A Few Good Eggs : Two Chicks Dish on Overcoming the Insanity of Infertility [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Julie Vargo (Author), Maureen Regan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2005

Insight and frank, friendly advice on overcoming infertility—from two women who have lived through it all. You can’t open a magazine these days without seeing a blissful forty-plus celebrity mom cradling her new bundle of joy. But, like so much of Hollywood life, the truth about pregnancy and fertility is glossed over. We don’t see the tremendous amount of financial, emotional, and physical effort that couples who are having trouble conceiving go through. In this warm, funny, empathetic book, journalist Julie Vargo and literary agent Maureen Regan—women who have personally experienced infertility—give the lowdown on what women really need to know. Hormones, sperm counts, uterine lining-nothing is too personal for these outspoken women. They also recruit their friends, husbands, and doctors to dish on everything from keeping your marriage healthy to assessing your financial needs to herbal treatments and blood tests. Everything you wish you knew about infertility, and how others faced it, is covered in this book. Most important, Vargo and Regan provide information they wished someone had given them, especially things most doctors don’t share. What you don’t know may cost you what you want—a family of your own. Your OB/GYN may not be trained in infertility and won’t necessarily give you the answers you need. Like Vargo and Regan, many women believe they will get pregnant when they decide it is time and are shocked when they don’t. Now they share their stories in the hopes of preventing other women from experiencing the traumas they did. Their advice is simple—gather all the information you can, and find the doctor who will listen to your needs. A Few Good Eggs provides the resources you need to face infertility—and the warm support of a couple of good friends.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The comprehensiveness of this accessible guide to managing infertility reflects the somewhat obsessive approach of the authors, who have both undergone years of infertility treatment and whose anecdotes frame each chapter. In plain language, journalist Vargo and literary agent Regan (sister of publisher Judith) detail the impact of a variety of factors (age, weight, stress, exercise, nutrition, STDs, pharmaceuticals, recreational drugs, pollution) on both female and male infertility. They provide solid tips on finding a fertility specialist and navigating the wide variety of questions, tests and treatments readers can expect to go through, and frankly discuss the difficult choices (medical, ethical, legal, financial and emotional) parental hopefuls will have to make. Vargo and Regan believe motherhood is a woman's highest priority and most satisfying life choice, and quietly dismiss projects outside of conception; readers who don't fully embrace the authors' opinions may thus miss the plethora of useful information. Oversimplified gender stereotypes also hinder the authors' discussion of communication between partners and reflect the larger interference of the authors' neo-traditional values with the otherwise direct treatment of the complicated situations infertile women face. Still, the infusion of personality with facts makes for an engaging guide for those who share Vargo and Regan's beliefs. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Surprisingly gutsy and no-nonsense—an Our Bodies, Ourselves for the Sex and the City generation.” --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Unknown (May 31, 2005)
• ISBN-10: 0060776811
• ASIN: B000EMSZ4C
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,457,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, June 5, 2005

By 

Brenda M (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Few Good Eggs: Two Chicks Dish on Overcoming the Insanity of Infertility (Hardcover)

After seeing these two on the Today Show, I ordered the book immediately. But I was extremely disappointed in the way they positioned the whole infertility process.

I've been trying to conceive for almost 3 years, and have read nearly every book there is on the subject. This one insulted me, and made me feel that my infertility was something to laugh about.

I agree with other comments here . . . don't waste your money on this one. Try the books by Richard Marrs, Daniel Potter, or Sherman Silber. These are written by experts that will help you understand the processes you might go through in a comforting and supportive way. The newest one is by Dr. Potter, and is probably the best of the three.

50 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars disappointing is right!, June 7, 2005

By 

an infertile dad (connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Few Good Eggs: Two Chicks Dish on Overcoming the Insanity of Infertility (Hardcover)

i was so hoping this book would enlighten me and maybe make me laugh. it did neither; i was angry and depressed when i finished it. my wife and i spent years trying to conceive and even though we have the family we always dreamed of, we are facing the issues again trying to have another baby. i have been doing a lot of reading to learn about the new technologies and treatments available to us and this book was useless and somewhat offensive. if you want a book that really helps look to authors like geoffrey sher, md, elizabeth swire-falker and lisa charlesworth. they published books that are worth spending precious dollars on . . . this one is not.

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but..., July 1, 2005

By 

Infertile & Learning (Southwest USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Few Good Eggs: Two Chicks Dish on Overcoming the Insanity of Infertility (Hardcover)

This book was good, but not what I expected based on all the reviews I read on Amazon about it. I was expecting GREAT, not simply good. No big slam, just not worth the hype. Not much different, really, than what is already out there on the bookshelves... which is OK, but I was hoping for something more earth-shattering --not just another non-medical perspective and all the same medical techniques described, blah, blah, blah.

Truth is, I should have checked this book out first at the bookstore to see if it was right for me. It wasn't a total waste of money, but didn't really address what I was looking for. I will pass it along to a friend who is getting ready to IVF...

Bottom line -- I guess you shouldn't buy a book just based on reviews. Do some investigation first.