Customer Reviews

Inconceivable: Winning the Fertility Game

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I'm 10 weeks pregnant today (at age 42) and no one could be more surprised than I. I had a doctor tell me before I even started trying that it would barely be worth trying (with a Day 3 FSH of 17). I then started the process with a very negative and discouraged outlook. What Julia Indichova's book gave me was one very inspiring story of the benefits of sheer determination, and the ability to listen to myself and disregard the very negative outlook handed out by most of the physicians the minute one's statistics are not picture-perfect. The fact is, the medical profession knows less than it thinks about infertility (and a lot other areas too), and while I appreciate Western medicine for the things it does well, I wish it would more often say what it doesn't know. The message of the book is to find your own way through this very stressful and confusing maze, and it helped me listen to myself and my instincts more than to the chorus of "very unlikely"s coming from the doctors. I recommend this book highly.

Reading this book literally took me from despair to inspired action on my own behalf. At 39 I got the devastating news that my fsh was too high and that my "only option" was donor eggs. It felt like a kind of death sentence, especially since I was told that none of the reproductive technologies could help me to conceive with my own eggs. Then I happened upon this book and it was like someone gave me my life back. The author's style is direct, engaging and to the point. She investigates several alternative healing paths but is not an unquestioning "true believer." She shares what worked for her but encourages people to find what works for them. I think the strenght of the book is the author's ballsy determination to NOT take the western medical prognosis at face value. When I try to think of how this book affected me, I just come up with all the cliches - the sun came out, a breath of fresh air, etc, but that's what it was like. Another review on this site said her advice was not specific enough but that was not my experience. I urge anyone struggling with infertility to read this book for inspiration. Since reading the book, I have come across a website specifically for women trying to conceive with high fsh. I am in no way connected with this site but want to put in the address for anyone interested: network54.com/hide/forum/10586 This site has a bulletin board plus a "success board" listing the stories of 50 women who have gotten pregnant despite high fsh. About half using reproductive technologies (other than donor eggs) and about half just using alterantive therapies! Indichova also has a website: fertileheart.com Good Luck!

Julia Indichova has written a powerful, poignant book that is part memoir, part self-help manual. After numerous infertility specialists told her she would never have a baby without major intervention, Ms. Indichova began searching for alternatives. She visited various health practitioners, altered her diet, used self-guided imagery and began practicing yoga. She describes these efforts, as well as the emotional implications of wanting to conceive a second child. The book is a wonderful and inspiring look at infertility, particularly secondary infertility, which often gets short shrift in the literature. Ms. Indichova's main conclusion is that women must take control of their own "therapy," whether conventional medicine or otherwise, and trust their own instincts about doing what feels right and beneficial. If you are skeptical of new age-ism, alternative therapies and the like, the emphasis on non-western methods of healing and spirituality may turn you off, although the author's insights about the fertility process make it worth reading anyway. If your mind is open to other possibilities, and you are eager to maintain hope -- perhaps against the odds -- this book will be a godsend.

This book is charmingly written, but it is definitely about secondary infertility. The author conceived her first child effortlessly, and naturally includes her daughter in the book and is very conscious that she, as she puts it, is "going back for seconds." While it is inspiring on some level, if you are suffering from primary infertility, it is a little more difficult to sympathize when she does sound like she's already been extremely blessed. If you aren't too sensitive about reading about her child, you will enjoy this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Julia's tenacious determination combined with her good sense of humor. After a year of trying to get pregnant with no luck, I had been feeling depressed and morose about the whole situation, and was not particularly keen to start on a high-tech route. This book has completely changed my attitude. By my doctor's assessment, I am very healthy and there seems to be no explanation as to why it is taking us a long time to conceive. After reading this book, I began thinking about the fact that I often have painful periods, my lower back is tense, and I've been carrying around about 5-10 pounds of extra weight. This book has inspired me to do what I can to achieve optimal health, including changing my diet, resuming my yoga practice, and trying various herbs and teas. It's been a month since I've read the book, and although I am not pregnant, there is a distinct difference. My muscles are more flexible, my skin is clearer, the excess weight around my waist is melting. Most importantly, I feel that I exist in a world of possibility rather than a world of monthly disappointment.

