“The title of Dr. Robert Greene’s book says it all. His “Perfect Hormone Balance for Pregnancy” encourages the integration of three important aspects for overall health in pregnancy. The first is claiming personal responsibility for one’s emotional and physical wellbeing. The second is taking action by incorporating a healthy diet and regular exercise into one’s daily lifestyle. Finally he encourages women to actively seek therapy (both alternative and allopathic) when indicated. This is a comprehensive guide for expectant mothers from conception to the postpartum period. Dr. Greene not only educates women about the impact of hormone imbalances on her and her baby’s health, but also makes explicit and evidence-based recommendations for incorporating a healthy diet and regular exercise into one’s daily life in order to achieve the perfect hormone balance in pregnancy. The foundation for such a fundamental lifestyle approach to pregnancy is outlined in a chapter dedicated to the first trimester, and nuances are added and recommendations are modified with the changing hormone milieu as pregnancy progresses. Peppered throughout the text is an assortment of practical information. Actual case presentations illustrate the diversity of symptoms expectant women may experience, highlighting the uniqueness of each pregnancy. Also included are several self evaluation questionnaires for symptoms common to pregnancy from sleep, mood, and energy alterations to loss of bladder control, allowing the reader to perform her own self evaluation. Practical information about nutrition and exercise, and important to-do lists for each trimester, are likewise included. As an OB-Gyn I was surprised to find this book so enlightening. As an expectant mother, I found the book as enjoyable as it was educational. This is definitely a book that I would recommend (and already have) to my dearest of friends and patients alike.”
—The Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, August 2007
“Are you putting up with a lot of discomfort instead of sailing through pregnancy? If your answer is yes, this new book by an ob/gyn and reproductive endocrinologist might be for you.
Dr. Robert Greene’s Perfect Hormone Balance for Pregnancy: A Groundbreaking Plan for Having a Healthy Baby and Feeling Great will put you on track for a feel-good pregnancy. Greene, a leader in hormone and brain research, takes this approach: Your pregnancy complaints are symptoms of hormone imbalance, which can and should be safely treated for your wellbeing. The book introduces you to what hormones are in effect during and after pregnancy and how they impact you and your baby, with a focus on relieving symptoms by altering your diet and lifestyle (and, in rare cases, with medications and hormone treatments). It features a trimester-by-trimester guide to taking good care of yourself, plus sections on labor and the postpartum period, with special troubleshooting chapters that cover sexuality, body image, lack of sleep, breast pain, and whirling emotions. Quizzes, Q&As, and a personal approach make it seem like the doctor is right there with you.”
—Pregnancy Magazine, June 2007
“Not all women are glowing and happy throughout their pregnancies. Many experience trying side effects like morning sickness, lethargy, and cravings. In his second book, ob-gyn and reproductive endocrinologist Greene (
Perfect Balance: Dr. Robert Greene’s Breakthrough Program for Finding the Lifelong Hormonal Health You Deserve) presents his Perfect Balance Program, which claims to ease the difficult aspects of pregnancy via hormone therapies combined with diet and exercise. After Greene’s persuasive introduction about the safety of bioidentical and biosimilar hormone therapies, the guide covers each trimester of pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period, along with troubleshooting hormone disorders throughout pregnancy. He recommends a flexible vegetarian diet, organic food, and plenty of exercise. Keeping a pregnancy journal is repeatedly advised as a way to reduce stress and track symptoms, with many chapters containing journaling prompts or ideas. Women who are concerned about taking medications or hormone therapies while pregnant will be interested in Greene’s book, including those who may want to continue taking antidepressants. Suitable for public libraries, especially where there is interest in Greene’s first book.”
—Library Journal, April 1, 2007
DR. ROBERT GREENE is one of the country’s leading hormone specialists, board certified in ob/gyn and reproductive endocrinology. His practice, the Center for Reproductive Health and Hormone Balance, is in northern California. Visit his website at www.robertgreenemd.com.
LAURIE TARKAN is a regular contributor to the
New York Times, an award-winning medical
writer with more than twenty years of journalism and writing experience, and the mother of two young children.
