Fertility reading list

[ohnonotanother1]

I'm ttc no2 and failing miserably. I think I need a diet and lifestyle overhaul in the name of increasing my fertility.

Have any of you had any success with any Zita west books, taking charge of your fertility or similar? Going on hols in a couple of weeks so hoping to read up and throw everything at the cause when we get back. Thanks!

Honestly I'm not sure how much I believe in diet changes impact fertility (coming from me, 4 years and a round of IVF later) but that said I did buy the Chinese medicine one? I think it's called how to get pregnant

I read the zita west ivf book which was very good and talks a lot about diet I didn't get the specific diet one though.

I've also heard good things about it starts with the egg but didn't read it myself.

Taking charge of your fertility by Toni Wechsler is a good one.

Thanks everyone.

Blue - tbh I pretty much agree with you but there's no doubt my general diet and lifestyle needs a thorough overhaul for various other reasons (never lost the baby weight from no1, feel and look like shit, no energy etc) so thought I might have a bit of a read and try to improve my diet overall. Did the Chinese herbs work or did you still progress to ivf?

I didn't do the herbs but tried to make the lifestyle changes (honestly it didn't last too long but I can see it would have made me overall healthier) i seriously doubt it would have worked for us though, we needed the IVF but if you have one via natural conception it can't hurt to make healthy lifestyle changes. I did but DH on fertilaid vitamins (we had sperm issues) and that definitely helped

I really need to check out vitamins for us both, will look at fertilaid. Thank you!

Hi, hope you don't mind me jumping on but I became pregnant naturally after being told I had no chance and 3 failed ivfs. I took high strength vitD plus royal jelly and a few other things. I also cut out a lot of sugar, basically white wine etc. I did this to start a donor egg cycle and I fell pregnant naturally. I can't guarantee that it will work for you but there is never any harm in getting healthy! Good luck!!!!

Oh I also took coenzyme 10 which is supposed to help

Thanks both - I'm at the point of throwing everything at it for the rest of the year before looking into proper investigations so anything is worth a shot.

How do you both find out what dosage was best?

Hi ohno. Throwing in my tuppence for what it's worth...I'm a big believer in diet and lifestyle changes after falling pregnant naturally a few months after failed ivf (unless the Ivf helped in a way!). I do think it helps to have some kind of diagnosis beforehand though if that's feasible without going through lots of investigations. For example a pelvic scan might show if you have endometriosis or pcos, in which case you can tailor the lifestyle changes towards that.

I found the following books helpful:
Woman code by Alisa Vitti
Total fertility and the baby making bible by Emma Cannon
Endometriosis: A key to healing through nutrition by Dian Shepperson Mills
The impatient woman's guide to getting pregnant by Jean Twenge

I also found it good to persist with some changes (e.g. I found quick and increasing changes from ditching gluten so stuck with that over more than six months) but also mixing it up and going with your gut (I was experimenting with eating shed loads of protein the month I got pregnant).

Good luck with it and I hope you figure out a lifestyle that you can also enjoy.

Ps worth getting a clear blue ovulation monitor too if you haven't already, just to make sure you are not completely missing your fertile window!

I read "it starts with the egg" it's hardcore advice so I only followed the coenzyme advice!

I also second coenzyme 10 ubiquinol. High dose vitD, recommended dose coenzyme. I also took dhea but I am not sure how much it worked.