Customer Reviews

The Infertility Diet: Get Pregnant and Prevent Miscarriage

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Apart from the Author (Fern Reiss) repeating herself many times throughout the book (I can count the same sentences repeated over and over again in different sections) - I thought it would have more solid advice than what it contained. I am really dissapointed. I was looking forward to reading this book so much!

A couple of examples of why I was dissapointed with this particular book:

Example 1 - "Yet another good reason to avoid dairy as well as meat is dioxins."

Yes true. Meat contains dioxins - depending on where your meat is from. Fern does not give you advice on where to obtain clean meat (free of dioxins) but instead takes the easy way out and says - avoid.

One of the deficiencies that can arise through lack of red meat is Zinc. The author fails to inform us that Zinc deficiency is very dangerous to the development of feotus (particularly mental). Her suggustions are - Consume Pumpkin and Sunflower seeds. However unless you consume 300g daily you will not meet your RDI for Zinc. That's quite alot of seeds!

Red meat and Eggs contain an easily absorbed form of Zinc. They also contain many other nutrients essential for pre-conception. So the advice - avoid meat and dairy, is not one I would follow. Focus on purchasing clean meat and eggs - I have, and have not looked back since.

Example 2 - Her reccomendation to eat orange vegetables (that contain Beta-carotene) for Vitamin A. Quite alot of people with poor thyroid function CANT convert Beta-carotene into Vitamin A. So if you are relying on carrots and pumpkins to give you Vitamin A without knowing your thyroid status - Don't! She failed to mention that essential point.

Example 3 - Page 50 - "Although one study indicates that too strict a vegetarian diet can lead to irregular ovulation, we still recommend sticking to a health whole grain vegetarian diet that goes heavy on the fruits and vegetables, and avoids excess protein."

Even though this supposed study shows that too strict a vegetarian diet (which is EXACTLY what she recommends throughout her whole book) can impede fertility, she still insists on it, and YET she rejects everything else (no matter how trivial) that can impede fertility. Is she contradicting herself? Absolutely!

Example 4 - She reccomends to "Consume Wheatgerm for Vit E". She also fails to mention that this is bad practice. Wheatgerm easily becomes rancid and rancid oils are dangerous and useless to your body.

ALSO, A large part of the diet she advocates includes consumption of wild Yams. If you cannot get hold of these - don't bother buying the book!

The only thing that I do agree with in her entire 277 page book is that we all should all ditch processed 'empty' foods. But then again, that information is and should be common sense.

This book is certainly not worth its cost. Its good reviews are very overrated IMO. I bought this book based on those reviews and am very dissapointed.

Fern has gone through some effort to put this book together and thats why I award it one star. I don't believe it's content deserves more than that though.

First of all, I noticed that most of the complaints posted about this book had to do with people finding the diet impossible or extreme. Yes, for those of us who eat a lot of fast food and junk food, this diet is a big change. However, there's still a big difference between following this diet for the most part and having an occasional "unhealthy" meal, which is what most of us will do anyway (let's be realistic), and eating unhealthy meals every day, or even 2 times a day, which is what probably most of us do now. You will have to sharply limit your restaurant eating to follow this diet. But, limiting fast food and restaurant dining is probably the best thing for your health and your budget anyway. By the way, the author doesn't say meat has to be totally eliminated, but warned against dioxins stored in animal fat. Therefore, very lean cuts of meat are probably fine in moderation (good news for grumpy husbands), and the author even recommended some fish as beneficial. So, don't give up on reading this book b/c of negative comments from other reviewers. And just b/c something isn't on the list of things to eat each day, doesn't mean you can never have it again.

That said, yams can be very difficult to find. I am lucky to live in a large metropolitan area, and was able to find an African market. But for those of you without such resources, they can be ordered.....

