Reproductive Health Books

I was looking for something a little more objective.

I was looking for something a little more objective.

This book covers all the bases you'll want to consider when facing menopause. The author discusses many aspects of menopause, including symptoms, treatments (both conventional and alternative), and long-term risk of breast cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease.

Some of the things I really like about this book: The author dispels several myths (like taking estrogen leads to youthful-looking skin) and pulls the curtain back on the cozy relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and medical research. The reason all the "gold standard" studies on menopause have been done using Premarin, which contains horse estrogens not found in humans, is because researchers get that drug free from Wyeth-Ayerst (the Premarin manufacturer and patent-holder). As the author acknowledges, the collecting the urine that goes into Premarin causes hardship to countless horses and their offspring, and women ingesting the drug get all sorts of serious medical complications. It will be great for women everywhere when medical researchers give equal study to the hormones that are found naturally in human women (which so far seem to be much more benign than Premarin, but being non-patentable hold less potential for financial profit).

Some things I didn't like about the book: The author cites a lot of evidence gleaned from nonhuman studies (done on monkeys, rats, and mice) even though common wisdom holds that animals are a very poor model for humans. (About 80% of the drugs that pass animal tests are later found to be harmful to humans.) She does mention the importance of vitamins and minerals beyond calcium and Vitamin D, but I'd like to see more emphasis given. (See books like The Bone Density Diet or Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis for more on that.) Finally, she doesn't acknowledge that women without a uterus can also benefit from taking progesterone; in fact she often muddles the (important) difference between progesterone and progestin and falsely implies at times that the harmful effects of taking progestin apply to progesterone as well. (Note: progesterone is natural to a human woman's body; progestin is a molecularly altered compound which can be patented but which acts differently from progesterone in the body.)

Overall, there is a ton of helpful information in this book and the good certainly outweighs the bad. This is a great primer for women who plan to live for a very long time!

I write on January 27, 2000, two days after the embargo was lifted on the National Cancer Institutes new findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, on the role of estrogens alone, and estrpogen -progestin combinations, in breast and uterine cancer. If you have a uterus and take estrogens without progestins you invite endometrial cancer. If you add progestins to the estrogen you avoid the cancer "down there" but substantially increase your chances of getting it "up top" in your breast. The longer you stay on hormones the more your chances of uterine and breast cancer keep rising...and rising.. There's much to consider and under some circumstances taking hormones, especially for the short run might make sense. - See if you can look the article in the Journal of the American Medical Association -- and check out the accompanying editorial by scientists from Harvard's School of Public Health, titled "Postmenopausal Estrogens- Opposed, Unopposed or None of the Above" which concludes that "it is time to reasses...the commonly held belief that aging rountinely requires pharmcological management..." In 1997,Susan Love was excorriated for presenting exactly this reasonably cautious and honest viewpoint in her splendid HORMONE BOOK Meantime, 12 million US women continue to take estrogen alone, while 8.6 take it with progestin. I wish every one of them would read this excellent work., and reconsider. And I personally am exceedingly proud to present a 1999 interview with our heroic Dr. Love in my own new book (with Gary Null) FOR WOMEN ONLY; YOUR GUIDE TO HEALTH EMPOWERMENT.

This book presents a comprehensive discussion of hormones and alternatives to dealing with premenopause, menopause, and long-term prevention. Details are provided which include alternative approaches, including diet, exercise, etc. It even includes a final helpful chapter on making your own decisions. The only negative thing is that it was written in 1997, and there may be more current information available now. Wish she would release an updated edition.

This book, while it does explain the basics of assisted reproduction, is more a book to help you handle the stresses on a couple dealing with infertility. It has very good suggestions regarding talking to each other about your hopes and fears, dealing with painful or frightening medical procedures, and seeing yourself as healthy and whole, instead of wondering why your body won't work. It also gives advice on dealing with doctors and insurance companies. It really helped me feel as if I was in control of the process again, instead of at the mercy of doctors, medicines, and my uncooperative body. If you are beginning to feel like you can't go on with the process, try to read this book before you make any big decisions. It was very helpful.

