Infertility Books

I did not find this book to be helpful & my IVF nurse laughed and told me to get a refund when I showed it to her.

This is a perfectly good book, but I found Dr. Silber's "How to Get Pregnant" and Dr. Potter's "What to Do When You Can't Get Pregnant" to be much more informative. Dr. Silber's book is especially good if you are science-oriented and want to understand the chemical aspects of both natural and assisted conception (it has excellent graphs and diagrams). Dr. Marr's book may be better used as a "starter" book when you're first diagnosed with infertility, as it is more of an overview than the other two. Check them out at the library before you buy!!

I am a surrogate mother that worked with Dr. Marrs from July of '04 to July of '05. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him, his staff and his practice. I wanted to take a look back at all of our procedures and get a better understanding of all we went through. I feel privileged to have a copy of his book!

After 6 years of trying to start a family we purchased this book. Two years later we managed to conceive, however we lost the baby at 8 weeks. Although we are lost at the moment we will try again.

This book helped us to conceive. It's also helping us with our miscarriage. I have shared this book with others and they have all found it helpful. We have purchased other titles, however non-compare.

It is easy to read and understand. Definitely recommend this to anyone trying to understand their infertility and options.

If you want one book to do it all, get this one.

At least it provides you with a vision of most of the issues surrounding infertility.

It provides excellent information on female infertility issues.

It provides cursory information about male infertility issues.

We have recommended and loaned out this book to several friends, and they all were happy with the details provided.

I have just started infertility treatments. Like many women diagnosed with infertility, I headed to the bookstore to read as many books as I could on the topic. I had the pleasure of reading Girlfriend to Girlfriend. Reading the book took a lot of fear out of the unknown of infertility treatments. Kristen shares all of her personal experiences and feelings. It is nice to know you are not alone, other people have gone through all of it, and you are not crazy thinking the things you do think while going through the treatments. I really found the book helpful in coping with my own situation. Anyone who reads it can relate to Kristen's personal accounts of her experience. My favorite part is the advice at the end of each chapter, Girlfriend to Girlfriend. The book will make you laugh at times and cry at times but what you get from it will make your journey through infertility much easier to handle.

I thought I was alone in how much difficulty infertility caused in my relationship with my husband. I now realize that I am not alone and some of Kristen's ideas have helped both my husband and me. I especially liked the part about the mind/body connection.

I finished this book in one day. After I was done, I had myself a good cathartic cry and was ready for whatever came next. Kristen explains things in a way that is easy to understand and made me feel validated. I just couldn't put the book down because I often felt like she knew what I feeling inside. I definitely recommend this book for anyone feeling a little down about their trip through infertility.

I read this book from cover to cover in one night. I just couldn't put it down. For the first time in months, I smiled, laughed, cried and laughed some more. I felt like I was able to breathe again ... truly breathe. I was not alone.

Infertility is a terrible thing to go through and I commend Kristen Magnacca for being brave enough to share her story. My favorite part of the book was when Kristen talked about always trying to be first in line at the doctors' office when she had to go for blood work time and time again. Me too, I've done that! This actually gave me back a sense of sanity. It was a small triumph, but never the less a triumph! I learned to recognize all victories big or small along this rollercoaster ride they call infertility.

Reading this book helped me get out of bed many mornings when I otherwise would not have. It reminded me to how good it felt to laugh and that I was not alone. Although I have many girlfriends to talk too ... no one understands as well as a girlfriend that has been through it, Girlfriend to Girlfriend.

I have purchased many copies of this book and send it to friends new and old that I learn are also going through infertility. Although I am still on the rollercoaster, I hope to someday touch someone's life as Kristen did mine by writing this book. As infertility takes away so many things, the gift of hope, encouragement and laughter is one we can take back. Thank you Kristen for this truly wonderful gift.

I read this book early in my own infertility journey. Unfortunately, all this book did for me was SCARE the living daylights out of me. The author encountered some of the "worst-case" scenarios that we all know exist: extreme adverse reaction to Clomid, ectopic pregnancy, etc. Rather than serve as a practical guide to the day-to-day drone of infertility, the book dealt in worst-case scenarios.

