Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health [Paperback]

Toni Weschler (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 31, 2006

Celebrating 10 years of helping hundreds of thousands of women achieve pregnancy, avoid pregnancy naturally, and gain better control of their health and lives, the 10th Anniversary Edition of the classic bestseller will include:

• New 'Preface to the 10th Anniversary Edition"
• Updates on new fertility technologies
• Natural approaches to conception
• Updated Resources and Books

For any woman unhappy with her current method of birth control; demoralized by her quest to have a baby; or experiencing confusing symptoms in her cycle, this book provides answers to all these questions, plus amazing insights into a woman's body. Weschler thoroughly explains the empowering Fertility Awareness Method, which in only a couple minutes a day allows a woman to:

• Enjoy highly effective, scientifically proven birth control without chemicals or devices
• Maximize her chances of conception or expedite fertility treatment by identifying impediments to conception
• Increase the likelihood of choosing the gender of her baby
• Gain control of her sexual and gynecological health

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Toni Weschler, MPH, is a nationally respected women's health educator and speaker and the author of Cycle Savvy, a book for teenage girls about their bodies. A frequent guest on television, Internet, and radio shows, she lives in Seattle, Washington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Collins; 10th anniversary edition (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060881909
• ISBN-13: 978-0060881900
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.3 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,132 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diseases & Physical Ailments > Infertility
  • #1 in Books > Self-Help > Sex
  • #1 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Sexual Health > General

More About the Author

Toni Weschler, MPH, is a nationally respected women's health educator and speaker and the author of Cycle Savvy, a book for teenage girls about their bodies. A frequent guest on television, Internet, and radio shows, she lives in Seattle, Washington.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

606 of 620 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for EVERY woman! May 4, 2003

By Diane A. Wittmann

Format:Paperback

I honestly thought that just being a woman ~ I knew all I needed to know to get pregnant. I am 35 now and ready to have a baby, so I stopped taking the pill and waited 2 cycles and thought all I had to do was plan our night of fun close to Ovulation "Day 14". Was I ever wrong!!

After trying unsuccessfully on my own for 5 months, I started to question my fertility. I purchased ovulation test strips and they wouldn't show a peak ovulation. I found others online who were trying to conceive and recommended this book. Once I received the book, I couldn't put it down! I was amazed at what little information I actually knew about my cycle ~ my own body and what it had been telling me all along. I just didn't understand it.

I learned not everyone ovulates on "Day 14", for me it is actually "Day 23". I assumed I wasn't ovulating and got frustrated at day 20-21 and would stop testing. I now know to look for signals to show when I'm ovulating and now test in the correct window.

By reading this book I now have a clear understanding of my cycle. At my age, I want to have a baby sooner than later, so I plan on taking a more aggressive approach to my fertilization. I talked with my doctor after 6 months, rather than 1 year. With the help of this book and charting, I was able to explain my cycle and show my doctor all my charts. I was able to provide all the information needed to show I have a short luteal phase. By providing this information to the doctor, we will be able to treat the ovulation problem that much quicker. My doctor commented that I was extremely organized and it really helped things along.

This book is very easy to read and understand.... You will be able to clearly read your own body signals during your cycle, and have a better understanding of your fertilization ~ whether you want to become pregnant - or not.

I will share this book with other women and would recommend it for every woman! Read more ›

381 of 394 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, excellent, excellent October 8, 2002

By K. J. Wagner

Format:Paperback

I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent, college-educated woman with a pretty darn firm grasp on How Babies Are Made, so when my husband and I decided to start a family, I thought it would be as easy as tossing the birth control pills aside and Let The Fun Begin! After almost a year with NO baby, followed by a miscarriage, I was starting to question my fertility. (After all, how hard can this be?) I went to the OBGYN, who immediately recommended Clomid and sex on the 14th day of my "cycle." I wasn't comfortable with the fertility pill concept, and saw a recommendation for this book instead. So, I picked it up.

WOW! Why don't they teach THIS in Sex Ed?? I wish I'd known this stuff when I was 13! I sure knew the mechanics of sex, alright, but not the mechanics of my own body. I was amazed at what I didn't know; while I had observed the various signs that are talked about, I didn't have the slightest clue what they meant. They never worried me, but they never gave me any insight, either. I started charting, figured out what day of the cycle I REALLY ovulated, and on the third try -SURPRISE!- we were pregnant! While the OB said to try on day 14, we REALLY needed to try on day 19. Sperm only live for 5 days max, so we would have missed our window of opportunity every time. :(

I have recommended this book to complete strangers whose friends were "trying to get pregnant," and lent it to my best friend when she mentioned going off the pill. She's due in December!

Now that my cycle is back, I've reclaimed the book back again to avoid another baby until we're ready. We're still breastfeeding, and using this as a birth control method doesn't come with the risk of drying up my milk supply. (I know, Micronor (mini-pill) is breastfeeding-friendly, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet....)

I am SO pleased with this book and the knowledge I gained from it; I can't believe I didn't know all this before my mid-twenties! Read more ›

210 of 220 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from a Man! March 9, 2009

By The Tank

Format:Paperback

After 7 years of trying and over $35,000.00 out of pocket expenses to fertility doctors, my wife and I pretty much resigned to the fact we couldn't make our own genetic children. We then started the adoption from China process. We paid all that money and are still waiting for our adoption referral date.

While we were waiting for the adoption to go through, I came across this book on Amazon. I figured, what the hell, it's worth a try. I bought the book and read it in three days! I found a couple of excel charts online, and then altered them for our use. I highlighted the most important parts of the book for my wife to read. She said several times, "I never even heard of this stuff!" Even our long time family doctor didn't know most of this info.

We were pregnant after the third month! Yes, after trying for SEVEN years!!! Our beautiful baby boy is now seven months old and the joy of our lives.

GET THIS BOOK! There is HUGE money in keeping us ignorant on fertility.

Good luck!

A happy and proud Dad and Husband!

107 of 114 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable resource, but skepticism prevents heartache January 27, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

'TCOYF,' as it is known in pre-conception communities, is definitely an invaluable resource for any woman or couple wanting a child (it is often referred to as the 'bible' of pre-conception). It arms you with the knowledge necessary to maximize chances of conception (or lower the risks of pregnancy in those who do not wish to conceive) and does so in an enjoyable, easy-to-read manner that does not belittle or overwhelm its audience. The wealth of information in this book about a woman's cycle and how to chart it are absolutely fantastic, and one is left with a sense of 'how could I not have known all this was going on in my body before?' Although I highly recommend this book, I would also like to offer a much-needed word of warning about it: page after page after page of success stories are presented, leaving the general impression that the whole process of conception is MUCH easier than it is. The author repeatedly presents 'case studies' of women who conceived after only ONE MONTH of using the methods in this book. The overall effect is one of effortless and immediate conception if the guidelines provided by the author are followed religiously. Although I do not believe it is intentional, I have to say I feel the book is deceptive in this regard. It also promotes methods of determining pregnancy that absolutely are NOT definite and that, if taken to heart by the reader, can leave one devestated at the end of a cycle, when the feeling of 'but I don't understand, the book said I must be pregnant' take over. I have seen too many women experience these disappointments to consider any honest review of this book complete without mentioning these things.... The reader should use a healthy dose of skepticism about some of her more controversial ideas and use the book mainly as a guide to getting to know one's body and learn how to determine ovulation. It truly is invaluable in that regard. But don't let all those case studies get you overexcited or build up unrealistic expectations. Conception still is not an exact science, no matter how much knowledge you have at your disposal, and you still may be in for a wait, no matter how faithfully you follow these guidelines. Read more ›