My biggest "beef" with this book is that the author doesn't footnote her sources when she makes her claims, although she provides a bibliography of some of them in the back of the book. No citations is one of those things that drives me crazy--it's poor scholarship. (That's why I give only 3 stars.) Because I'd previously read another book, which is more thorough (see below), and this book didn't contradict it, I could forgive the lack of citations. She goes to some "macrobiotic" extremes in places, but a thoughtful reader will be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. And it does contain information that I had not seen surfing the internet or reading other books.

My suggestion if you are really interested in the connection between nutrition and fertility, is to read this book, but also read "Fertility, Cycles and Nutrition" by Marilyn Shannon (ISBN 0-926412-08-6), which is thoroughly documented and goes much more in depth. Shannon wrote her book for users of natural family planning. Anybody who knows how to chart their temps and observe their cervical fluid will be familiar with what she's talking about. The book not only addresses infertility, but also PMS and cycle irregularities.

Also, for each vitamin or mineral Fern Reiss discusses, I'd suggest looking up what the best food sources for them are. (For example, brown rice is very high in magnesium but bread doesn't have nearly as much. Fern says "whole grains." You could be eating bread each day for the whole grains requirement and not be getting enough magnesium.)

Since I have just started this diet, I don't have a great success story to report yet. But I am encouraged by all who posted reviews with their success stories. I hope with the help of good nutrition, my next pregnancy will not take so long in coming and will go to term, and that all who read these words may have the same good fortune as well. Good reading and good baby-making to all. : )

I have mixed feelings with this book. I bought the book and have even tried following some of the recipies which are pretty tasty, however some of the ingredients (especially yams and Kelp) were difficult for me to find. However, after much searching I found them. I found some of the info to be too vague! For instance one minute she tells you the benefits of soy and in the next breath tells you not to consume to much! Well, how much is not too much? She recommends eating yams in the first part of your cycle before ovulation and not in the second half and not to consume dairy (or meat) products while trying to conceive but most of her yam recipies have dairy products in them!! Can you say contradictory? I emailed my question about this through her website but it was not answered at all!
Another thing is her yam recipies call for 4 yams or 6 yams or 1 yam. Well, I'd like to know where she purchased her yams because the true African yams that I found were 12"-15" long and weighed 8lbs-10lbs. Two tubers (yams) cost me $19.00! Not very practical to use 4 -6 per recipie! I wish she would have put some additional information in the back of her book or keep her web site updated but she doesn't do that either. I tried contacting the author (as was suggested in another review) but all of my questions were not answered or I'd get an answer that had nothing to do (I feel) with my question. Finally after my third e-mail I was told that Fern wasn't in the fertility business anymore. And, if you go on her website it hasn't been updated for quite sometime and the Website is really pushing other business ventures she is now in. It's an o.k. book but don't put all of your hopes into it, like I'm afraid I might have.

We have been trying to get pregnant for over two and a half years. We have been through every fertility treatment available up to and including an unsuccessful IVF in February 2001. I came home defeated and ready to give up. I had ordered this book over a year ago, read it and said "Yeah right!" as others have posted here. How would I ever be able to eat like that?? I guess you just have to be ready to make the change, and I was finally ready. I bought all the ingredients I could get my hands on locally and even ordered some off the internet. It was tough; a whole new way of eating is NOT easy. But in almost exactly 2 months from my starting and sticking closely to the infertility diet, I am pregnant for the first time in my life. I can't even TELL you how worth it this has been to me. An added benefit? I lost over 15 lbs. I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels that they've tried it all. Be determined, be creative with the ingredients, have fun with a new way of eating - It worked for me.

I actually heard the author when she lectured at The Learning Annex in NYC. The book is a comprehensive nutritional approach to infertility and miscarriage, based on 500 medical studies. It's been endorsed by several bigshot infertility doctors. I actually first heard about it through a favorable Resolve review.

Most of the information is stuff that's not available elsewhere--detailed guidelines on what to eat, and what not to eat, and what's been linked to problems with fertility. I thought I knew all this stuff--but there were *many* things that I'd never heard before.