[...] the ultimate insult comes at the conclusion of the book when the author implies that you can "just relax" and get pregnant. All of us dealing with infertility have certainly been given that "advice" by all of our ignorant acquaintances and families already... which led us to look for books to help us cope. Shame on the author for compounding the insult.

A "Little" To Much to Handle
The engaging infertility memoir, A Little Pregnant, is a captivating story that almost no one will want to listen too. Though it is an interesting tale of the trials and tribulations that married couple Ed Decker and Linda Carbone experience in their journey to first conceive and then adopt a child, most people will either find the story too heart wrenching to finish or it will go completely over their heads. For couples facing infertility, which affects about 1 in 10 couples according to the American College of Physicians, it will probably hit too close to home, with its many disappointments and soul crushing moments. And for those who cannot relate to the struggles of infertility, it will completely miss the mark because it is full of convoluted and some times obscure medical procedures that most people either won't understand or just plain won't care to hear about. The book seems to have split personalities at every turn, from the enigmatic couple Carbone and Decker, to the feelings it evokes and the audience it is reaching out too, A Little Pregnant is constantly pulling its reader in two directions.
A Little Pregnant begins it tug of war right the start. It is told in from the perspective of both Decker and Carbone in alternating chapters that are rich in detail. This formats shows how profoundly and differently the couple was affected by their quest to become parents. There are countless medical procedures and so many heart breaking moments that at times the story becomes exhausting. It almost makes you wonder when they will stop and accept their fate of being childless. Their masochistic determination can be frustrating. But then there are other moments where you actually admire their strength and resilience in the face of such discouraging setbacks in their dream of conceiving.
The story starts with the couple happy, urban and in love but as they run into unexpected road blocks in the baby quest, they become resentful and impatient with each other. Carbone has always been ambivalent about having children. She grows to resent her husband for forcing her to the next level every time they lose a pregnancy or fail to conceive. She undergoes countless medical procedures, including a Dilation and Curettage for a uterine blockage, the fertility drug Clomid, treatment for endometriosis, IVF and procedure called GIFT. None of which produced a viable fetus. Disenchanted with her relationship with her husband, she develops a strong sexual attraction to the second most important man in her life, her fertility doctor, Dr. Gold. At one point as she realizes her growing crush for him she muses, "When I was at the office, Dr Gold and I would sometimes have long talks on the phone. I found myself doodling his name. I'd save messages he left on my voicemail and replay them again and again, the disembodied masculinity of his voice becoming both overly familiar and strange, like a word you say to many times in a row (97)." It's hard to tell if Carbone is beginning to lose her mind or is just trying to find a mental escape from such a draining process. She begins to wear make up and style her hair especially for her appointments with him. Then she starts to have vivid sexual fantasies about him, wondering if he has ever felt a "flicker of desire" for her during her exams. She graphically describes how she would like to "arouse him with her hands and mouth into a glorious erection" while sneaking off to secret meeting
places and not being bothered with birth control (p.98)." At times you wonder if Dr. Gold reciprocates these feelings. He gives her special treatment, such as calling her ahead of patients who have earlier appointments and having round the clock conversations with her. He tells her to "call him anytime", which is comforting to a patient, but also somewhat inappropriate. Her ambivalence fades as she seems to feel as if it is her duty to produce a child for her husband. She even appears rebellious at some points, determined have a child simply because she has been told that she may not be able to.