A quick comment to those who think the book is not detailed enough: it is true that there is not a lot of "how to" advice. But I think the message is clear that there is not any one correct way to go about this, and that it is important for us to figure out for ourselves what makes sense rather than be handed a set of instructions. For me, this book serves as a launching pad for my own research into diet, exercise, and herbs. The author is not a scientist or a researcher, and I think there are a lot of people who can teach me more about these things than Julia Indichova can. Instead, she offers what she is most qualified to offer: an inspiring story of someone who was determined to suceed and did.

The title of this book hit home and I tried everything else, so I bought the book and followed the recommendations as best as I could. A few months after I started, I did an insemination, went to the doctor (who originally felt my chances of getting pregnant were slim to none) and found out I was already 8 weeks pregnant! (What I thought was my period the month before was apparently blood from the embryo attaching to my uterine lining.) My doctor, who still couldn't believe it, recalled all my bloodwork from the month to retest, called me in for a sonogram the next day and, lo and behold, found and embryo with a beating heart. This doctor (one of the most respected in the business) said he'd never seen anything happen like this. I'm 42, have had 5 miscarriages and, as I've said, had a pathetic prognosis. The doctor said he'd be talking about my situation in his lectures and writings and he'd be sure not to mention my name.

I recently received my amnio results and everything was normal!

I know how tough trying to have a baby can be when EVERYONE is telling you to pack it in, but believe me, if the advice in this book can work for someone like me, it can work for you too.

As a homeopathic practitioner, I recommend this book during my first contact with anyone dealing with the issue of infertility. Julia Indichova's warm and straightforward account of her own quest to have a child can bolster the spirits of any woman faced with trying to conceive. I've had my clients tell me that they read the book over and over. I think that's because it's like listening to a kindly and heartfelt voice of wisdom when you are at your wits end. There are many other infertility books available for hard core medical information, but this one is in a wonderful and spirit-filled class by itself. The cover picture tells you a lot about the spark you'll find within the pages. Whether you're dealing with primary or secondary infertility, this book will give you hope and a sense that you are surrounded by other women fighting the same battle.

This book saved me! When I was diagnosed with high FSH and told the only way I could conceive was through the use of someone else's egg (donor egg), I thought I would lose my mind. I was so depressed. My husband and I tried fertility drugs with IUI twice with no success and the experience only intensified the pain. Sometime after that, I discovered Julia's remarkable book, INCONCEIVABLE. My only wish is that I had discovered it sooner. This book is filled with practical and well researched information that you can try immediately. The difference that you experience in yourself after trying even a few of the things Julia tried in her quest to conceive is immediate and lasting. THIS BOOK GIVES YOU HOPE where there was none. THIS BOOK MAKES YOU REALIZE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO HEAL YOURSELF! Julia and her persistence in getting her experience out to all of us is truly a gift. I urge everyone dealing with the pain of an "infertile" diagnoses to buy this book and try the holistic approach that Julia advocates BEFORE injecting any drugs or trying any invasive procedures. I URGE EVERY DOCTOR OUT THERE TREATING "INFERTILE" PATIENTS TO BUY THIS BOOK. I'm not saying that she has all the answers for you (she helps you to find your own answers), but she can absolutely guide you to the right path as you begin your journey to become a parent. BUY THIS BOOK NOW, IT'S A MUST READ!

After being told I'd never have my own biological child, also because of high FSH levels, I went to Amazon.com (Jan 1999) and researched infertility. Thank God I read Julia's soothing book. It inspired me to follow her path. After Iyengar Yoga, Chinese Medicine, Visualization, reading most of the books in her wonderful bibliography, (and 2 unsuccessful rounds of FSH IUI), my openess to others about my struggle led to a holistic practicioner in San Diego (Dr. Carolyn Mein, D.C.) that balanced my hormones naturally and directly led to the birth of my now 15 month old daughter (Aug 2000). Bless you Julia! I didn't know where to begin and you were the calm voice in the storm affirming my inner voice. I am so grateful for everything this journey has taught me.

I bought this book hoping to learn more about how one woman "beat" the fertility game. A happy ending, but I was disappointed in the brief chapters, the lack of attention to detail in the author's descriptions of her self-discovery and healing. I wanted more of a model and a guide to someone else's success, but instead the book provides too many choppy little anecdotes of her experiences with New Age healers, bland clinicians and eastern spiritualists. Indichova is still, at the end, someone who hops desperately from one new and exotic treatment to another. I still don't know which exactly "worked" for her, although she definitely gives a thumbs down to the western medical establishment for treating fertility disorders.