I am not much of a reader. However, I was very interested in educating myself on what my body would be going through, since so many drugs are involved. I looked at many different books, but was very impressed with the valuable information that Getting Pregnant When You Thought You Couldn't provided. I had some information on IVF, but no one really talks about the emotional side of the process.Getting Pregnant really touches on a couples feelings and what they may be going through emotionally. The chapter on insurance filing helped us get an 80% refund on our drugs. The chapter on giving injections aided both my husband and myself which was something we really needed. I've just given birth to a beautiful 9 pound baby boy who is now 3 months old and is doing wonderfully. I attribute my successful experience to my faith, my positive attitude and the knowledge and emotional support I gained from reading Getting Pregnant When You Thought You Couldn'

There's nothing in here for women with a diagnosis of high FSH, except the tripe we already get from every RE in the world: you can't get pregnant with your own eggs, so don't bother trying.

I found exactly one sentence that referenced high FSH (on page 83) as as "hormone problem that means diminished egg reserve" and the "only treatment is donor eggs." Hogwash--that's simply not true, as the dozens of women I know who have beaten the high-FSH odds will tell you. Shame on this author for not acknowledging this simple fact.

I found this book to be a tremendous help during a difficult time. I have had the opportunity to meet the author and she is a dedicated and compassionate woman. It was refreshing to read a book that was written by people who understand the emotional aspects of infertility.

In addition to information regarding fertility, infertility, and assisted reproductive technologies, this book also gives you check-lists and other forms to help you organize your health issues, thoughts, feelings, and finances. It spends time also addressing what you may be going through emotionally. I consult this book occasionally, but not often.

I picked this book up as one of the first reference books when my husband and I began to investigate IVF. The book is not about ethics debates and does not begin to address the emotional issues surrounding infertility and assisted reproduction, but it does tell you the technological facts of the various procedures. The author discusses testing, diagnosis and treatments as well as giving sample calendars and timelines you can expect if you undergo the emotional and physical journey towards conception. I felt very prepared after reading (actually studying) this book, so much so that my own reproductive endocrinologist was amazed at the questions I asked when undergoing treatment.

This is not a hand holding book, it's straight forward factual information to let the reader know the options and facts about the treatment of infertility. While the author is himself a reproductive endocrinologist, there are very few references to himself or his clinic.

A urologist by training, Dr. Silber is not trained as a reproductive endocrinologist, making his techniques very technology oriented as he is not trained in reproduction, only reproduction technologies. He would do better to stop promoting technology as the answer to reproduction (quite a money-maker for the doctors involved) and stick to doing reversing vasectomies as he was trained to do. While he offers alot of good technical info the book is utterly lacking in medical and surgical treatment options, something he apparently doesn't believe in. The medical evidence points to better results and better health for mother and babies when medical/surgical intervention is used--lower reimbursement but much better for everyone involved except centers that promote IVF and tech based medicine.

I liked the optimism of this book and Dr. Silber's advocacy of an aggressive approach to treatment, but I wouldn't say this is a comprehensive book because it doesn't really address the emotional/psychological aspects of infertility and its treatment. Plus, Dr. Silber's self-aggrandizing tone was suprising and distracting in a book that is supposed to be about helping others, not self-promotion.

i read several other books on infertility and this one was my favorite. i read it front to back and totally understood it.In fact i liked it so much i decided to see him and i did and he's a wonderful doctor and he is why i'm 5 months pregnant with twins. A must have for anyone going through infertility and is considering invitro. lets you know what to expect.

This is a comprehensive reference book on the entire topic of infertility, written in an understandable and optimistic tone. The best of the doctor books available.

Fern Reiss, author of "The Infertility Diet: Get Pregnant and Prevent Miscarriage"

Co-author Trefil's pro-choice ideology got in the way of his using his common sense.

To make a long story short, Trefil writes that scientists can manipulate eggs, in order to cause them to develop into embryos. Therefore, he posits, eggs are somehow equivalent to embryos.