Decker on the other hand has always wanted children and sees himself as the perfect father. It is puzzling why he would marry a woman so vocal about her ambivalence to have children. Meanwhile Decker becomes obsessive with of having to perform on cue for the many samples he must leave. Also their lovemaking must be scheduled at specific times. In time they discover that not only Carbone, but Decker also has physical problem contributing to their infertility. Though Carbone never outwardly says it, you can sense her sighing with relief because she is no longer the sole reason they have not had child. Eventually all these factor cause him to have extreme anxiety attacks. He first tries a biofeedback device and when that doesn't work he goes to a therapist. Even though the therapist is dedicated to helping him and very accurate in what he thinks is causing his anxiety attacks, Decker leaves and never returns, too afraid to uncover whatever demons in his past have contributed to his current problems.
As the story drags on, it becomes an emotional roller coaster, with small victories contrasted with crushing defeats. They become pregnant three times only to have all of the pregnancies in end in early miscarriages. They try acupuncture as an alternative to
conventional medicine. Carbone visits a chiropractor and they both return to Decker's therapist to try to work through other problems they feel may be hindering them in becoming parents. None of these options prove successful, not due to lack of expertise or effort on the part of medical professionals, but because of Decker's and Carbone's fear of truly exploring themselves and each other in fear of what they may find. Their stubbornness is a recurring theme throughout the book, with them ignoring practicality at several different points. This tunnel vision could be interpreted as either single minded foolishness to fulfill the selfish desire to have a child or as the need to satisfy the basic human need to reproduce. Occasionally it seems like the former, but more often then not, it appears to be the latter.
It begins to seem as if the couple is being bullied by some higher power, and the reader begins to worry if they are doomed to never realize this dream, and if so where that will leave them as a couple. Their fights become more vicious and as they become older, they both become more desperate, because they know time is limited. Their communication also breaks down. Whenever Carbone tries to express to Decker that they should consider giving up, he silently presses her into going on. At one point he even tells her, if he must, he will do it without her (195). Many experts agree that infertility affects all three of the things couples fight about the most, money, sex and equal responsibility amongst partners (Holland). Decker and Carbone seem to almost reach their breaking point as all these things are not only a source of fights but great tension as well.
When they finally give up the notion of having a biological child and decide to adopt, a glimmer of hope is shown. They aren't able to go through an agency, because
they exceed their age limit, so they must pursue private adoption. They go through the process of retaining a lawyer and trying to find a birth mother to adopt from. They place ads in new papers across the country, basically advertising for women who wanted to give their child up for adoption. Finally a young girl named Nellie answers, 8 months pregnant and sure of her decision to give her child to a family that can give her child a better life. She is only in high school and it is implied that she has gotten pregnant by her step father. They go to Nebraska to pick up the child and instantly fall in love. Carbone, who was at first afraid of not being able to love someone else's child, now had an overwhelming fear of not being able to take home the baby she had instantly fell in love with. The birth mother's hesitation to sign the papers and sudden request to see the baby one last time worries Carbone. Her intuition proves true. At the last minute the young, teenage mother who had promised them her baby reneged. And there was nothing they could do but accept it. At this moment they decide no more and drive back to New York resigned to that fact that they will never have a child.
Surprisingly and unceremoniously Carbone becomes pregnant. On the ride home from their final test she realizes that she is experiencing all the early symptoms of pregnancy. Without drugs, schedules or doctors she gets pregnant, has an uneventful and easy pregnancy and gives birth to a healthy baby girl. With so much heart ache through out the book, one would hope that the happy ending would be detailed and fulfilling. Instead it is short and anticlimactic. Though there is a sense of relief, you cannot help but wonder was so much was worth it in the end. And would a child, the one thing that

