It Starts with the Egg: The Science of Egg Quality for Fertility, Miscarriage, and IVF (Third Edition)

This book was extremely helpful for me on my fertility journey. It was an easy read and had extremely useful information on changes that can be made in my daily life such as swapping nail polish and plastic to glass containers. I also enjoy that there are updated editions with current research and data. I was able to bring some of the medication suggestions to my doctor as well. I encourage all women going through a fertility battle to read this book!

This book is a wonderful read! Doesn’t matter if you’re new to trying to conceive or in the depths of it. I had a hard time putting it down. It was very informative!! I worked in OB/GYN and I still learned things I wasn’t aware of. She also shares some interesting insights and studies. All of her sources are in the back of the book.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It took me two years to get pregnant and I read a lot of really crappy advice on getting pregnant during that time - I think most women will take anything and everything they can get after a certain amount of time. I got really tired really quick of fertility tips that seemed pulled out of a hat - this book was the complete opposite of that. It is easy to read but contains research based information and had a lot of new ideas on things that I could try to increase fertility by increasing the quality of my eggs. I read this just before I read The Art of Tidying Up, which resulted in a deep dive into purging my kitchen of plastics and replacing items with BPA free alternatives. I did end up getting pregnant the month after taking a bunch of the advice in this book. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up though, as I was also working really closely with my OB-GYN and had tried a new prescription to help with ovulation at the same time. I credit (finally!) becoming pregnant less with this book and more with other interventions, but I think there were two really positive results of this book. The first is that I had already cleansed my home of BPAs and Phthalates by the time I became pregnant - both of these can have harmful effects on a fetus and it was really nice to already have this checked off my to-do list. The second is that trying to get pregnant can seem like a really hopeless situation sometimes, especially since it doesn't often feel like any of it is within your control. Reading this book and following through on the advice it gave was really mental gratifying during the long two week wait - at least I was doing something to contribute positively to the process.

Late 30s hopeful mom-to-be. Sometimes life doesn't work out the way you hoped...Ordered this book when AMH scores tested low. Not sure how that's going to work out after implementing instructions, but book mentioned some basic vitamins which are helpful. I was told in the past to take vitamin D by my gyno (prior to fertility journey) and did for a while but eventually forgot. Book reminded me of the importance of vitamin D generally but also in making quality eggs. I started taking vitamin D & B as well as other things she includes, and my life has turned around in ways I did not expect. I used to struggle with severe sadness in the week before period. I'm talking crying all day long for 2 days, feeling like I couldn't do basic things, and like I was generally unloved despite the very supportive and wonderful people in my life telling me otherwise. I had isolated myself from friends to an extent and thought maybe I needed to seek out medication for depression, since I had been on it before. Add to it the fact that the conception journey is BRUTAL when you struggle and all the intrusive thoughts about aging etc. that encumber you as you learn the reality of how much time you have. It's only been one month of taking the vitamins, and I haven't been able to get in to see my doctor to confirm, but I'm betting I had a deficiency, as many women do--especially those of us working in offices. I feel lighter and more energetic generally, and I did not have any of the same drastic feelings this month as menses approached. Even though I was sad when I the dreaded period came again, and I had some minor irritability on a home depot run, I didn't suffer the way I have months prior. This is life changing for me personally. Maybe it also feels like I am empowered to do something while I wait for fertility clinic referral, but I think it's more, something subtle and under the surface is just clicking better. I'm thankful to the writer and will update if I have success getting that AMH up a little.

There are so many books about conception and infertility these days but many are disappointing, flowery, unproven and simply a rehash of other unproven literature. This book seems to be more investigative, practical and informative. The author talks about her experience with IVF after she'd adopted new dietary changes and rid her life of bpa's and pthalates (easy to reduce but you have to rebuy everything again = costly) but quickly moves on to practical lists of supplements to consider, and changes to make in your own life. She does back up a lot of her advice and cites studies to read if you're the type to follow up. She also talks about hormones and endocrine disruption which could be the basis of most people's struggles. There are a few supplements that she debunks like royal jelly (thank goodness I was highly suspicious of that idea) and some that she advocates although with caution and with helpful detail about what to look for (not all supplements are made well). Some people may not find that she has uncovered many fresh facts here but what she has done is articulate and simplify the research for us as well as weigh it up against other studies she has decided are relevant. I particularly appreciate her findings around DHEA and COQ10 which has helped me decide whether to discontinue or start using them and other supplements. Definitely worth a read particularly if you're considering IVF.

This book is so useful!! When you discover you have infertility complications, if you're anything like me, you go on a Google rampage looking up anything and everything that's supposed to help. Unfortunately it's very hard to weed out the rumours and old wives tales from the proven aids and so I found myself rattling like a maraca having taken up about 15 different vitamins/supplements. After my second unsuccessful IVF I was recommended this book by my acupuncturist and I wish I'd had it sooner. It's based on thorough academic research and gives clear, simple outlines of the various supplements etc which will make a difference - both positive and negative (I was horrified to learn some of the things natural food shops had suggested for me might actually be making things worse). It also provides ideas for lifestyle adjustments, such as switching household products which can be affecting your fertility, and diet recommendations (though you'd probably want a separate book for that, there are plenty available with recipe ideas for fertility-friendly meals). I'd only been making changes for about a month or 6wks when I fell pregnant naturally - I don't for a minute think this is entirely down to the book, I'm sure my recent IVF cycle and a big massive dollop of luck helped considerably, but I do believe this made a difference and I'm trying to continue with some of her suggestions throughout the pregnancy. Plus it made me feel I was doing something pro-active to help things along by trying some of the lifestyle changes like swapping toiletry brands etc. Overall, an easy read which has many valuable ideas.

A brilliant book and probably the best on this subject. I can't stress enough how important this book was for me and my wife. We both went through some emotional trauma after 2 miscarriages and failed IVF cycles. This book was very well reasearched, informative and descriptive on how to improve the egg quality. Living in Australia not all of the drugs are available or recommended by GPs but you can make your own decisions and do what you can do. We made a lot of lifestyles changes after reading this. Thank you.

Great book

A must read if you’re trying to conceive!

不妊治療中でYouTubeで著者のインタビューを見て、そこに書かれていたコメントを読んで即この本を購入しました。 どんなビタミンをどれだけ摂るべきか、検査結果でどの数値を注視するべきか等、あまりネット上にはない情報が多く大変参考になりました。 著者の主張はこうです。 妊娠できるかどうかは卵子の質にかかっていて、それは正しいサプリメントを取ることによって向上させることができる。「卵子の質は年齢で決まってしまうので、卵子の質を向上させることは出来ない」というのは誤り。 そのほか勉強になったのは、 卵子には精子のdnaの損傷を修正する力があるが、これは若い女性の質の良い卵子にしかできない。だから、精子の質を上げる必要がある。 受精は以外と起こっている。着床を持続させることの方が難しい。 著者は研究者ですが、医者ではなく不妊治療の専門家でもありません。自身の不妊治療のため医学書などを読み撤退的にリサーチして完成された本なので、患者目線で知りたいこと、知っておくべきことが書かれています。