Karen Stollznow

I found this to be a very interesting book, especially initially. The author recounts her journey with infertility and trying at home remedies as well as medical procedures. This is coupled with information on how some of the problems were thought of and "treated" hundreds of years ago.
I found the author's own story ultimately more compelling than the history. The history of infertility treatments often covers the misconceptions surrounding infertility and how they treated the problems. But, after a few chapters this starts to get old. It feels like more of the same, from doctors thinking the uterus moved around in the body and therefore was the reason a woman could not have children to having a too warm uterus. While these are interesting, it often boiled down to the idea that we didn't understand women's bodies and had all sorts of imaginative theories about why a couple might not have a child, and they were very wrong.
The author also discusses folk remedies and tries them and does research. They seem to work for some people, but didn't for her and her research found that they had mixed results. Some herbal supplements that are supposed to help with fertility may actually promote infertility.

I thought the book was going to talk more about how to deal with infertility in modern society. It talks a little about it, but mainly only in the context of the author's own journey.

In summary, I found the book to be informative and interesting. But, I don't think I would recommend it for someone experiencing infertility unless they wanted to hear someone else's journey or learn more about folk remedies.… (mer)

It takes a lot of courage to put your life on pages for the public and this book has so much of that. I really enjoyed this story. I am currently 23 not sure about having kids due to my mental health status and general feelings of the world being crappy. I recently got diagnosed with PCOS and have been having health issues in regards to it. I have no idea if I am fertile. I don't currently have a partner who could get me pregnant even if they tried. It is nice not worrying about pregnancy scares. My mother has two living children ( I consider miscarriages children) and wanted a third (really she wanted 5) but could not naturally for several reasons and tried a cycle of IVF. I was in my teens giving her injections. I remember not wanting her to risk her life to have more kids when she had me and my sibling already. Were we not enough? Often times I think women or people believe babies will save a relationship not saying that was or wasn't the case but I know a lot of people who have and do it. But i remember her years of sadness over not having more children and still she experiences it. She used to not be able to be around pregnant women o babies two things she loves. She is small framed and due to fibroids or pregnancy has a stomach that sometimes looks like she was expecting. I think its rude to ask someone if they are pregnant because they have a stomach or look fatter. To me her stomach was small but this became another insecurity. I plan on letting my mother know i am sorry she coudn't have more kids tertiary infertility. I may experience the same thing, I might adopt, I might not want kids. I used to want to get pregnant at 25 because of my moms infertility but with the world and sacrifice of kids i think 35 is my deadline. Personally I dont want to be an older parent of a young child and I dont want to try to hard unless i am not with someone who can get me pregnant, and I am not sure I am ready to be a good parent. I am still figuring out life, dont want to raise kids in the statres and so many other things but this book is so important. There is not enough research on infertility and reproductive health. Especially for women, black and people of color, etc.… (mer)

Being as i am a woman that has struggled with infertility, i cringed getting the email that i was selected to receive an early copy of this book. I feel like if you are in the community you have heard it all tried it all and honestly it just hurts to here someone else tell you what you need to do. MAN was this a punch in the face. The way the author writes feels like a friend shaking you awake and for lack of a better way of putting it tells you to get over yourself. listen infertility sucks, its hard, painful, life changing. But we put so much of our worth as women on the ability of having babies and there is so much more we can truly do. The book is truly brilliant and im so glad i read it even with the hurt i still hold in my heart for what feels like missed opportunity. 1 out of 10 women cant conceive if you are one of them, read this book. Blessings and Dust… (mer)