Trefil "forgets" to mention that there is a BIG difference between a manipulated egg and an unmanipulated egg...just as there is a BIG difference between a fertilized egg and an unfertilized egg.

Trefil outlandishly concludes that, since this manipulation of eggs into embryos is possible, pro-life women who shed unfertilized eggs each month should be concerned that they are actually having abortions.

It's hard to get more "unscientific" than this! Don't forget to put on your "thinking cap" when you enter Trefil's world.

I see that a conservative Christian discovered the book, or this reference to it, and was afraid of what they encountered. Unfortunately for him, or her, this book is valuable precisely because it reveals the gaping fallacies in the antiabortion argument, and how its so-called "natural law" theory falls afoul of empirical verification of embryological development, which they always selectively cite. Pro-choice readers, buy this book!! I

Morowitz and Trefil (M&T I shall call them), two teachers at Geo Mason Univ started this short monograph as a friend of the court brief for one of the many abortion cases to reach the Supreme Court, so that the justices might have scientifically accurate and factual information to work with in some of their decisions. When Justice O'Connor made her famous statement to the effect that Roe v. Wade was a decision which was being overtaken by scientific advances in neonatology which were making survival of ever more immature infants possible, she did not have available reliable information of the sort M&T have put forth in this small gem of a book. I have been involved in providing abortion in my Ob/Gyn practice for a very long time and have made a serious and ongoing effort to educate both the public and my medical colleagues about the abortion controversy since 1984. One of the most difficult things for the average layperson, and even for physicians, to get a handle on has been exactly why 24 weeks gestational age of the fetus should make such a difference in the abortion debate. M&T have done everyone except for the militant anti-abortion fundamentalists a tremendous service by bringing together most of the scientific knowledge which bears on fetal development as it pertains to the higher functons of the central nervous system and newborn survival. As they state in the introduction to The Facts of Life, while the two sides in the abortion controversy will never admit to the validity of the conclusions drawn by the other side, we should at least have accurate information upon which to draw those conclusions. Morowitz and Trefil had done us a true service by providing much valuable information. wfh

This book is a good tool for persons that are going through the hard time of having to make a decision in whether to have an abortion or not....It is also really good for students or profesionals doing in research of this subject...
It gives the reader a complete new point of view in the abortion controversy: The Scientifical One...

In brief, the following book tends back the pro-choice movement with cheap opinionated evidence of science. It attempts to supersede Gods law, and replace it with mans law. Additionally, the book conveys a grave an immoral message to its readers.Contrary to natural law, it states that by petty scientific proof, society can determine whether a fetus is human or not. Obviously, this book chooses to disregard Gods message-"It is immoral to produce HUMAN embyros intended for exploitation as disposable biological material". Not only is it futile to misinterpet the above, but it is simply a crime for pro-murderous writers to generate wimpy, relitivistic propoganda intended to distort the human race.

Only needed a workbook for my class. Found it very easy online with Amazon. Purchased the book at a reasonable price and received the book in a couple of days. Very pleased with the service and product.

The seller sent me an older edition book when I was trying to purchase the new editon

The lab manual is pretty good and the sheats are nice to study from once filled in. I hear the 10th edition fo the book and lab manual are betterwith digrams and what not. Other than that great product no complaints.

Very reliable transaction. The product was shipped within the shortest period possible, and it arrived in good shape as described on Amazon. We need such time of people who are reliable and trustworthy. If you need to buy item from this seller, don't doubt.

As textbooks go, this is just another lab book. Does a good job of topic presentation, but would be nice if lab reports were numbered/ordered to correspond with textbook chapters.

Its a great book it tells me alot of information that is easy to understand rather than something thats really hard to understand. I have made some things from the recipies and they are really nice.

This book really helped with all my questions on PCOS. I would highly recommend it!

This book provides useful, practical advices. Although I agree some of the ingridients mentioned in the receipes are difficult to find, but altogether its a useful resource.

I'm so happy to find a book that has more realistic diet information to help manage PCOS.

This book is informative on PCOS, what it is and how it effects the body. Changing your diet and exercise habits are key to getting rid of or at least lessening the annoying symptoms that come along with this disease.

