It’s estimated that 1 in 6 couples get diagnosed with infertility every year and that more than 7 million American women are affected by infertility issues. Take one look at the love story of Carl and Ellie from the beginning of the Disney film UP!, and you can see the emotional impact that infertility can have on a couple.

This week, National Infertility Awareness Week, we’ve turned our attention to the ways that the sadness of infertility can become the joys of parenthood through adoption. Reference the Infertility to Adoption section of our website to read about moving past infertility grief and preparing yourself to pursue an adoption plan. Our Adoptive Family Testimonials are full of stories of couples who chose adoption to help them grow their family.

Celebrities with Infertility Who Chose Adoption

It seems like fertility is the newest celebrity coverage area. And while at times it may seem that the rich and famous are pursuing the latest infertility treatments, many have chosen adoption to fulfill their dreams of becoming parents. Here’s a brief list of some of those celebrities:

  • Hugh Jackman- Actor Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra Lee Furness tried to have a baby. “I hope Deb doesn’t mind me saying so, but that was a tough, tough time,” he said. Instead, they adopted son Oscar and daughter Ava. Jackman said, “We still wanted to adopt. That was our plan: we’ll have two and we’ll adopt one. Anyway, we didn’t have children. We tried, and that was tough. But the moment Oscar arrived, it just felt like he was always meant to come that way. I forget he’s adopted; he’s just my son.
  • Jamie Lee Curtis – Actress Jamie Lee Curtis and husband Christopher Guest, revealed that they adopted after struggles conceiving. Jamie wrote the book Tell Me Again About the Night I was Born to “let children who joined their families through adoption know that their own birth stories were exciting too.”
  • Emma Thompson – Actress Emma Thompson experienced a miscarriage and chose to put her career on hold. She said of that time, “I test[ed] myself by saying, ‘When I’m on my deathbed, will I regret not having taken this or that job?’ It’s very rare that the answer is ‘Yes.’ ” She gave birth to daughter Gaia in 1999 and adopted son Tindy, a Rwandan refugee, seven years later.
  • Nicole Kidman – Actress Nicole Kidman adopted two children Isabella and Connor with ex-husband Tom Cruise after facing infertility and miscarriages. Kidman has had two biological with second husband Keith Urban with the help of fertility treatments and a surrogate.
  • Kirstie Alley – Actress Kirstie Alley’s dramatic weight gain began after a miscarriage in the early ’90s. “When the baby was gone, I just didn’t really get over it. I had just been told it was very possible I would never be able to have children,” she said.  Alley later adopted two children, a son and a daughter.
  • Barbara Walters – Journalist Barbara Walters reportedly had three miscarriages before adopting her daughter Jackie in an age without many options for those with infertility.
  • Sharon Stone – Actress Sharon stone reportedly experienced early miscarriages and adopted son Roan with ex-husband Phil Bronstein, in 2000. After their divorce in 2004, Sharon went on to adopt sons Laird in May 2005 and Quinn in June 2006.
  • Nia Vardalos – Actress Nia Vardalos chose adoption after trying to have children biologically. Vardalos, who admits she is now a “giddy idiot” on Mother’s Day asks, “Please, on Mother’s Day, have some compassion. If you see someone without kids, do not ask them why they don’t have children, why they don’t just adopt, or if they are pregnant. Please be kind. Be quiet and pass the dip.”
  • John Roberts – Supreme Court Justice John Roberts and his wife Jane  had trouble conceiving and made the decision to pursue adoption out of respect for her Catholic beliefs. They have two children, Josephine and John.
  • DeMarcus Ware – As we mentioned in our Super Bowl post, Dallas Cowboys football player DeMarcus Ware and his wife experienced several miscarriages before adopting and going on to have a healthy biological child.
  • Jo Beth Williams – Actress Jo Beth Williams suffered from infertility and recurrent miscarriages before she chose to adopt with her husband. She has said, “You do become desperate. You go through periods where you cry for no reason and you want someone to help you.”

To read about other Famous Adoptions, visit our site. If you and your spouse have experienced infertility and want to learn more about adoption, consider requesting adoption information.