Taking Charge Of Your Fertility: 20th Anniversary Edition (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

I bought this book after stopping the birth control pill. I had been on the pill for 10 years (15-25). I had headaches, sexual dysfunction (vaginal dryness and pain with intercourse), and wicked anxiety. I internalized all these ailments as part of me. Little did I know that the pill was causing all my problems.After trying practically all the low dose pills on the market and having horrific cystic acne with Mirena, my OB suggested I try getting off the pill to see if my headaches went away. I didn’t even mention my sexual dysfunction and anxiety out of shame.So I got off the pill but needed some guidance. I hadn’t had a period in a looooooong time due to the pills. Okay I had periods sometimes but they were more like spotting. But still, I was lacking in knowledge about how to naturally control birth and naturally manage periods. I scoured the interwebs and found this book. Wow. Damn.I didn’t know how body illiterate I was. This book empowered me as a woman. I now understand my body and feel comfortable with it. Something I never felt before.When I quit the pill, all my lovely, luscious cervical fluids came flowing back to life-replenishing the desert that my vagina had become on the pill. TCOYF helped me understand these fluids and their purpose. I know use these fluids as indicators for when I need to be very careful about sex. I also better understood what was happening in my body while I was on the pill. Let me tell ya, it ain’t good.This book also pointed me to Chinese medicine to help with menstrual problems like cramping and other PMS symptoms. Acupuncture literally cured the nightmare cramps I was having while on my period. Not to mention helped clear up my acne.Also, this book has great sex tips!This is a long review. If you’ve made it this far, I hope you buy this book. It’s the Bible for women.

I struggled with what I thought was infertility after 10 months of unsuccessfully trying to conceive. I thought I was doing everything right, from tracking my period cycles to testing my ovulation every month. As a last resort before beginning IVF, I ordered this book (the positive reviews helped too). As it turns out, I was only aware of a small fraction of what our bodies go through month to month- and what I was doing wrong. This book taught me everything I need to know about my body and my ovulation cycles, from BBT charting to taking complete charge of my fertility. As I write this review, I am 23 weeks along expecting our first child in March. I couldn’t have done it without this book. The information in this book put me in serious tune with my own body and gave me all of the knowledge that you can’t find from doctors or Google. Ladies, you are NOT infertile- you are just unknowledgeable! I really can’t speak highly enough about it and would absolutely recommend it to all women, especially those who are trying to take complete control of their bodies to conceive.

Being a pharmacist I see patients who are having difficulty getting pregnant way more often than you might think. Past the OTC fertility tests while knowing they have their limitations I wasn't sure what else to recommend. Fast forward 3 years after graduating, my husband and I are talking about having kids.I personally am a planner, to-do list maker, habitual calendar logger, type A personality, etc. and I found this book to be a huge dose of relief. For us Type A people.... we don't like the unknown or the we'll wait and see what happens crap. We want to know where we're at, what's wrong, the next steps to fix it, and ultimately the solution. This book give you ALL OF IT in terms of your cycle, ovulation, ovarian cysts, PCOS, endometriosis... EVERYTHING.I personally take comfort in knowing as long as I track my waking temperatures and cervical fluid with some other everyday observational baselines that I will be able to get pregnant. Also, if we don't get pregnant the book gives some solutions to try and fix everything BEFORE you even head to the doctor for necessary or unnecessary testing because you already know why you're not getting pregnant!!!!Because I like to control situations and this book has educated me to take control of getting pregnant systematically and coming up with solutions to problems before the one year mark of possible infertility. It takes the suspense out of not getting pregnant after a few months so you don't get stressed out.I highly recommend it to women even not looking to get pregnant because there is vital information about your body that even I didn't learn going to school as a pharmacist. I have already recommended it to a few friends who have abnormal cycles, are trying to get pregnant with baby #2, and some patients who in passing have asked for OTC ovulation kit recommendations.AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING BOOK!!!

I absolutely love this book! Im 28 years old and i wanted to find a more natural form of birth control. I was amazed at what i read! Every woman should know exactly how their bodies work and this book def opened my eyes. I only wish i knew this sooner, i never would have gotten on the pill. I have the revised 20th anniversary edition, and i am always referring to it when i have a question about my cycle. I also find that charting both bbt and cervical fluid works better than any ovulation app or period tracker. I have an app as well and it's not as exact as my chart. Taking my bbt everyday is no longer a hassle but just part of my daily routine. Since i am not ttc, i charted for several months before i felt comfortable relying on this method. It took some convincing to get my hubby on board! I def recommend reading from cover to cover, don't skip around or you will miss important details. This book has really given me a confidence in how my body works that i didn't have before. I don't have to question if i could possibly be pregnant or wonder where my period is, i can tell with my chart. I feel empowered going to my gyno because i know what's going on with me. Its also a very helpful tool for your gyno so they can better pinpoint if there is an issue with ttc or another reproductive problem. Saves time and tests!