divided them so much in the past, now fix their marriage that was so clearly broken by their obsession with having one?
Though A Little Pregnant draws you in from page one, it also, at times, pushes you away. It's bare, uncut honesty and the strength of Carbone and Decker can be refreshing and necessary at times, yet unsettling and frustrating at others. The attention to detail and fine narration makes it nearly impossible to put the book down. Except for the somewhat confusing medical procedures that the couple goes through, it is almost like talking with a friend. If given the chance, the book could be enjoyed by almost anyone, but they should keep this disclaimer in mind; be prepared to have your heartstrings pulled and you common sense tested as you go on this miserable trek towards parenthood with these wonderfully interesting people.

As detail-oriented as the authors are (the wife even describes the dress she wore before having surgery over a decade before the book was written!) there's a suprising lack of details regarding her pregnancy, their daughter's birth or life.

I'm Julia Decker, I'm the daughter in this story! I swear...I'M NOT KIDDING! I haven't read this yet (they won't let me), but I'm so happy everyone enjoyed it! I'm glad that this is so popular...Thanks!

Linda Carbone and Ed Decker have created a masterpiece. An honest account of one of the most intimate experiences of their lives (their struggle with infertility), it is written in alternating chapters (her account, his account)overlapping and independently moving the story forward. Their humanity, humor, heartbreak and ultimate triumph draw the reader in and never let go. I would recommend this book for anyone who believes in the human spirit and its ability to make lemonade out of lemons. You won't be disappointed!!

This is a FABULOUS book for anyone who has been struggling with infertility!! I loved how this book has the male and female perspectives of each step of the journey. I laughed a lot and cried too. I highly recommend this one:)

A joy indeed, to be in need of a book like this! The best thing about it is that you don't feel alone. It truly is a companion, particularly since the author is so accessible via her recent blog postings. This book has the information needed but is not at all heavy like some of the others. I have given this book to pregnant friends who cannot stop thanking me for it and tell me it is also their favorite.

This book is good and complete if a c-section is not an option you will have to contend with. She gives through guidance in all aspects of pregnancy and delivery except as it relates to a c-section. She fails to recognize that some women need to have the procedure and are not going it as a matter of convenience or fetal distress. I was hoping for a description of the procedure so I know what to expect from my procedure (I have had prior abdominal surgery and my doctor has concerns of uterine rupture, if I go into labor). Instead I got her c-section horror story and judgment about women "choosing" the procedure to avoid the pain of labor. I was really disappointed in her treatment of the subject.

This book is such a terrific and refreshing guide to the realities and joys of pregnancy. While detailed and informative, Ms. Kropp emphasizes that this is not just a time of preparation, but a time for celebration and anticipation.

Tori Kropp, R.N.
Harvard Common Press
ISBN: 978-155832306-3
5 Stars
Long past due...
The Joy of Pregnancy is an excellent resource for parents-to-be. All aspects of the pregnancy are covered, from pre-conception to post-delivery. I wish I had this book 30 years ago. From morning sickness to constipation, Tori Kropp covers it all. Kropp's style is easy to read and understand. This is not a book of humor or cute little sayings. The Joy of Pregnancy is more of a reference book. Kropp does not focus on the negatives; instead, she concisely explains the changes that are taking place in the woman's body and the growth of the baby. The best part of this book is the tips for fathers. Number one, WE are not pregnant! The Joy of Pregnancy would make a great gift.

"The Joy of Pregnancy" could easily replace "What to Expect When You're Expecting" as the next comprehensive guide to pregnancy.

Ms. Kropp provides candid personal wisdom, as well as professional expertise on such subjects as how to choose childbirth classes to finding your due date. There are many myths about pregnancy, which Ms. Kropp addresses and refutes, such as the myth that morning sickness only occurs in the morning.

Dads are included in the book, as well. In fact, there is a "Dad's Corner" in every chapter. It is refreshing to have dad's included in a book about pregnancy, allowing them to feel more comfortable reading a pregnancy book.

Also included in the book are topics such as choosing a birthplace, a multiple pregnancy, and a month-by-month guide to pregnancy, as well as the first month after the birth. Everything is organized so it's easy to find with each chapter devoted to a month of pregnancy.

"The Joy of Pregnancy" is a must-have for every expectant mom.

This book is fabulous. If you are reading this book, then obviously you must have some questions in this area. You've come to the right place (or book rather!). Being a patient of Dr. Silber's I can say that reading this book is like having the doctor talk to you live. It is like having him talk to you face to face. Answers to all your questions are inside his book, and if you are reading it for reasons of infertility, you will relate to this book 100%. I highly recommend this book to anyone being faced with fertility issues.

My husband and I are going to this doctor and after reading his book I am more sure now than ever that he will be able to help us get pregnant!!! If you have any fertility issues and you aren't seeing this doctor, read the book anyway, you will learn things you never knew!!!!

This is a very interesting book which is suitable for the general reader, however, as a medical specialist I also enjoyed reading it.

I found this book to be very detailed and informative. It really answered a lot of questions, so I wasn't calling my doctor every 10 minutes.

