I get asked a lot about fertility focused books and recommendations. The reality is, there is a LOT of stuff out there and it is really easy to get overwhelmed. As someone who likes information but also tends to run anxious when exposed to too much of it, I’ve learned to find a happy medium and trust my own limits. In the end, I’ve found its important to educate myself but also trust that I know how to determine what is best and most appropriate when it comes to healing MY body.
Over the past few years, I focused my reading selections on books that were more all encompassing and healing focused. If you have a specific diagnosis, there are definitely additional options and resources out there that may be worth exploring (for example, there are a lot of great dietitians who focus solely on PCOS).
I hope you find these selections to be helpful!
Awakening Fertility
My favorite book of all – I genuinely think that every woman thinking about pregnancy should read it! It is designed for every stage of pre-conception. Written by a Chinese medicine practitioner, Awakening Fertility approaches fertility holistically and focuses on incorporating ancient wisdom from a plethora of cultures, healers and practitioners. The biggest gift this book gave me was helping me understand and shift my mindset, thought processes and beliefs about my body and pregnancy. I journaled and worked through some really tough questions and by the time I finished I felt more at peace, empowered and encouraged. I personally didn’t cook many of the recipes but I love that the book included them!
It Starts With The Egg
If data, numbers and studies are more your thing, then this book is for you. It is essentially a synthesis of the most updated scientific literature about egg quality, fertility and conception. Fett synthesizes a lot of nitty gritty data in a way that is palatable and provides a guiding framework for improving egg equality and fertility based on what she is constantly learning. I loved that this book offers practical solutions with actionable advice. There is even a section for partners! She also breaks down her recommendations by specific issue / struggles / diagnoses so its not overly generic.
The Egg Quality Diet
If you’re really wanting to dive in and take egg quality to the next level, this is the book for you. Raupp is a doctor of Chinese medicine and acupuncture and has an entire practice helping women who struggle to get pregnant… get pregnant. Her approach is largely nutrition based and focuses on reducing inflammation in the body. Her original book, Yes You Can Get Pregnant, is less specific so I did not end up reading it but it is also worth looking into! What I appreciate most about Raupp is that she is keenly aware of the mental blocks we put up, both about fertility and making significant lifestyle changes. The book is really thoughtful in that regard. While I did not follow her elimination protocol I took a more additive approach and incorporated a lot of her principles and recipes into my life pre-retrieval.
Body Belief
In that same light, if you are struggling with a lot of anger, resentment and sadness about your situation and your body, especially in regards to fertility, Raupp also wrote a book that helps dismantle those beliefs. It focuses on auto-immune issues, but at its core I found it to be much more inclusive. I love that this isn’t just about food – it is a physical, emotional, spiritual and nutritional approach to healing that I think is missing in a lot of traditional medical approaches to fertility and health.
Real Food For Pregnancy
This is THE book to read prior to or during early pregnancy to help navigate the crazy societal pressures related to pregnancy and food. The reality is, most prenatal nutrition advice is incredibly outdated. Think about how long it takes the government to get anything done – are we really surprised that there hasn’t been significant research, progress or policy updates when it comes to food/nutrition? For women? Methinks not.
Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Educator and conducted pioneering research on gestational diabetes. This book is long and heavy on research (which I loved) but still manages to be accessible. It helped me feel more comfortable and confident in my first months of pregnancy because I already had the knowledge to support myself and my nutritional choices. She debunks a ton of myths and provides guidance, support and data about everything from what we put in our bodies to what we put on our bodies, how we move our bodies and so much more.
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