4.52

0

Jul 16, 2013

Another in my long list of fertility research. I swear, I'm going to get my PhD in Making Babies (ha! Another title of a book I've read!). I spotted this one on the "New" shelf at the library, so I grabbed it. A really great, general overview of just about everything else I've already read (she references tooons of studies - from the Fertility Diet, Alice Domar (who I really love, but hate the titles on her books), etc.

I used to embarrassed about having these books on GoodReads, but you know? Another in my long list of fertility research. I swear, I'm going to get my PhD in Making Babies (ha! Another title of a book I've read!). I spotted this one on the "New" shelf at the library, so I grabbed it. A really great, general overview of just about everything else I've already read (she references tooons of studies - from the Fertility Diet, Alice Domar (who I really love, but hate the titles on her books), etc.

I used to embarrassed about having these books on GoodReads, but you know? It's actually coming in handy as friends are asking me where to start and what books are helpful (vs terrifying).
Actually, this kind of reframe is the best thing I took from this book. I just read one sentence towards the end (there's a chapter on Spirituality!) that struck me. It helped me reframe this entire thing as a "rite of passage", instead of a "struggle". And it's true! I've changed my life in SO many ways since first undertaking this project (writing + publishing a book - because if not before the baby, then when? Exercising + losing weight - to increase my odds. Facing lots of fears and hidden beliefs about parenthood, doctors and well, just my body.)

So! No more shame about reading all this. It's been eye-opening and educational and if there's one thing I value, it's education, so why would this be any different? ...more

3

Jun 05, 2017

This book had a lot of great information, and certainly a lot of things I hadn't considered implementing . I recommend this to anyone trying to conceive.

3

Apr 24, 2013

If you know me at all, you know that I'm a planner. And while sometimes this is too my detriment (there is such thing as overplanning, y'all), I figure when it comes to matters of health, planning is definitely a good thing. I think in long term most of the time so while I'm not necessarily ready to have a child in the near future, I figure it's never too early to start thinking about things. I appreciated that this book spoke about both traditional medical approaches as well as more natural If you know me at all, you know that I'm a planner. And while sometimes this is too my detriment (there is such thing as overplanning, y'all), I figure when it comes to matters of health, planning is definitely a good thing. I think in long term most of the time so while I'm not necessarily ready to have a child in the near future, I figure it's never too early to start thinking about things. I appreciated that this book spoke about both traditional medical approaches as well as more natural approaches. This definitely appealed to me.

The book was easy to follow along and was fairly well organized. I was especially interested in some of the natural medicine sections as these are much less familiar to me. This book definitely broadened my perspective a little bit.

Maizes gives a lot of different examples of various women and their course of treatment in order for them to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy. For women who are actively trying to conceive, this book would be a good pick. There are a lot of different options and ideas that an individual can pursue that are discussed in this book

On the other hand, medical advice really should be geared to an individual person. Just because something happened to work for you, it doesn't mean that it is going to automatically work for someone else. I think that it would have been good for Maizes to discuss this a little bit more in this book. ...more

4

Aug 02, 2013

I picked up this book because I had a chance to meet Dr. Maizes and she’s lovely – very knowledgeable and warm. So it was a pleasure to “hear” her tone in the pages and I liked the organization and writing style. Various subjects from Traditional Chinese Medicine to Nutrition to Spirituality are arranged into their own chapters, allowing the reader to read straight through or skip to areas of particular interest. While I don’t think I will be following anything here as a step by step guide, I I picked up this book because I had a chance to meet Dr. Maizes and she’s lovely – very knowledgeable and warm. So it was a pleasure to “hear” her tone in the pages and I liked the organization and writing style. Various subjects from Traditional Chinese Medicine to Nutrition to Spirituality are arranged into their own chapters, allowing the reader to read straight through or skip to areas of particular interest. While I don’t think I will be following anything here as a step by step guide, I did learn quite a bit (whole milk for max fertility!) and really appreciated the wider perspective than a more traditional medical work might provide. There was a lot of discussion in the Spirituality, TCM and even Ayurveda sections about mindfulness and preparing the mind and emotions for pregnancy. I am not sure I’m going to be starting a daily meditation practice, but the idea of making a calm, prepared mental space to allow your body to function at its best really resonated with me. I wish there was more of these ideas in traditional fertility medicine. ...more

5

Apr 09, 2013

For anyone trying to conceive, this is the first book I would recommend. The author has reviewed the research and I appreciate her efforts to present the facts but keep an open mind as to the pros and cons of allopathic methods and other less mainstream but less invasive and expensive recommendations from TCM and Ayurveda, for example. Great book!

5

Jan 04, 2015

Thinking about ttc in the near future, and thought I would arm myself with some knowledge on fertility. Really enjoyed how this book focused on holistic and dietary research, meaning that I can follow best practices from day one and hopefully avoid some strife. Also gave some pointers for men, which I was able to pass onto my guy.

5

Mar 21, 2013

Victoria Maizes is a smart, compassionate doctor and that shines through in this useful book on finding a balance between natural and biomedical ways to preserve and enhance fertility. The cover leaves something to be desired but inside you will find some great pearls.

5

Jul 09, 2013

Excellent book! I would recommend this to anyone who is family planning, newly pregnant, or struggling to conceive. It is great for both males & females. I thought I knew it all until I read Be Fruitful! A must read.

3

Sep 07, 2013

skimmed - not much in here that was new info after reading WomanCode and various other books, but would be good as a starting place for someone who hasn't done a lot of previous reading on the subject.

3

Dec 03, 2012

Appreciated the holistic approach of this book. Good starting point for couples struggling with fertility. I was hoping for more information for someone like myself though - women looking to protect their fertility until they are able to start trying.

4

Jan 22, 2016

I read this book when trying to conceive, and it helped demystify the fertility practice and decode some of the jargon my fertility clinic bandied about. An open-minded approach to integrative medicine and fertility.

2

Dec 09, 2012

Not really anything I hadn't heard before, but there were a number of statistics for alternative/holistic medicine that were interesting.

1

Jan 31, 2014

I didn't like the presentation (it felt like walls of text), and took little from the content.

0

A well-rounded approach to ensuring a successful pregnancy.Maizes provides a wealth of practical advice and a comprehensive self-assessment test covering contraception, nutrition, diet and exercise ...Full Review