This is a definite must have!

The book has a lot of the reg info on what PCOS is, and spends well over half the book talking about diets and food. It's written by a dietician, and so it's helpful for someone looking for tips on food that you may not find to quite this extent in other books. It offers good tips for eating healthy, and for excersizing.
It does recommend a low GI diet, which is the best diet for PCOS, and talkes exstensively about insulin resistance as well- a great key word for those with PCOS. The book is more like a manual of course, it's a "dummies" series, so it lacks a lot of warmth. It does have some interesting recipes, but like the last review- many of them do contain items you can buy in the US and does seem to be European based.

I know Nancy, and this is an example of how seriously she takes her support of women through the birthing process. She is wise, bright, clever, strong, and tells the truth, just as this book does. She will give you that same support if you are one of the lucky people she "midwives" through labor, delivery, and the life that comes after.

I agree there is an alarming increase in cesarian delivery and birth interventions. However, I found the tone of this publication very angry and confrontational. Although truthful, the theme seemed to be stay away from hospitals because they will cesarian section you. I have been sectioned and feel a lot like many of the stories contained in the book. I also have had VBAC's with a mid-wife and birthing center afterwards. I read it as a refresher for another upcoming delivery, but I must say that I did not find many coping skills here.

I do see a value in every page of the first hand stories. Women in general need to take a firmer hand in the managing of all their medical care, not just childbirth and I think that comes across very well.

It also has many names of physicians you may want to avoid if you are seeking to not have an unnecessary cesarian section in quote form that could be important to patients not knowing their position on natural childbirth, VBAC's etc.

I do see the link it is suggesting that cesarian section can/is being used as a tool for staff time managment, patient time control management, physician convenience, income increasing for the medical profession and not always giving complete "informed consent" to the patient.

It does present many good arguments against induced labor, scheduled delivery times for induction, augmentation of labor, and scheduled first and repeat cesarian sections that are of value to the prospective laboring mother.

I didn't even have a cesarean and still this book made me laugh, cry and shake with rage. If I have another baby I will require my midwife, doula or whatever to read this book! The first question on my list of midwife interview questions is "Have you read Open Season?" Yes, Nancy is angry, and I think it is completely justified. This book made me realize that everything I had suspected about American childbirth was true, and that a lot of the horror stories such as women being tied to the bed are still happening today.

Nancy Wainer Cohen is THE pioneer of VBAC in the United States. Thanks to her activism in this area, Once a c-section, always a c-section no longer applies.

This book is a marvelous collection of thoughts, insights, experiences, and tools for helping women avoid cesarean, either primary or secondary, and is well worth the reading.

In the May, 2001 issue of "Parent" magazine, an article states that the c-section rate has risen to 22 percent. Why do ob's prefer to do sections? This is an alarming rate that cannot be ignored. This book helped me. I had a cesarean my first birth and this book helped give me courage to birth my next 3 children as VBAC's in my home, along with a good midwife. I've met the author when she visited our city on a speaking engagement and she is the salt of the earth. Although she may come across angry at times, she comes from her heart. AND for gosh sakes...these women are being cut up and having their God given rights stripped from them! By the current statistics, we still have a problem here people!! I had hoped this book would be out of date by now, but in reference again to the May article, not much has changed. Read the book. Be informed.

Collaboratively written by obstetrician/gynecologist John C. Jarreet and fertility-related stress and management counselor Deidra T. Rausch, The Fertility Guide: A Couples Handbook For When You Want To Have A Baby (More Than Anything Else) is a comprehensive, straightforward and "reader friendly" guide specifically for couples wanting to know the medical facts about the variety of options to improve their chances of successful conception. Covering medical terms in detail, yet written specifically for non-specialist general readers seeking to educate themselves on a complex condition, The Fertility Guide covers everything from endometriosis to donor gametes. The Fertility Guide is superbly presented, authoritative, extensive, and highly recommended reference.

