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There is no substitute for arming yourself with good information; especially as it pertains to your health and well-being. The following list of books was taken directly from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and is in no way intended to replace or fully define evaluation and/or treatment by a qualified professional. Rather, it is intended as an aid for those seeking additional information on infertility and issues in reproductive medicine. You might even use something you’ve read as a springboard for discussion with your Reproductive Endocrinologist.
Hopeful Heart, Peaceful Mind: Managing Infertility: September, 2009
Hopeful Heart, Peaceful Mind: Managing Infertility by Carol Fulwiler Jones is a highly recommended book for infertility patents. It is supportive, informative and integrates Carol Jones’ professional experience in both traditional psychotherapy and alternative health treatments. She provides her readers with an easy-to-read guide that they can put on their bedside table and pick up at any time to find comfort, validation and ways to cope with the stress of the infertility journey. The first part of the book describes common struggles patients face during their infertility treatment; and the last part of the book presents techniques on how to overcome them.
The Belated Baby: A Guide to Parenting After Infertility: January, 2008
The Belated Baby is not about a baby born post-mature, but instead is about couples who have struggled with infertility and then succeeded. Now what? There has been so much focus on getting pregnant and now it has happened. How joyous! How exciting! How scary! What if something happens? Are my hCG levels doubling appropriately? I can’t believe I can really see a fetal heart beat on ultrasound. Is it real? Similarly, those who choose to move to adoption are also faced with an “expectancy” period in which they have to wait and are uncertain whether or not the adoption will be successful. Infertility has scarred these couples and left them changed. Some say infertility “abused their soul.” These authors have personally dealt with infertility. Ms. Jill Browning had triplets and Kelly James-Enger ended up adopting. In addition, these authors include multiple quotes from others who have had similar experiences with infertility and are now pregnant or delivered, or adopted and are now parenting.
The Venus Week: January, 2008
Have you heard of the book, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray? This book uses the “Venus” analogy from Gray’s book for its title. The Venus Week is a book essentially about the reverse of premenstrual syndrome. With PMS, we often think about those things that bother us just before our period starts. The author, Dr. Rebecca Booth, focuses on the reverse. When do women feel their best? When do they look their best? When do people notice that their skin glows and that their hair shines? When do women communicate with the world around them more effectively? Dr. Booth focuses on that time period after the menstrual period is over and through ovulation, when women feel their best. This time period is usually about a week, and the author calls it the “Venus Week.” Why is it that women feel better at that time? What is the biologic explanation for feeling better at that time? She describes it as a “convergence of a woman’s mind, body, and sexuality.” Are there things that we can do or ways in which we can use this information to make the “Venus Week” last longer? How can women take control of this powerful positive energy to impact their lives?
100 Questions And Answers About Infertility: January, 2008
One hundred questions and answers are exactly what this book is about.
A Women’s Guide To Urinary Incontinence: January, 2008
This book is written for women with symptoms or concerns about urinary incontinence.
Waiting For Daisy: December, 2007
Waiting for Daisy is a delightful personal memoir of the author’s journey through infertility to parenthood by means of an unexpected natural conception after years of fertility treatments.
Hope and Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Surrogacy, The Gift of Egg Donation, The Gift of Embryo Donation, The Gift of Sperm Donation, The Gift of Adoption: March, 2007
The Hope and Will Have a Baby series is a welcomed addition to the children’s books genre of non-traditional family building.
I Am More Than My Infertility: 7 Proven Tools For Turning a Life Crisis Into a Personal Breakthrough: January, 2007
Do you have the emotional coping skills that you need to face these challenges and not lose yourself, your marriage, or what’s important to you in life in the meantime? This book describes approaches using seven tools you can learn to use to address this, and any, life crisis you face, with a definite focus on infertility.
Infertility For Dummies: January, 2007
Having difficulty conceiving? This book is like the “crib notes” version of infertility for the couple trying to conceive.
Uterine Fibroids: The Complete Guide: January, 2007
Fibroids are one of the most common benign gynecologic tumors.
*image courtesy of RogueSun Media / creative commons