Expecting Miracles: On the Path of Hope from Infertility to Parenthood [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Christo Zouves (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2003

Expecting Miracles is a moving, in-depth look at the options, decisions, and unexpected twists, turns, and disappointments that couples experience as they work with Dr. Christo Zouves, founder and medical director of the Zouves Fertility Center. As he shares his own story and those of the patients, egg donors, and surrogates with whom he has worked, Dr. Zouves provides a rare glimpse into the human side of reproductive medicine-and all that goes into helping infertile couples realize their dreams of parenthood.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Motivated by the desire to have a child, many couples have overcome infertility problems with medical intervention. Zouves, who is the medical director at the Pacific Coast Fertility Center, now recounts, with the assistance of Sullivan, a reporter for the Spokane, Ore., Spokesman-Review, many stories of the women and men he has treated by performing in vitro fertilization, by ISCI (the direct injection of a single sperm into an egg), by implanting frozen embryos and by recommending the use of egg donors and surrogates who are paid to bear a child for the infertile couples. However, with the exception of Carol and her husband SteveAwho decided to adopt after becoming psychologically exhausted by Carol's painful and expensive fertility treatmentsAall of Zouves's anecdotes end with ecstatic parents who bring home a brand new baby. Given that these technological procedures have a high failure rate, it is difficult not to view this account as a rosy advertisement for the services of the author's clinic. Several of the cases suggest that the doctor rarely turns down anyone who expresses a desire to have a child and can back it up with the financial wherewithal to gamble on new medical technologies. Zouves includes descriptions of how he helped a couple in their 50s to have a child and how he treated a menopausal woman who had a history of breast cancer with dangerous hormones in the hope that she would become pregnant. Even more disquieting is his spirited defense of the fertility clinic's money-back guarantee program, which the AMA has condemned as exploitive and misleading. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This is an excellent book with a captive readership: the one percent of infertile couples who must resort to high technology to conceive children. Zouves, a medical director of a large San Francisco fertility practice, writes convincingly and with great feeling about seemingly impossible cases. The patients are as diverse as the procedures: lesbian and straight couples, older and younger couples, several of them adoptive parents seeking more children via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) with or without surrogacy and donor eggs. Zouves is himself the father of two children, one autistic; he displays real empathy for his patients, dealing as they do with a medical condition that alters every aspect of family life. Not only the infertile but their families and friends can benefit from this book; buy multiple copies. Highly recommended.ACatherine Arnott Smith, Ctr. for Biomedical Informatics, Univ. of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• ISBN-10: 0399529276
• ASIN: B000HWYQVK
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #887,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Expecting Miracles" was touching and educational., November 8, 1999

By 

Kendis ([e-mail]) (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Expecting Miracles: On the Path of Hope from Infertility to Parenthood (Hardcover)

I believe this book is inspirational and written from the heart of a doctor who cares about his patients. Each story was touching. I laughed and I cried. Dr. Zouves is a wonderful doctor and I am proud to say, I was one of his lucky patients. Dreams can come true.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best infertility book weve ever read!, September 4, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Expecting Miracles: On the Path of Hope from Infertility to Parenthood (Hardcover)

Expecting Miracles captures the physical, emotional and financial struggle of couples undergoing infertility. The book is outstanding! We couldn't put it down. We are a `success' couple of Dr. Zouves-having struggled with infertility for over 7 ½ years. We have read numerous books on infertility-this is by far the best. The book captures Dr. Zouves' success in helping patients achieve a family. It also shows his compassion as a doctor and a human being. He is always honest with his patients and truly cares. The book explains various infertility diagnoses and treatments in easy to understand terms. It provides hope for couples that have given up on achieving a family. Dr. Zouves is a true miracle worker. Expecting Miracles is a must for anyone who has struggled with infertility, worked with infertility patients, knows of anyone undergoing infertility treatment or is struggling with infertility and has given up hope. We have recommended this book to both health care workers and friends.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compassionate look at cutting-edge fertility treatment, September 12, 2000

By 

Carol S. (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Expecting Miracles: On the Path of Hope from Infertility to Parenthood (Hardcover)

"Expecting Miracles" is a warm, compassionate and uplifting description of the experiences of a dozen or so couples who sought help in conceiving a child from the author's infertility clinic. Each chapter tells one couple's story, as a sort of a mini-character study or "case study"; we learn about the patients' medical histories, their relationship with their significant others, their personalities, and the impact that their difficulty in conceiving & carrying to term has had on them & their families. Interspersed with the human stories are clear & succinct explanations of the science and medical technology used to help infertile couples conceive. Dr. Zouves' reverence for the spirituality and mystery inherent in the reproductive process was particularly refreshing.

As someone currently undergoing the initial stages of fertility treatment, I found the scientific information very helpful in understanding more about the delicate reproductive process (and how today's medicine can assist). I also found myself responding very emotionally to the plight of these couples. You'd have to have a heart of stone not to shed a tear at some of these beautiful, yet painful, stories! Nearly all of the stories have happy endings, though, and while that certainly does make for a less depressing book, it probably represents an unrealistic cross-section of infertility patients. Not everyone can be helped (sadly, I have several dear friends who fall into this category) and I imagine relatively few couples have the resources to pursue the kind of cutting-edge treatment Dr. Zouves describes - flying to the West Coast constantly, staying in hotels, paying for surrogates, not to mention the cost of the treatment itself (rarely covered by insurance). On the other hand, the book may well provide the necessary hope for those who are just barely hanging on in the midst of the physically and emotionally grueling treatment.