Anyway, I *highly* recommend it, and have purchased copies for several friends in infertilityland. (Some of them have gotten pregnant since--and I'm still on it, still hoping!) Here's to miracles...

As a pathologist who studies tissues from lost or complicated pregnancies, it's clear how complex and demanding are the adjustments the mother's uterus must make to achieve a successful pregnancy. It's also clear that many women who are 'healthy enough' for normal life may still have problems managing especially the blood flow changes essential for healthy pregnancy. Infertility is not a one-cause disorder, but this book may not only remove 'one straw' from the complicated bundle which impairs any woman's fertility, but also help ensure the mother's well-being to enjoy her grandchildren!

I was particularly struck by the recommendations for magnesium, given to treat women with blood vessel problems later in pregnancy (especially toxemia), and which several of my clinical colleagues are recommending as a low-risk and low-cost aid to patients with recurrent loss due to abnormal maternal blood vessels.

Comprehensive but readable. An excellent solution to a current gap in the 'whole body' approach to fertility.

Dr. Carolyn M. Salafia, MD, Professor of Pathology and Pediatrics, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and INCIID Advisory Board member and Moderator, Pregnancy and Perinatal Loss Forum

The only novel information in the book was on the studies linking a heavy yam diet with increased birth rate. I'd like to try the (true) yams (not sweet potatoes), but I haven't been able to find them (though I've gone to three health food stores). For people with already healthy diets and a reasonable understanding about fertility, the book will probably be a disappointment. Almost half its pages are devoted to recipes for yams, whole grains, tofu and the like. Your money is much better spent on Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. Good luck to all who are trying to have a baby!

After reading a number of books on fertility, I found this one especially helpful. She seems to have taken into account all possible studies on the links between diet and fertility, and combined them into a workable diet. (Some other reviews have mentioned a lack of quantified research outcomes or specific portions in her diet. In my view, this is based mainly on the lack of scientific studies out there in this area. I think she has done an excellent job of quantifying what she can, and giving you the information to make other decisions about your diet on your own.) I have found the diet do-able, although you have to search to find some of the items and you have to be committed to eating at home and taking the time to prepare some really healthy meals. I was surprised at how yummy almost all of the recipes are, even though my initial reaction was that they looked far too "healthy" for me. After two weeks on the diet, I could tell my body was undergoing some hormonal changes. It hasn't been long enough to tell if I am pregnant, but I am very hopeful. I certainly feel very healthy!

I have been trying to get pregnant with a second child for over a year and a half. After many unsuccessful attempts, I am desperate for other alternatives other than expensive procedures that may not even work.

When I purchased this book, I was under the impression that this book would have more information and not recipes. The contents of the book are helpful, however, I think the diet is quite HORRIBLE and unless you have tried everything, I would have only purchased the book as a last resort. With regards to the diet, there is no way that I could get my husband to follow this diet and to try to get him to eat Wheat Germ and Tofu...forget it! Realisticly, there is no way we, as a couple of which the book recommends, would we be able to follow this diet.

As I read the book, I had also noticed that some of the segments were just repeated wording from others. Quite frankly, I was very disappointed that I paid so much for this book and I would not recommend it to anyone. When I received the book in the mail, I couldn't believe I paid this much money for a paperback book of which half is recipes! I would have paid less!

I found this book to be helpful only in that it recommends focusing on diet and lifestyle when trying to conceive. Other than that it is misguided and not based on true science. One of the author's main suggestions is to eat lots of yams. She reports this can help just about any fertility issue you may suffer. What she fails to acknowledge is that only WILD YAMS have naturally occurring progesterone and the benefits she reports. Domestic yams contain very little, if any, of these compounds. Many of her claims are not backed up with any relevant scientific data. There are no footnotes signaling which study she is using for the basis of her claims. When she does mention a study it was a study done with chickens, fish, rats, cattle or cheetahs. Many of the books and articles she lists in the bibliography are 20-50 years old. Science has come a long way since then and I think the author owes her readers up to date information and support for the basis of her claims. I feel this book is basically hog wash.