Jana M. Rupnow LPC

Jana M. Rupnow, LPC is an internationally recognized fertility mental health expert and author of the bestselling book Three Makes Baby- How to Parent Your Donor Conceived Child. Three Makes Baby introduced the field to the “five common fears” that parents face as they contemplate having a non-biological child. Thousands of readers around the world have trusted the wisdom and guidance because she knows firsthand what it’s like to be in a non-biological family, as an adoptee and adoptive mom.  

After facing infertility herself and adopting a child, Jana began working in the field of infertility mental health. She helped thousands of people prepare to grow their family in non-traditional ways, including adoption, surrogacy and donor conception.

Early in her work, she was surprised at the level of secrecy in third-party reproduction. Many of her clients were told by their doctors to keep donor conception a secret from everyone, especially their future child. As an adoptee, Jana was told the truth by her parents from birth, and knew that children could be informed in a healthy way about their origin story. Jana shares, "Perhaps worse than the secrecy, was the fiercely protective behavior I encountered by players in the industry to keep it that way." She also noticed major gaps in psychological preparation for intended parents trying to conceive using a donor. Desperate to be parents, many individuals and couples were coping with infertility, complicated grief and loss, and social alienation with few resources to guide them. Jana wrote Three Makes Baby as a resource for parents. "I wanted to support future parents while also putting their future child's needs first."

Her work also includes Three Makes Baby podcast, which encourages communication between donor conceived parents and donor conceived adults, to raise awareness of the inherent challenges donor conceived families may face across the lifespan.  

She received a bachelor of science from Texas A&M University and a master of arts, in professional counseling from Amber University. Jana has a master's degree in professional counseling. For consultation, counseling, training for professionals, or a speaking engagement, email Jana@JanaRupnow.com or learn more on www.JanaRupnow.com. Follow Jana Rupnow on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @janarupnowlpc.