £14 on the door. Seats in seminars £1.

- Amongst 60 leading speakers at the show are;

Sam Abdalla (Medical Director, Lister Fertility Centre),
Yacoub Khalaf, (Medical Director, Guy’s & St Thomas’ ACU),
Charles Kingsland (Clinical Director, The Hewitt Centre for Reproduction),
Julian Norman-Taylor (Consultant Gynaecologist, Chelsea and Westminster assisted conception unit),
Michael Dooley (medical director The Poundbury Clinic),
Zita West (well known midwife and fertility Counsellor),
Allan Pacey (University of Sheffield),
Dr Zhai (Zhai Chinese Medicine Clinic),
Kate Brian (Author) and over 40 other leading fertility specialists.