The Fastest Way To Get Pregnant Naturally,
Reviewer: A reader from CA, United States

   When we decided it was time to get pregnant, I wanted to understand what was happening to my body - so I went book hunting. I was impressed that he wrote this book for his wife - an average, healthy woman who just wanted to understand what she needed to do to prepare for a healthy pregnancy. I also appreciated that he was writing for women who did not have any known fertility issues. Most books I looked at were designed for couples have trouble conceiving. This booked reviewed the basic biology, concerns about contraception, exercise, nutrition, common misconceptions and possible fertility concern. I found the chapter on how to monitor my fertility to the most helpful! I've loaned it to two friends who also agree it's the best book on conceiving they have seen.

I owe my pregnancy to this book!
Reviewer: libsterama99 from Tiburon, CA USA

  I never write book reviews, but I owe the birth of my daughter to the advice given by this book! After 6 years of no contraception, my husband and I finally decided that we were going to REALLY TRY to have a child, so I bought this book, as a starting point to figure out what we--both over 35-- needed to do to get pregnant. In our case, the changes in lifestyle recommended in the book were all we needed; I got pregnant 3 months after putting its advice into practice. This is the perfect book to start with if you want to create a lifestyle that gives you the best chance for getting pregnant, without starting with the infertility drugs. Note that the medical options are also discussed in the book, as well as how much time is reasonable for trying to get pregnant "naturally." Good Luck!

Excellent, excellent, excellent
Reviewer: KJ Wagner from St. Louis, MO

  I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent, college-educated woman with a pretty darn firm grasp on How Babies Are Made, so when my husband and I decided to start a family, I thought it would be as easy as tossing the birth control pills aside and Let The Fun Begin! After almost a year with NO baby, followed by a miscarriage, I was starting to question my fertility. (After all, how hard can this be?) I went to the OBGYN, who immediately recommended Clomid and sex on the 14th day of my "cycle." I wasn't comfortable with the fertility pill concept, and saw a recommendation for this book instead. So, I picked it up.

  WOW! Why don't they teach THIS in Sex Ed?? I wish I'd known this stuff when I was 13! I sure knew the mechanics of sex, alright, but not the mechanics of my own body. I was amazed at what I didn't know; while I had observed the various signs that are talked about, I didn't have the slightest clue what they meant. They never worried me, but they never gave me any insight, either. I started charting, figured out what day of the cycle I REALLY ovulated, and on the third try -SURPRISE!- we were pregnant! While the OB said to try on day 14, we REALLY needed to try on day 19. Sperm only live for 5 days max, so we would have missed our window of opportunity every time. :(

  I have recommended this book to complete strangers whose friends were "trying to get pregnant," and lent it to my best friend when she mentioned going off the pill. She's due in December!

  Now that my cycle is back, I've reclaimed the book back again to avoid another baby until we're ready. We're still breastfeeding, and using this as a birth control method doesn't come with the risk of drying up my milk supply. (I know, Micronor (mini-pill) is breastfeeding-friendly, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet.)

  I am SO pleased with this book and the knowledge I gained from it; I can't believe I didn't know all this before my mid-twenties!

Every Woman, RE, and OBGYN Should Read This Book
Reviewer: A reader from Chicago, Illinois

   What a fabulous book! I have read (no, memorized) the second and third editions and become pregnant twice while following Shannon's advice. I've never written a review before, but I am so impressed by this book I have to take the time. Unlike other books I've read of the same genre, there is so much information packed into this little book that I find something new with every re-read. There is good information for young women struggling with PMS, or trying to generally improve their health or get pregnant. There is good information for women who are pregnant or nursing (indeed I wish I'd had this book when I was doing both). There is good information for women struggling with infertility or miscarriages or age-related infertility. There is good information for menopausal women. And there's even good information about the vitamins and minerals that can enhance your husband's fertility.

  The initial section on general nutrition is a great guide to healthy eating with valuable tips about shopping and preparation. (I found Shannon's information about essential fatty acids particularly helpful.) The subsequent chapters hold invaluable information about the role that different vitamins (like B6, folic acid) and minerals (like magnesium and selenium) play in regulating and enhancing a woman's cycle and her fertility (including topics like controlling PMS and handling menopause). Table V, on recommended supplements, has become my personal "bible" for vitamin supplementation - something I never "believed in" before reading this book. As Shannon suggests in chapter 15, I hired a local (Chicago-area) nutritionist to help me with supplements. She read Shannon's book for the first time at my request and confirmed my opinion that this book is excellent. For example, not only does Shannon list recommended daily amounts for vitamins and minerals in her Table V, but she also tells you in a separate column what the latest research shows about toxicity, i.e., at what amount this vitamin or mineral may become harmful.

  As a trained lawyer, I appreciate knowing where facts and figures come from, and Shannon provides that in spades in her many footnotes. She is clearly experienced and knowledgeable and she conveys her information well. She's both done her research, and shared her sources with her reader. A special note for women like me struggling with age-related infertility: this book is a great place to start. Shannon herself had a healthy baby at age 47 (almost 48) without using fertility drugs (see the "about the author" section). And she gives examples in her book where her nutritional strategy has helped other older moms to conceive. The rest of my personal story is that I unfortunately miscarried both times I became pregnant recently, but at 39 I'm still hoping for another child, and am following Shannon's advice as carefully as I can, while also trying clomid under an RE's supervision.

 Women owe the Catholic Church and the Couple to Couple league, of which Shannon is a part, a great debt of thanks for fostering an environment where this kind of information is gathered, and for motivating Shannon to set it all down in such a readable fashion. (It goes without saying that we need to thank Shannon, too.) Hands down, this is the best book around on the link between fertility and nutrition.

It Works!!
Reviewer: Rebecca from Mi

   My husband and I tried to have children for over three years. I got this book in a desperate attempt to avoid unnatural fertility assistance. I followed the diet and within three months I was pregnant. I recommend this book to anyone dealing with infertility!! I don't require any more citations or back up research to believe it works. I've got a beautiful daughter to back up the five star rating I'm giving it.