Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health Paperback – October 31, 2006

I swore I would never use anything that resembled Natural Family Planning-- until I read this. I was intrigued after a suggestion from a friend (who is also a nurse) as I knew I would prefer to not be on hormonal birth control. I was on the pill for years and then decided to give it up for a year when I was between relationships. Then I met my now-husband and I went back on the pill. The first 3 months of being back on the pill were awful. I didn't realize how much it affected me until I was off of it and then back on it. To be honest, I never would have known how it affected me unless I had taken that year off. Having been back on the pill for about two years, I have been anxious to get off of it again, but like I stated, I had zero desire to chart and I had zero openness to the notion of Fertility Awareness Method (FAM). But my friend asked me to simply consider it.I ordered the book, thinking that reading it wouldn't hurt and I could always stay on the pill. When it arrived, I was kinda startled by its length, but once I got knee-deep into it, I realized how all these bits of information and anecdotes fit together to make the reader very comfortable with the idea of FAM. Once I was about 7 chapters in, and on the last 7 pills of a birth control pack, my husband and I decided that these would be the last birth control pills I'd take and we'd be open to the notion of getting pregnant. I started charting to see if this is something I can handle and work into my life, and I downloaded an app on my phone to do so- which is incredibly helpful. The plus side for our situation is that I don't have to worry if I'm charting things perfectly for contraceptive purposes; I'm simply charting to tell if I'm in a fertile period or possibly pregnant. With coming off the pill, I have no idea what my cycles will really be like, as they were pretty irregular without the pill. That always freaked me out before, but after reading this, I am more than ok with that. This book has taught me how to pick up on cues from my body, determine if I'm having an irregular cycle, tell if I'm pregnant, and when would be a possible time to get pregnant. Things I dismissed as nuisances about my body before are now pieces to the puzzle and anything but a nuisance. Also, the biggest plus is how my husband is involved with the whole thing. I have always been squeamish about discussing anything in this realm with other people, but once I started reading this and once we decided to be open to pregnancy, I can't imagine a better thing for our relationship. It definitely feels like "we" are trying to get pregnant as opposed to "I" am trying to get pregnant.If you have even the tiniest or slightest interest in not using hormonal contraceptives, for whatever reason, I suggest reading this book.If you are a curious person who wants to be in the know with when you might be pregnant, I suggest reading this book.If you've been on birth control for most of your adult life and are freaked out about getting pregnant when you don't want to or if you're freaked out about trying to get pregnant once you get off birth control, I suggest reading this book.If you believe you and your partner need to use artificial methods for getting pregnant and are staring down huge costs for doing so, I suggest reading this book before going down that road. You never know- the answer might be simpler than you thought.All my best to all of you our there trying to get knocked up and to those of you trying to not get knocked up. :)

I feel compelled to write a review of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" because this book has really helped me. It was recommended by a friend who had some problems conceiving. First, I have to say that I bought this book on November 16, I immediately started reading it and charting my fertiliy signs using the charts provided in the book (which is incredibly easy and quick to do, and kind of fun, too), and by DECEMBER 13 I had a positive pregnancy test and now am about 8 weeks along! Not kidding!! I can't really give this book full credit for getting me pregnant, because it really was due to me and my husband taking the information we learned and applying it. But what this awesome book did was give me a wealth of information about how to interpret what was going on with my cycle and my body and gave me more confidence in my ability to conceive. The other thing I love about it is that it gave me a sense of control over something that most women often feel very little control over, especially those having trouble conceiving. This book made me realize that I know more about my own body than any doctor ever will, and it was very powerful for me to realize that I already have the tools for understanding what is going on with my cycle already naturally built in. I honestly thought that it would take much longer to conceive based on several factors, one of which was my irregular cycle (I had been charting just my periods and ovulation predictor sticks for 6 months prior to reading the book), but by applying what I learned from the book, I discovered that I ovulate almost a week AFTER the "traditional" Day 14 that most literature (and even my doctor) tells you. The information I learned about charting basal body temperature is what led me to take a pregnancy test when my temperature stayed elevated when it should have gone down, and I found out about my pregnancy at just 4 weeks along. I was also able to know exactly when I conceived and that my due date is actually one week earlier than the due date determined by the standard 40-week pregnancy wheel that my doctor used (this was confirmed when I had a dating ultrasound!). I cannot say enough good things about this book. It is also not just for trying to get pregnant, it can also be used for avoiding pregnancy naturally, and also covers womens health topics for all ages, including menopause. I am 34 years old and am amazed at what little I really knew about my fertility and monthly cycle prior to this. Before I bought the book, I had friends recommending that I buy things like a $200 fertility monitor, but I am so glad that I waited and decided to really educate myself first. That made all the difference and I believe it saved me a LOT of time and money. If you are having trouble conceiving or understanding your cycle, or even if you are starting out with trying to have a baby, I would highly recommend this book.