I’m really working on getting rid of stuff (hoping to motivate my husband to do the same). So far I’ve got over 25 books in the donation box. It’s not that I don’t like these books and therefore want to get rid of them. I just don’t have the time to read all of the books, nor do I want to haul them around the world; books are heavy. I’m currently trying to get through the 20ish books I own on infertility. Again, it’s not that I don’t like the books or haven’t gotten a lot out of them, it’s just time to get rid of some.
Today’s first book, “Infertility, Learn to take charge of your condition”, from the Barnes & Noble Health Basics series, written by Jenny Wolsk Bain, 2004. There are a few items in this book worth mentioning. First, the author includes questions and answers in each chapter. One such question is on conceiving after discontinuing “the pill”. I was very pleased to see that the author pointed out that it can take months (up to 13 according to some studies) for a woman’s body to regulate itself after coming off of birth control pills. While I’ve not used birth control throughout our marriage, I know of several people who did and then became upset when pregnancy didn’t occur within the first few months of stopping. It was nice to see a book address this, albeit briefly. I can’t tell you how many women join infertility message boards claiming to be infertile, then mention that they’ve been off of birth control pills for mere months, very frustrating and anger inducing for truly infertile women.
My next observation is that the very outdated “post coital” test is listed in this book under testing. I realize that this book was published in 2004, but even in 2007 when I started fertility testing, the post coital test was viewed as out-dated and undependable by all of the reproductive endocrinologists that I worked with directly or consulted with. Fortunately the author does end the section by stating that, “the post coital test is not always reliable.”
The book does win points with me for a great glossary and numerous resources throughout. It contains a lot of information in just 224 pages.
Next up, “Navigating the land of IF, Understanding infertility and exploring your options", by Melissa Ford, 2009. Since this was published in 2009, I didn’t purchase it until rather late into our journey, and as noted above, have not read the book cover to cover. This book could easily be re-titled as The Girlfriend’s Guide to Infertility. As you read though the pages, you feel as though you are sitting down and chatting about a sensitive topic with a friend, versus reading pages out of a book. It’s a simple read, full of information, and you won’t be left feeling alone. This is an excellent book to have for dealing with the emotional aspects of infertility, though testing and treatment are certainly covered. The book is well laid out, very easy to read, and because of the recent publication date, you can be assured that the resources listed are up to date.
In addition to her recently published book, the author maintains an up to date and interactive website, which is very popular with the IF community.
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