Customer Reviews

What Every Woman Should Know About Fertility and Her Biological Clock

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Just today, I spoke to a woman who had waited a few years after having her first child, and was heartbroken to learn that she probably could never have more. Without a sign or a symptom, her fertility had dwindled away. "I'm only 39 - I thought I could have a child as long as I had my periods. I didn't know that I could lose the chance to have a baby," she bemoaned.

She really could have used this book a few years ago.

What Every Woman Should Know... contains vital information about the limits of female fertility. It's information that may come as a shock to some and may be unwelcome by others. But like no other book, it provides the facts that women need to know as they think about their lives and their dreams of having babies.

Women think they won't have to worry about their fertility -- after all, haven't some celebrities had babies when they were in their late 40s or early 50s? Birrittieri tells you what the celebrities won't: in all likelihood, they could not use their own eggs.

The book is very easy to read, with medical information presented in a first person, personal way. If you know a woman who is in her thirties, who wants children, yet seems unconcerned about her future fertility - THIS is the book she needs to read.

I have worked in the largest fertility center in the US for over 18 years as a Nurse practitioner, caring for patients typically in their 30's and 40's desperately trying to achieve a healthy pregnancy. This can be a very elusive and challenging goal as patients come to understand the concept of ovarian reserve and the delicate interplay between fertility and normal aging. Busy clinicians often don't have the time to fully explain this normal process to their patients who are often confused by how normal and "young" they feel. They often despair as they learn about the plummenting of fertility rates as women enter the perimenopausal years, which is when many women are just starting to try to achieve a pregnancy.

This is why I value this book so highly and recommend it to my patients, to assist them through this challenging time in their lives. Through Cara Birittier's expert and most discerning lense, the reader is guided through her own personal experience with discovering her FSH hormone elevation which signaled a significant decline in her ovarian reserve and ability to conceive with her own eggs. She skillfully unravels the meaning of the myriad of hormonal tests that are recommended routinely to our patients with advice to help patients face the decision making challenges that typically arise.

This is one of the toughest and most pervasive problems our patients face and this book has been invaluable to me as it helps my patients negotiate through the sea of tests and treatment options, including donor gametes and adoption.

Of all the books about infertility, this is the only one I know that tells it like it is. As someone who has dealt with infertility since my mid-30s, I'm always shocked to find out how clueless people, including my friends -- all spectacularly well educated --who are under the impression that they can easily have a kid at age 39, 41 or even 45. If only my gynecologist had regularly given me an FSH test I might have known that, for many of us, that simply isn't true. I wouldn't have waited till my late 30s to really start trying if I had known that my hormones were waning. The poster above is nuts, doesn't she know that premature ovarian disfunction is very real? While I agree that most women don't have to start worrying until they're 35, this book doesn't say otherwise. Still, personally, I think FSH test should be done as regularly as PAP smears -- what's wrong with knowing, as you age, what your body is saying? It's the ultimate feminist empowerment; a way of knowing just what you're gambling with as time passes. Isn't it better to be armed with that knowledge, better than delaying having a baby and then finding out that if you'd done it at 37 you'd have been okay? This book is meticulously researched and should be required reading.

I am a healthy, well educated woman who was diagnosed with significantly elevated FSH in my early 30's. I didn't even know what FSH was until it was too late. I wish I had read this book when I was 29. I want to give it to every woman I know who wants to have a baby, but is "waiting" for whatever reason.

This book is a must read for all women. Many of us find out too late the significance of that three letter word... FSH. Something so simple as a bloodtest should be offered by OB/GYNs with annual exams. The media fools us to believe that IVF is the answer to our infertility problems. If you are a low responder with diminished ovarian reserve you are first of all going to have to look high and low for a Doctor and Clinic who will even come within ten feet of you. Clinics care about their stats and don't let them tell you otherwise. It is not an easy road and women should be informed about this early on. An elevated FSH does not just impact a woman 35 or above. There are many young women that are faced with this challenge also. I came across Cara's book after that dreaded first FSH test. I learned about what was actually going on with my body, what I could do, and what my options were. I have had a long journey on this path, but am thankful to the author for having taken the time to write her book and educate women of all ages.

Cara Birrittieri has written an important book for both patients concerned about their fertilty and for health professionals. Knowledge can only enhance the ability of a woman to make the decisions which are appropriate for them. This author has clearly and concisely given us the tools needed to understand the process of conception and the potential problems which could prevent this. As an obstetrician/gynecologist with 25 years of experience treating women with a myriad of problems, I would not hesitate to recommend this book to my patients.

I was 32 after trying to conceive for 1 year when I and my husband sought the help of a Reproductive Endocrinologist. After simple blood work tests were completed we sat across the desk from a top fertility specialist and were told my FSH was elevated and would possible never conceive my own child. I was a 32 year-old healthy, educated, professional women suddenly finding myself lost, and drowning in an ocean of results, terminology, statistical outcomes, and treatments that has forever changed my life and my hoped for family. Had Cara's book been available at that time in my life I would have founds answers and a plan of action that I was so desperately in need of. Thankfully this book has been written, and written well, by an award-winning journalist who has specialized in health and medicine. The depth of research and the manner in which it was written allows women to learn about their fertility and their choices in a comprehensible way that is needed for the majority of us who are not medically trained.

Infertility affects 1 in 8 couples of child-bearing age in the U.S. ([...]). This number is up from 1 in 10 in 1995. In a recent Newsweek article (March 13, 2006 issue) it was written "Infertility among young women has risen almost 20 percent since 1995, according to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control".

Knowledge IS power. Without a doubt every woman should have the information that is available to her within this book.

I'll admit up front that I just got the book and have not read the whole thing yet. Still, I believe all women interested in EVER childbearing should read this book. One of the hardest things about motherhood is that you never know how you're going to feel about it until you're actually there. That happened to me. I always thought I only wanted two kids, but when I had my beautiful little son, I wanted four. The problem is I started at the age of 31. I had my daughter at 34 and still want at least one more child, and I even wish I could have 2. But, I'm now 37 and may not be able to have any more. I agree with the idea of all GYN's offering women the 3-day FSH at age 35, just to see where they are. It's better to be proactive and have the information than to have to deal with the devastating news of it being too late. I'm one of those people who could kick myself, too, as I was blessed to meet the man of my dreams at 22. But, we put off our childbearing for the sake of work and schooling, and now I wish I had never done that. I had a miscarriage at 36 and have not been able to get pregnant since. I'm going to start an infertility workup and just see where everything is. I'm also someone who is not going to be able to afford a whole lot of reproductive endocrinology so I can only hope it's all not too late for me. My advice is: be proactive, ladies, and read this book, because you don't want it to pass you by unawares and then have it be too late--that's a very tough pill to swallow, and it can be prevented, possibly. Good luck to all...

I wish I read this book years ago... this is an essential read for anyone who is going through treatment for infertility. The author "gets" it and I felt so much better after reading this book. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This book shares SUPER important information through the story of the author's experience of having difficulty conceiving. She highlights one simple step that women can take who are wanting to conceive now or later into their 30s/40s... request an FSH blood test from your OB/GYN (even if they tell you that you don't need to worry). This simple test gives you an early indication of fertility so that you can make PROACTIVE choices about beginning a family. Good research, good story-telling making it easy to understand, and good recommendations.