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

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.

I enjoyed reading this book and found it very helpful. I agree with the other reviews I read that say you have to step away from it at times because it can feel like you need to live in a protective bubble in order to get pregnant but overall a very helpful book. I added some of the supplements to my diet as well as reducing plastics/exposure to BPA by switching to glass food storage containers. If anything it makes you more aware of what you should and should not be doing based on your issues and even if you don't follow it perfectly, it is helpful to have in the back of your mind. I am 31 and have PCOS and I liked that the book recommended certain things for certain problems or different ages. You can read SO MUCH conflicting information on the subject of fertility/infertility and it is reassuring to know that all the info in this book is based on research and you can trust it. Too early to tell if it worked for me but I recommend it to my friends who are struggling to get pregnant due to various factors.

Tells you what vitamins and medicines to take if you are struggling to get pregnant or are about to start the ivf journey, would recommend.

Truly amazing book. I was struggling to conceive at 39. Within 3months of reading this book and actioning the recommendations, I was pregnant and went on to have a healthy baby boy. At 42, we started trying again, immediately rereading and acting on the recommendations again and within 6 months, I am now pregnant again. Given the odds of conceiving in a year at my age are something like 30% and that we struggled before, I think this is incredible. The book is scientific- not just opinion and waffle - and so I really felt I could trust it and it was worth giving it my all…

This book has given me real hope in a time of darkness, sadness and despair where none of the doctors would offer me any real insight into the miscarriages I was suffering. It has also allowed me some control in a situation where I have felt so out of control. I have eagerly awaited the second edition as soon as I saw it was due to be released in feb 2019 and it has not disappointed. I have read it thoroughly in two days and have added the additional advice from up to date research to mine and my husbands plan some of which is scientific evidence as recent as 2019. This is the healthiest I have been in my whole life and I am hoping and praying that the changes I have been inputting will make the difference I need for me to be able to give my son a sibling. I will forever be grateful to the author Rebecca who I note has graciously replied to each email I have sent her. I highly recommend both books particularly the second as it has more up to date research and detail re questions you may have had from reading the first book. I hope to update my review when my son has a brother or sister and say that all this hard work has worked. Update - September 2020, I now have a Ten month old beautiful healthy boy Who we conceived just as planned three Months after we started implementing all of the recommendations. Forever grateful to Rebecca Fett

Great layout for reading making it easy yet educational. Lots of good information for egg quality. Focuses on purposes for IVF but can totally be applied to all women in their fertility journey or learning more about what impacts egg health on a health journey or just learning about the reproductive system. Goes into more depth about sperm health than I’ve been able to find anywhere else.

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.

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。

Very informative and I have learned alot before I start on my ivf