Dr. Silber perfectly matches science and empathy in this book. For someone who tried unsuccessfully for years to get pregnant this book was a lifesaver. It answered questions and provided information in a format that was easy to read. It's great!

I purchased this book after experiencing 5 years of infertility. My husband and I were at a crossroads about whether or not to consider adoption or try IVF, after having tried everything else to get pregnant with no success. This book led me to do a lot of soul searching about what was really important in my life, and what my actual goals were. I attribute my reading this book to helping me to view my issues with infertility more clearly (and get past the constant sadness). Needless to say, I now have a beautiful 2-year old boy, and am loving motherhood.

I was so encouraged to read this book! After dealing with infertility for several years, I was beginning to wonder if the feelings that I had been experiencing were normal or if I was just way out of it. I was so relieved to hear a medical and spiritual perspective that made me cry from relief at times, knowing that others have also walked through this very difficult valley - and that God is sufficient to bring me through as well. I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone struggling with any aspect of infertility. From living child-free to answering questions about medical treatments, to adoption how-to's, this book was worth its weight in gold!

not tons and tons of info, most is basic stuff you probably already know if you've been trying for more than a year. but I like the Christian perspective; I felt it was a very good book.

I so wish I had gotten this book when we found out we were facing infertility, instead of a year into the process. It has helped me to replace my panic with peace.

Sandra Glahn and Dr. William Cutrer have written a "Christian guide" to the practical, moral, marital, and spiritual challenges of infertility, and as such, it has brought my family some well-deserved help in this area.

The books brings solid facts, detailed information, and a message of encouragement to infertile couples, and those who work with them, along with answers to questions they ask most often. Some of those questions we have asked, such as:
-Should we consider high-tech fertility treatments?
-What about donor insemination? Donor eggs?
-How do we respond to nosy friends and relatives?
-Where can we go for the best advice?
-How can God allow this to happen?

And there are other questions which you may find in your search for answers. There are 16 chapters of great information, and an appendix at the end for more information to seek out. This is a great resource!!!

A must read book that deals with sexual problems in an easy and understandable way. A great read even for men that don't have sexual problems because it teaches them what to expect from life and not to give up. A far better book in my opinion is "Natural Penis Enlargement: New Methods of Avoiding and Curing Impotence, Premature Ejaculation, and Erectile Dysfunction Safely and Inexpensively. New ... No Pumps, No Pills and No Gadgets! Vol. 2" by Platinum Millennium, one of the best books on them market that i liked very much

Richard Milstein's simple yet effective title doesn't fail my expectations, i found out lots of things about sexual disorders and my own body that i did not know. Great title that I recommend for all that are searching for a minimal but crucial amount of information. For those who want more and better, i recommend" Volume II - Natural Penis Enlargement: New methods of avoiding and curing impotence, premature ejaculation, and erectile dysfunction safely and inexpensively. ... Book on CD-Rom for PC & Mac Computers" by Platinum Millennium, a book that i have read and that cleared out all the sexual myths and truths out there

having some questions regarding the changes that men go through, I found this book to be a candid and well written book. the examples cited were pretty realistic. in comparision to some other books, this one was not burdened down with charts and diagrams that are often a bore or too complex for a lay person to absorb. was worth the purchase proce to me

Unfortunately, most of these reviews sound very much like marketing sound bytes. Has anyone really read this?

The book covers the basics of impotence: physcial and psychological causes. The authors seem to emphasize the psychological more so. Yet their therapeutic suggestions in this area are just about nonexistent.

Their discussion of Viagra is just poor; it is not connected well to their previous chapters. What physical and emotional problems can Viagra overcome and to what degree? Or how long do the effects of Viagra last; all that is stated is how long it takes to become effective. Something is needed beyond the minimal.

The book just does not go past the first level in anything. All in all, I would certainly hope that there is a better book out there for the lay person.

Great, easy to read resource. A lot of info is packed into a very small space.

It was a really good decision to buy this book. You can find all you need as a ob/gyn resident.

This handbook is okay but does not have all the same charts as the older editions seemed to have.

