It Starts with the Egg: How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF Paperback – March 25, 2014

I read this whole book in one day and I haven’t done anything like that in about 15 years lol. I’m in my 30s and I was diagnosed with a diminished ovarian reserve last year. I have never been pregnant. I was told that my odds were very low. My first egg retrieval my doctor got double the eggs she was expecting (which was still under 10, 10 is the least amount ideal for IVF) but all embryos were abnormal. 2nd retrieval, same amount of eggs and 2 normal embryos. Now this wasn’t because of the book...I believe that happened due to Coq10 my husband and I were taking, which I later found the book mentions highly. Unfortunately my first transfer last week was a fail. Now to the book. I just finished reading. I honestly wish I read this years ago. With all the knowledge I learned about IVF but now reading this book, I believe this could have gotten me pregnant naturally years ago. This book has amazing information, easy to understand, and case studies to back it up. My plan is to give my body a break from almost a year of IVF and try naturally based on suggestions of this book. If it doesn’t work in 6 months, I believe my body will at least be fully ready to accept my next IVF transfer.My take aways from this book are: If you are trying to convince naturally and would never consider IVF down the line, understand this book mentions IVF ALOT so go into it knowing that. For me that’s great since I went through it and there’s a possibility I may have to again. I understood all the terminology and it made sense. However based on the reviews, this book is still extremely helpful for natural pregnancy which is my new goal and focus now anyway. It looks like most of the reviews were a result of a natural pregnancy.The book only has one chapter for male issues so if you are looking for more context, this book doesn’t give it. But that should be expected, the purpose of the book is to concentrate on the egg not sperm.I suggest do your own research on acupuncture which is supposed to be very helpful. They touched on it very briefly, not a lot of context, but maybe because acupuncture helps other fertility factors and not necessarily the egg.Don’t put too much weight on getting rid of every toxic item you have. If you did that you would have nothing left. Also, you don’t have to change every single thing you eat. The book clearly states that’s not practical, but the idea is to switch out as many toxic items/foods as you possibly can for safer alternatives.I truly believe this book will work and I will be sure to update this review hopefully with good news by year end!

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.

These book helped me understand the science of conception and miscarriage. After several miscarriages (including a late miscarriage), I was desperate to do anything I could to increase my chances of a healthy pregnancy after most healthcare professionals told me it was a combo of my age (mid/late 30s) and bad luck. I learned Vitamin D deficiency is correlated to miscarriage risk, and I learned about other supplements that lead to healthier eggs. I am now in the 2nd trimester of what appears to be a healthy pregnancy. I am so thankful for the knowledge I gained from this book. It was time and money well spent. Very relevant for those not going through IVF.

A family member had ongoing fertility issues. This was very upsetting for all of us. I ran into a very nice nurse with her toddler in a grocery store. I was glad I started talking to her because she was very knowledgeable. It's a very complicated subject with lots of steps to take on the infertility journey. This lays out what steps are available and goes into detail about what is involved. I read a lot of it too and thought it was very easy to understand and also reassuring to parents dealing with this issue.