Pathways To Parenthood

For 15% of America's couples the pathways to parenthood are blocked, usually by one of four major causes: abnormal ovulation, the male factor (low sperm count, poor motility, etc.), damaged Fallopian tubes, or endometriosis. This superb instructional video offers new hope to infertile couples by laying out the "therapeutic ladder": a series of steps couples can take beginning with keeping ovulation and temperature charts at the bottom rung all the way up to the choosing adoption as the last recourse. In between, the various medical procedures for everything from increasing sperm count to laser surgery on the female reproductive organs are covered in detail. Several couples are interviewed during the program, including comic Jeff Altman and his wife, actress Leslie Ackerman, lending a personal--and even humorous--touch to a sensitive issue. In addition, the program delves into the latest frontiers of in-vitro gestation, surrogate mothers, and special support groups for struggling couples. Up-to-the-minute information combined with the usual excellent production values from Xenejenex make this novel instructional video a superb choice for public libraries. Highly recommended. (Available from: Xenejenex, 300 Brickstone Square, Andover, MA 01810; 1-800-228-2495.)