Infertility Book Review : "Expecing Miracles"

You can never be too informed when it comes to infertility. I've found, and I'm sure many other IF women would agree, that the more you know, the better you feel about the situation. Infertility takes away so much power from your life, that for me, I've felt a great sense of control in just knowing what lies ahead. Or, often it's just been to confirm that I feel like I'm in good hands with a given doctor.

I've read a few books already on trying to conceive and infertility, and will be reading more in the future regarding IVF specifically, so stay tuned! I wanted to share these resources on my blog, in the hopes that it might help someone else out there in bloggerspace. :-)

One of the first general infertility books I read was titled "Expecting Miracles" by Christo Zouves, MD, a gift from my parents (probably more from my Mom - thanks Mom!) for Christmas.
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Expecting Miracles

Straight from the book description: Expecting Miracles provides a moving, in-depth look at the options, the decisions, the unexpected twists, turns, and disappointments that these couples experience as they work with Dr. Zouves. As he shares his own story and those of the patients, egg donors, and surrogates he has known, Dr. Zouves gives readers a rare view of the human side of reproductive medicine and all that goes into helping infertile couples realize their dreams of parenthood.

Published year: 1999
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My rating: (4 out of 5)

Who would benefit from this book? Anyone currently pursuing ART treatments, whether that is IUI, IVF... heck maybe even people using clomid. It's a good first look into the issues couples deal with when trying to conceive after some time who are unsuccessful and seek the help of a reproductive endocrinologist (RE) to determine why they can't get pregnant.

What I liked about this book: I loved the perspective this book is written from: An infertility doctor's experiences with couples and their own story and journey through infertility treatments. Each chapter is dedicated to one specific couple - he provides you with a set-up for what they're dealing with and then you follow them through treatment, learning about what things they choose to do, and then learn about the result of their cycle. It's cool because you get a really good perspective on various issues people deal with and how they personal dealt with them. It is definitely one of those books that you don't want to put down - at least not while your in the middle of a chapter learning about the "fate" of their family.

What I didn't like: I gave it 4 out of 5 only because the data in the book is somewhat out-of-date now (which makes it difficult to say "hey I should try that" or "guess I'll have that to look forward to"). There were many times when I said to myself, I don't think this is how they'd approach that nowadays. As long as you read it for the purpose of getting an insiders perspective on how they handled their situations, and not necessarily a way to direct your treatment, you'll be good to go. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of things that you can take away from this even from a treatment perspective.

Overall, I think I learned most that many times, even when you think there's no hope left, there may be additional things to try or a better doctor in your future.

More than worth a few bucks on Amazon. Enjoy!

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