Customer Reviews

The Conception Chronicles: The Uncensored Truth About Sex, Love & Marriage When You're Trying to Get Pregnant

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After reading this book, I realized that I have not gone crazy on my failed road to conception. The authors get it right on every emotion one feels as they try unsuccessfully month after month. While Taking Charge of your Fertility is the best in terms of determining ovulation and how to chart, Conception Chronicles is a great read to help you see that you are not alone and that your crazy emotions are very normal. It also includes details on what type of tests to expect if you go to a fertility specialist. Highly Recommend if you have been trying with no success and are getting very frustrated. This will give you some laughs as they describe emotions you have had yourself.

I just finished this book and wanted to check out what others thought and was surprised that there were people who hated this book so much. First of all, I have to remind these folks that this book is not supposed to be a medical book about infertility. Nothing about this book, from its cover design to the book description indicates that it is a medical reference or how-to book. Granted, I picked this book up at B&N and flipped through it first before purchasing it, that's why I don't feel duped by the contents in this book. I feel this this book is funny, original, interesting, and has plenty of good advice and descriptions of fertility treatment procedures. It's meant to be subjective and lighthearted. And for those of you going through torturous fertility treatments, it's understandable that this book will seem like it's making fun of the situation, but I don't think that that was what the authors intended to do. Anyway, this book is perfect for those that have an open mind, have been trying to conceive for no more than six months, and have a sense of humor.

This book is great whether you have been trying to get pregnant for 2 1/2 years or 2 1/2 months. It's not a medical guide but a surprising insight into how many other people actually feel the same way you do. I was amazed and comforted by the fact that every emotional stage my husband and I have gone through were shared by others. A wonderful and eye opening read!!

This is a truthful account that chronicles Patty Doyle Debano (and her husband Scott's) mission to conceive a child backed by the support of her two best friends. It is a narrative filled with humor, heartache and hope as Patty's pilgrimage to motherhood takes her (and us) through the maze of tests, alternatives and the haze of emotions associated with trying to conceive.

Having myself gone down the road to conception I was able to relate to and laughed out loud at the tales told by these three friends with heartfelt truth, unnerving wit and compassion. The spirit of this book is to provide an informative account of a woman's journey to conception; it does not make light of the infertility process. As a bonus, it is nice to read a story with a happy ending and nice when we learn something useful from it for our own lives.

First off, I will NOT recommend this book to anyone who is ALREADY pregnant, gets pregnant EASILY ("fertile Myrtle"!), or hasn't tried for MORE THAN 3 months. If you are a woman trying to conceive (TTC) and don't fall into the previous categories, this book may be for you. Or perhaps you have a friend who is struggling with TTC and want to learn the inner workings of her mentality; this book (while facetious at times) will be spot on. (Especially as the book goes on, it gets more serious.) This book focuses on the conception process between married couples. Couples who are not married or gays/lesbians TTC may feel left out.

TTC month after month without it resulting in pregnancy can cause heartbreak. These women know that and want you to laugh through it.

BE AWARE: this is NOT a series of essays like Chicken's Soup for the Women Trying to Conceive Soul nor is it a how-to. It is more like a MEMOIR. This book guides the reader through the conception process from the beginning of "I want a baby, let's do it!" to hearing the words "infertile" with no other options left except for third-party reproductive assistance or adoption. The reader will mainly follow the experience of Patty Doyle Debano, primary author of the book, who eventually conceived her first child through in-vitro fertilization (IVF). While the scenarios mentioned will not apply to most couples, it is worth reading all the way through to see how other couples approach IUI, IVF, surrogate mothers, etc.

HIGHLIGHT: Chapter Nine, "The Envelope, Please" was the most hilarious chapter throughout the entire book, mainly because any woman who has gone through several instances of the 2-week-wait (2WW) before pregnancy testing can identify with the ups and downs associated with TTC.

DRAWBACK: Perhaps it was in the case of these authors and some of their anonymous TTC friends, but husbands often came off as insensitive, clueless jerks who were just happy to have constant sex at any opportunity. There were limited moments when a husband would admit that he felt like he was being used to make a deposit or was sensitive enough to bond with his wife when giving her an injection, but overall it was rather OVEREMPHASIZED that guys do not feel what their wives feel. If you have a husband sensitive to your needs, you're not going to be able to relate to some of the cluelessness.

Overall, I thought this book was a fantastic humorous look at the conception process.

I wouldn't say this book was the most comprehensive on fertility treatments, and it was a bit redundant with it's cute email-style writing, but if you are TTC (Trying to Concieve), you need to read it anyways. I really identified with the authors and felt as though I was reading my own story. It just felt so good to laugh, and to know I'm not the only one having these crazy thoughts and emotions while despirately wanting to get pregnant.

This book helped me put things into perspective again with my husband (my secrets out...I've been manipulating him for his sperm) and my non-fertility challenged friends. Perhaps it has even saved a relationship with a friend who's conceived twice during my own efforts.

It was fun to read and useful in its own unique way.

If you are trying to cope with the frustration of not being able to conceive, then this is a great book for you. It provides some much needed levity to a situation that can really be stressful, painful and disappointing. It is not a hands-on medical book, like TCOYF is (and others). Its more about coping with the REAL emotions involved with not being able to conceive and dealing with a world around you that makes it look so incredibly easy. I reccomend it to any woman who has been trying to conceive for more than 6 months. Its at that 6 month point that you really need to re-gain your sense of humor!

After all the stress that infertility has brought on, it was good to get a break from it and read this book! I wasn't finding anything funny about infertility. But, I had to laugh at the Angry Ovulator (it was the perfect description of me) Also, I think I needed to step back and put it all in perspective. I was wound so tightly that I couldn't see that I was viewing pregnant friends as foes and obsessing over every detail. It helped to hear that other women are like me. I still am anxious and obssesive over having a baby. But, now when I turn into the Angry Ovulator I can look at myself and laugh - a little bit. I don't think anyone will get the medical info they need from this book. But, it is a story of friendship and understanding in the midst of infertility madness.

My husband and I decided to try and get pregnant, when it didn't happen in the very first month after being off of my birth control pills, I was shocked! This book has a chapter about how, "After taking birth control for all those years, you believe you'll get pregnant right away." I laughed out loud, and was relieved others shared my experiences. I only hope I won't need the later chapters. (IVF, infertility treatments, etc.) This book is more about helping to keep the "getting pregnant" emotional rollercoaster in perspective, rather than a lot of scientific facts. (It does provide some of those, however.)

Coming from the husband of a couple needing fertility assistance, I can tell you that this is a great book and one I wish was available when we were trying to get pregnant.

When you have fertility problems, you feel alone and humorless. We didn't want MORE medical advice and we certainly didn't want our friends with kids offering advice. What we needed was some compassion, some sense of how others dealt and a bit of humor. And this book does a great job at addressing all of these.

If you are having problems, give it a read. Some comfort, which you will likely get, is more than worth the price.