Infertility Book Reviews, 1999

Books Pertaining to Infertility  

Rating

Book

Comments

****1/2

The Couples Guide To Fertility

by Gary Berger, M.D., Marc Goldstein, M.D., New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1995

$16.95

• Nice basic overview.

• Up-to-date board certified Reproductive Endocrinologist listing.

• How-to-pick-your-physician section is very good.

• Insurance issues discussed.

• Lots of questions listed in “Ask the Doctor”.

• Good glossary.

• Male-factor section already outdated.

****1/2

How to Be a Successful Fertility Patient

by Peggy Robin, New York: Adler & Robin Books, 1993.

$15.00

• “Tips” sections are helpful.

• Insurance questions are excellent.

• Good ART discussion.

• Ethics section interesting.

• Interesting discussion on non-traditional parenting.

• Good glossary and suggested reading list.

• Male factor treatment section outdated.

****

Getting Pregnant: What Couples Need to Know Right Now

by Niels H. Lauersen, M.D., Ph.D. and Colette Bouchez, New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.

$12.95

• Written by a Reproductive Endocrinologist.

• Catchy chapter titles with some amusing stories.

• Extensive discussion about the workplace and infertility although not all information is accurate (ignores contradictory scientific reviews).

• Discusses the significance of stress.

• Preconception quiz was a good idea.

• Medication-induced birth defects very incomplete.

• Good section on checking the qualifications of your physician.

• Expert list very incomplete with few private-practice centers listed.

• Excellent index.

****

In Vitro Fertilization: The A.R.T. of Making Babies

by Geoggey Sher, M.D., New York: Facts On File, 1995.

$22.95

• Written by Reproductive Endocrinologist

• Well written

• Anatomy & physiology section is easy to follow.

• Discussion relevant and reasonable but statistics outdated.

• Male ART treatments not covered well.

• Strong Glossary

• Would like to have seen more diagrams and pictures.

• “How to find the right IVF program” section very good.

***1/2

A Woman Doctor’s Guide to Infertility

by Susan Treiser, M.D., Ph.D. and Robin Levinson, New York: Hyperion, 1994.

$9.95

• Biased title: assumes only a female physician is able to provide the published information.

• Written by a Reproductive Endocrinologist.

• Excellent “Buyer Beware” section includes infertility advertising and how to find a skilled physician.

• Good discussion of financial aspects.

• Outdated technology discussion.

• Emphasis on temp. graphs (inaccurate).

• Assumes males must see Urologists (inaccurate).

***1/2

Getting Pregnant: When you Thought You Couldn’t

by Helane Rosenberg, Ph.D. and Yakov Estein, Ph.D., New York: Warner Books, 1993.

$13.99

• Good how-to-choose-your-doctor section.

• Easy to read graphic examples.

• Interactive format interesting but demanding.

• Psychological questions very good.

• Not written by physicians and clinical questions minimally discussed.

• Very outdated IVF clinic listing (1988 data).

• Excellent glossary.

***

Not Yet Pregnant: Infertile Couples in Contemporary America

by Larry Greil, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1991.

$12.95

• Written by a Sociology Professor.

• Very unusual perspectives include social structures, historical perspective, the view of infertility between different societies, gender-specific infertility reflections and relationship tensions.

• Good reference list.

• Perspective interesting for psychological impact, but basic information is generally lacking.

***

The Long-Awaited Stork: A Guide to Parenting After Infertility

by Sarasohn Glazer, New York: Lexington Books

$12.95

• Only Part II on infertility.

• Good adoption and surrogacy sections.

• Only one child following fertility treatment success a unique chapter.

• Good adoption resources.

**1/2

Overcoming Infertility: 12 Couples Share Their Success Stories

by Herbert Goldfarb, M.D., New York: John Wile & Sons, Inc., 1995.

$14.95

• Not a Reproductive Endocrinologist but renowned for his surgical techniques. Some of the inaccurate information reflects his training background.

• Interesting format of presenting a case and then discussing the medicine behind the difficulties.  This format may be a little intense for some.

• A surgical perspective and inclination.

• Discussion of the successful cases may leave the reader with a false sense of security.

• Good glossary and references.

**1/2

Having Your Baby by Donor Insemination: A Complete Resource Guide

by Elizabeth Noble, Boston: Howton Mifflin Company, 1987.

$15.95

•  Interesting discussion on ethical questions and moral dilemmas.

• Legislation section is very outdated.

• Good section regarding who to tell about the procedure.

• Extensive bibliography.

• Personal opinions abound (can be misleading).

• Only one donor bank discussed in detail.

• A narrow field of discussion.

**

In Search of Motherhood

by Barbara Shulgold & Lynne Sipiora, New York: Dell Publishing, 1992.

$11.95

• Not for medical information

• Personal accounts touching and may be helpful to those who are seeking emotional support.

*1/2

Getting Pregnant!

By Melvin Frisch, M.D. and Gayle Rapoport, New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 1987.

$15.50

• Interesting Q&A format.

• Good glossary.

• Very outdated.

*

How to Get Pregnant

by Sherman J. Silber, M.D., New York: Warner Books, 1981.

$13.99

• Written by a Urologist, not a Reproductive Endocrinologist.

• Outdated with incorrect terminology.

• Contraception section is a filler.

*

Overcoming Infertility Naturally: The Relationship Between Nutrition, Emotions & Reproduction

by Karen Bradstreet, Pleasant Grove, Utah: Woodland Books, 1993.

$9.95

• Does not use the scientific method of analysis and contains some very misleading information.

• Discusses Vitamin deficiencies rarely seen in North America.

• Drug listing of adverse effects outdated and uninformative.

• Great title but incomplete text.

*

How To Choose The Sex Of Your Baby

by Landrum Shettles, M.D., Ph.D., David Rorvik, New York: Doubleday, 1989.

$12.95

• Written by OB/GYN, not a Reproductive Endocrinologist.

• Actually published in the 1960’s.

• Perpetuation of myths.

• Very outdated and inaccurate, without balanced discussion on contradictory evidence.

 ½

The Complete Guide to Fertility & Family Planning

by Sarah Freeman, Ph.D. & Vern L. Bullough, Ph.D., New York: Prometheus Books, 1993

$15.95

• Interesting historical section.

• Not written by Reproductive Endocrinologists.  Inaccurate with some perpetuation of myths.

• Exceedingly outdated ART statistics.

• No glossary.