As a PA student, this book has everything you need for referencing during your rotation. I love that the book is very compartmentalized. Management/treatment algorithms, pictures and text are clear and concise. Fits nicely in coat pocket although slightly heavy. This book also includes some primary care information in the beginning of the book, as well as some medical spanish words/phrases and ACLS algorithms in the back.

This is a great quick reference book for clinical practice. Easy to read (despite small print) and to the point information. Another reviewer said this new edition was too big to fit in their pockets; apparently they have really small pockets because I have no trouble putting it in a lab coat. On the other hand, it won't fit in my scrub pockets, so perhaps this is what the reviewer is referring to. Either way, I recommend this reference manual to residents, nurses, nurse practitioner and midwifery students.

This book has helped me mourn and FINALLY move on from my infertility. It made me realize that my feelings of anger and sadness were normal and it makes it easier to hear that others have experienced the same frustration and inconsolable feelings. It's so important to mourn so that you can move on to other options if that is your plan and I am finally able to do that with the help of this book.

Empty Womb, Aching Heart: Hope and Help for Those Struggling With Infertility is not what I expected it to be and is unlike any of the other books I've read or perused on this topic.

Because the Infertility world, especially the Christian, online Infertility world is such a small, tight knit community, I find it difficult to be critical of anyone's love offering, for fear of hurting feelings. However, I don't think empty reviews, or false positive reviews really help anyone, and don't accomplish my goal of broadening conversation on and knowledge of the resources available. So with that in mind, I will attempt to tread lightly.

Empty Womb, Aching Heart can best be described as "Chicken Soup for the Infertile." It is a collection of stories gathered from women (and a few men) in their thirties and forties, detailing their personal experiences with various points in their infertility. This is not a teaching book.

I will say that it is an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to get a broad exposure to an "insider's view" of various Infertilty related heartaches. This would be great for a pastor or a friend who wanted to glean a smattering of different reactions and experiences, many of which are very typical of many Infertility journeys.

However, because the book is just a collection of other people's stories, I found little helpful in it on a cosmic, capital T Truth level.

My first critique is that only two passages in the entire book came from anyone in their twenties. Most passages were from people in their upper thirties and in to their forties, with a few from people in their young thirties. This made me, a late twenty something, feel particularly isolated. So many times in this journey people say "oh you're still young!" as though the only people allowed to truly wrestle with this issue are those who are nearing the end of their childbearing years. In truth, my youth makes this harder because if my body doesn't function right now with time on its side, I have little hope as time marches on. It also made me feel that I am years and years away from being able to really identify with a lot of things shared in the book, or that it will take me that long to come to the same kind of peace that some of the authors exude. So I found that element of the book to be particularly discouraging, especially because in one or two stories was the author's age even relevant, so this isolating factor could have been avoided altogether by the omission of ages.

Second because this is just a collection of stories, the only significant value is the comfort of the knowledge that others have been there too. But because God works in every life differently, there is no universality to any of the lessons. While I can marvel at God's work in another for the sake of His goodness and power, that does little to teach me about His plan for my life. Perhaps that was never the point of the book but I have to hope that if it was published for worldwide consumption, there was some goal of enhancing the reader's own picture of God.

Also, it was hard for me to really accept any of the assorted "truths" that were offered because we know absolutely nothing about the various authors, save for their name (real or pen) and an age, and in some cases, a location. This is not always relevant, but when someone is making assertions about God, I know it's at least easier for me to process when I know the bias of the person making the assertion. No scripture referenced was exegeted nor was the article author's interpretation substantiated. I realize that criticizing anonymity is an ironic statement in this review where I am anonymous to those of you reading it, and I realize that everyone has something offer, regardless of their "credentials" but for that very reason, I try to be very upfront with my biases and convictions and with the fact that anything I offer is opinion.

I try to be careful for not faulting something for not being what it was never intended to be. I realize this book was never intended to be a treatise on God's truth for infertile couples. But in recognizing that, I found a lack of a convincing purpose for the book, again aside from the end result of getting exposure to other people's emotion and knowing that one is not alone.

