Archive for the ‘Recommended Reading’ Category

This comprehensive book explains in lucid, assured terms how to practice the fertility awareness method (FAM), a natural, scientifically proven but little-known form of birth control (which is not to be confused with the woefully ineffective “rhythm” method). Author Toni Weschler has been teaching fertility awareness for almost 20 years, and it’s only just now gaining in popularity. As the book explains, by using simple fertility signs including peaks in morning body temperature and changes in cervical position and cervical mucus, it’s possible to determine when ovulation is taking place. Fertility awareness is therefore useful for not only couples who are trying to conceive, but for those who are aiming to avoid pregnancy without the use of chemical contraceptives. It will be of special interest to those women who have suffered from infertility; many FAM practitioners have told the author that by filling in the detailed charts in the book, they’ve realized that they were chronically miscarrying, even when their doctors told them they weren’t conceiving at all. As the book explains, by charting body temperature, it’s simple to tell when pregnancy has occurred–and when there’s danger of miscarriage. Taking Charge of Your Fertility also explains how to choose the sex of your baby by timing intercourse according to certain fertility signs. It also features thorough, easy-to-understand explanations of hormones, the menstrual cycle, and menopause, along with fertility tests and treatments and their long- and short-term side effects, plus a topnotch resource section. Recommended for any woman who wants to better understand her body. –Erica Jorgensen –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review Courtesy of Amazon.com

Overcoming Infertility: A Guide For Jewish Couples by Richard V. Grazi is a wonderful book for Jewish couples facing infertility. Faith based books are often hard to come by for couples of other faiths but this one is particularly supportive and a great read for couples of the Jewish faith.

The Belated Baby: A Guide to Parenting After Infertility by Kelly James-Enger and Jill S. Browning is a great book which approaches the idea of becoming a parent after living with infertility. Whether you become a parent via adoption or through infertility treatments very few new parents realize that the echoes of infertility will continue on even though you have become the very thing you had hoped for.

Fertile Vs. Infertile How Infections Affect Your Fertility And Your Baby’s Health by A. Toth is written by a doctor who has practiced infertility medicine for over 30 years and has seen it all. This book examines the types of infections that can affect infertility and why they come about as well as why there has been a sudden increase in the infection rate in the population.

Childfree After Infertility: Moving From Childlessness to a Joyous Life by Heather Wardell is a great book that combines the lifestyles of living as an infertile family and moving on to a childfree life. The book includes a lot of great stories about couples who have decided to move on to child free lives rather than child less lives. This is a great read and really gives couples something to think about when it comes to trying to stay positive.

Maybe Baby: 28 Writers Tell the Truth About Skepticism, Infertility, Baby Lust, Childlessness, Ambivalence, and How They Made the Biggest Decision of Their Lives by Lori Leibovich is an odd book and I am honestly unsure as to how well it fits in this section of the site; however, it is intriguing and interesting at the same time. The book contains 28 stories of people who want children, people who don’t want children and those who can’t have children, it provides multiple points of view and things that people seldom think about as food for thought.

The Fertility Diet by Jorge Chavarro, Walter C. Willett & Patrick J. Skerrett is a pretty controversial book based around the concept that diet plays a huge part in fertility, and while it has been proven that diet plays a huge role in body health and system function this book and the concept of the “fertility” diet has come under extreme speculation because of the expectations many people have from merely changing diet. This book is a valuable tool when it comes to making life changes that will benefit your body in preparation for pregnancy; however, keep expectations real and don’t expect miracles merely from diet change.

Healing the Infertile Family: Strengthening Your Relationship in the Search for Parenthood by Gay Becker is a very straightforward guide on how to survive infertility as a family and remain intact as a family throughout the whole experience. While this book doesn’t offer the extra frills and sarcasm and humor that some infertility guides offer it does offer straightforward easily understood information and provides the support that many families facing infertility need.

Infertility Sucks! (Keeping it all together when sperm and egg stubbornly remain apart)by Beverly Barna is one woman’s story of infertility incorporating humor and sarcasm. This book makes a change of pace from the usual straight faced depressing approach so many memoirs and stories of infertility carry and it’s worth the read if only to see that infertility can be tackled with determination and a smile.

The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant by Dan Savage is a book about a gay couple and their decision to adopt a child. Although this book does not deal specifically with “traditional” infertility struggles it addresses the struggles of a homosexual couple coping with an open adoption and the addition of a child to their family very well and is well worth the read.