This book focused tremedously on what to do when you cant have a baby....and emotional issues...did not have essential info..that a couple would use, it was actually depressing

John C. Jarrett, M.D. and Deidra T. Rausch, Ph.D. have spent years helping couples with fertility difficulties. They've teamed up to write The Fertility Guide: A Couples Guidebook For When You Want To Have A Baby, a complete and easy-to-understand manual for people with problems becoming pregnant. Their book is unique among fertility books because they discuss the emotional aspects of infertility, as well as the medical aspects.(...)

I feel this book arms the reader with the information needed in deciding which direction to take once you've found yourself on the path where no hopeful parent wants to be. I love that it validates the many feelings which accompany infertility when society, out of a misguided need to help, often encourages us to squelch these emotions. The book also offers alternatives to "genetic parenting" rather than enforcing treatment as your only hope of getting on with your life. I found Part Two: Understanding the Medical Aspects of Infertility, to be an easy-to-comprehend guide of the workings of the body and a walk-through of the various procedures available to assist in your quest for parenthood. It's my opinion that every would-be parent would feel so much more "in control", something that is rarely felt in infertility, if they would walk into their doctor's office with this book firmly under their arm.

I've read a lot of infertility books, and this is clearly the best. Not only does it explain normal fertility, and then infertility in clear and understandable detail, it also gives a couple the information they need to be active, informed, and effective participants in the infertility treatment team. If not for this book, my wife and I would have had unnecessary and expensive treatments. Thanks.

Very thorough review of the history of childbirth from 1750-1950. I wish the author had continued the review until the present time (or at least until the 1980's when the book was original published.)I would venture to say that the change in childbirth from 1950 to the present is just as great as the change from 1750-1950. The author does a good job of not letting her own personal biases influence the telling of the story. She also is thorough without being so acsdemic that the book is unreadable. It helped me to view childbirth in a new way. I have been blessed to have delivered all of my children in the 21st century, with many options available and safety at it's highest. It's easy to forget how dangerous childbirth used to be, and how limited options were for most women (either because of lack of funds, or because there was only one midwife or doctor available in their geographical area.)

While the author makes good use of quotations and historical information, so much of each chapter is repeated that I would liken it to reading while banging ones head against a wall. If the intent of the author was that each chapter could stand alone, then it can be considered a resounding success. However, if the author meant it to be read as a full book, then barring a reader with horrible short-term memory, each chapter could have been condensed to roughly 8 pages.
I can see how this book is an invaluable resource to those who need citations for a paper/thesis concerning childbirth. The author has exhaustively researched historical records and has faithfully cited them, but to those wishing to read an interesting analysis of the historical change in American childbirth - beware. My suggestion is to read the introduction, the last chapter, the epilogue and any passages that are merely direct quotations. It does not speak very highly of the author that the most interesting parts of the book were in fact copied from the writings of others.

Thank goodness for today's painkillers!!! This book was well written, thoroughly researched, with plenty of data, graphs, pictures, and personal accounts going back to the 1700s. A fascinating book, both just to read and for research. It was very helpful with my thesis, and for an interesting read, if you are interested in history, this is a great choice. Kudos to the author for a well-done book!

Judith Walzer Leavitt has proven herself to be a tour-de-force in the world of study of women's health throughout US history. This is one of the many books she has edited and contributed to, but I find it to be one of her best. Each article is a jewel offering a glimpse into a world not often revealed - women experiencing the changing attitudes of a society that often did not offer them the choices they deserved. From social childbirth in the colonial era to the twilight sleep of the 20th century, Leavitt has managed to collect articles that tell a story in the best historical tradition.

I felt this book had some useful information, especially the references in the back of the book. I felt the book only offered information, that to me seemed obvious. It left me wanting more.

Good easy read - made me think about me and what I need to do to look after myself during this journey hence why I joined a gym!!

Lynn Daley does an excellent job with this book! Infertility specialists should recommend this book at the first appointment. Lynn has numerous suggestions that are very helpful!

This book was very helpful. We are starting our first cycle of IVF. It gave a lot of good information on how to relax as much as possible and make time for me. It was very informative.