I can never fault anyone for trying to address this issue. I feel like a broken record when I say again that I appreciate that Ms. Schalesky (I think a better title for her is editor, not author) was willing to break the silence. And I am confident that her vision for this book was borne out of a sincere desire to equip, encourage and validate. All of those things are noble and good and as I said, this book is very good for exposing someone to a lot of feelings and experiences with IF. And if someone is at the point in their IF journey that they're just looking to hear from other people who have "been there, done that" this book is perfect. I will applaud Ms. Schalesky for her wisdom in including many stories that do not have "happy" endings of successful pregnancy or adoption, which would lead I think to a lot of false hope. The point of all the stories is that God's goodness is not confined to fixing biological problems. This is a very significant Truth that this book does tackle well. So for all of those things, I appreciate Ms. Schalesky and all those who submitted their stories.

The question of whether or not I would recommend this book I guess depends on what your intended purpose in reading it is. If it's to glean exposure to "our" world, such as would be appropriate for a pastor or friend of an Infertile couple, this is an excellent book. However, if you're an Infertile person at the point in your journey where you're hungering for solid, biblical teaching and encouragement, this may not be the tool for you at this time. I can't say that I would refuse to recommend it because there is nothing "wrong" with this book, morally or spiritually and I don't think it does any harm or disrespect. However, it has a very specific purpose and I think intended audience, so falling outside those bounds may make this book little more than a time passer for you.

This book is a collection of short stories written by both women and men. I usually pick it back up when I feel like there is no hope for us. Even if children are not in our future, there is always hope. I wanted something written for a Christian household and this was it. I heard of this book on one of the radio stations several years ago when we first tried starting our family. The book stores did not carry it, so I was happy to find it here. You're not alone! If you're sick of the good standby's from people that don't have anything else to say, this is something that will make you cry, laugh, and see that not all is lost. Enjoy the time with your spouse! Infertility is hard, but this book let's you see that there are more of us out there dealing with very similar issues, and that you are not alone.

I took so much comfort in realizing I was not the only one with the thoughts, emotions, and fears that go along with the infertility struggle. I found myself laughing and crying along with the women (and men) in these stories as I realized they were speaking about what I felt. Such an encouraging book!!

after reading this book, it really helped me to explore many different ways to look at infertility. The best part of this book is that it allows insight into the many emotions that one can have when dealing with infertility by sharing stories of many who live with it daily. It is a spiritual guide as well. The only drawback is because it is centered around faith and spirituality, it only discusses infertility for couples- no mention here at all for those of us who are single and want to have a child but have not been blessed to have found the perfect spouse. Not a book for open-minds and open-hearts, but definitely helpful with the emotional roller coaster ride that is infertilty.

I was skeptical about the value of a meditation CD, but I'm a believer now! Although I found her voice a little disconcerting at first, I've gotten used to the tone and find it very soothing and relaxing. I can't tell whether it will actually help with fertility, but the imagery and affirmations are making me feel much more positive as I go through this process.

This CD has become the most used tool in my IF arsenal. I listen to the affirmations as often as I can, and they have helped put me at ease with this process. I find myself repeating them whenever I start to get anxious.

I really love this cd, especially the affirmations. Belleruth's voice has a particular quality that is very soothing. It is easy to feel so frustrated with your body during this time, but the affirmations help me to accept my body. Also great for stress relief. Definitely recommend this cd for women stuggling with IF.

Compared to other meditations I have tried, I like Belleruth Naparstek's voice the best. It is calming without being annoying or comical. I also enjoy the imagery she presents, I can really relate to it. I have to say, when I start the breathing while doing this, I usually fall asleep, which she tells you is ok, because it is still working in your brain while you are sleeping. I love how she talks about the perfect being, selected just for you, will come when the time is right, without sounding preachy or saying "just relax and it will happen!" like everyone in life seems to like to tell you. She really makes you feel like it will happen in time and for the right reasons and it is reassuring instead of frustrating.

After more than 3 years of infertility, I had an ectopic pregnancy, and was devastated. It took several months to get back on track, and this CD helped me tremendously. I now have normal periods (for the first time in many years) and feel prepared to move forward with more fertility treatments.