Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Revised Edition): The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health
by Toni Weschler
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Read in November, 2005
recommends it for:
All my female friends
Basically this book is like my second bible. I first saw a copy next to my cousin's bed and was fascinated by the title, dipped in and then ordered my own copy! Toni Weschler is brilliant. This book literally changed my life and I really can't rate it highly enough. In it, Toni explains the sound scientific Fertility Awareness Method which, for a matter of a couple of minutes a day, can give you an understanding of your body that no biology book or visit to the doctors could possible give you. B...more
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
all women!
One of my favorite books. I had NO CLUE how my body worked until I read this book. All that stuff from 'family life' in seventh grade? They never described this. I wish OB-GYNs would offer courses or at least pass this book out to patients because...WOW, it's amazing to learn how my body's fertility works.
I used this book to avoid pregnancy for years. Worked like a champ. The one time I took a calculated risk, I wound up with a baby. (If I hadn't been open to the idea, the calculated ...more
I used this book to avoid pregnancy for years. Worked like a champ. The one time I took a calculated risk, I wound up with a baby. (If I hadn't been open to the idea, the calculated ...more
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Read in March, 2008
Every woman should read this book! Every mother should read certain parts of this book with their daughters entering puberty! There are things about my body I never understood or knew and this simply explains them all! It's a wonderful book! It is originally written and intended for Natural Family Planning (which I wish I had known more about previously, not to stop from having so many kids, but for other reasons), but this book is great for understanding so much about yourself as a woman! I ...more
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Read in March, 2007
This woman is kind of nuts, but about half of the book does contain useful information.
The bad: She spends way way too much time discussing the plight of helpless women who don't understand their bodies at all. As a somewhat-educated woman with a relatively good intellectual and intuitive understanding of my own body, I had to concentrate on not being offended by her perception of our gender's ignorance.
The good: Nevertheless, the method of temperature charting that she demonstrates i...more
The bad: She spends way way too much time discussing the plight of helpless women who don't understand their bodies at all. As a somewhat-educated woman with a relatively good intellectual and intuitive understanding of my own body, I had to concentrate on not being offended by her perception of our gender's ignorance.
The good: Nevertheless, the method of temperature charting that she demonstrates i...more
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Read in September, 1999
recommends it for:
all women
I practically have this book memorized I've read it (or parts of it) so many times. I love a good self help book! If there is a topic I'm interested in - because it's affecting my life, usually negatively - I read a book! Taking Charge of your Fertility was the answer to many prayers - and resulted in our first son (and the next two babies too!). It is so amazing, the way our bodies work to conceive babies, and truly a miracle that it ever happens at all - especially when we all go around tryin...more
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Read in January, 2003
recommends it for:
all women. all of you. and all of you supportive partners.
Toni Weschler's book is more important to me than The Sacred Harp. Anyone who knows me understands the gravity of that statement, I'm sure. I am not interested in going on a crusade to spread the joys of charting your menstrual cycles (though if I had more time I might), but suffice to say, every woman should know the information presented in this book. Understanding and internalizing your three major fertility signs, and seeing how they are affected by other factors such as stress, travel and...more
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Read in January, 2002
recommends it for:
women
This is a must-read for every woman interested in learning more about reproductive health, natural birth control, or pregnancy achievement. I learned SO much by reading this, stuff that no one had ever bothered to tell me before. I now have a more complete understanding of how and why my body works the way it does, and what I can do to help it function better. Originally I read the book researching alternatives to hormonal birth control, due to side effects I was having. Once I switch to FAM all...more
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Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
all women
This book has changed the way I view my body and my reproductive cycles. It's amazing! I read it because I was curious about charting, and now I'm a charting convert. I'm charting to avoid pregnancy, but also to make sure that my body is healthy enough to conceive when I am ready.
The book itself provides enough information without being overwhelming, but I found myself wishing at times that it gave a little more of the biology. I had unanswered questions while reading this book. None of...more
The book itself provides enough information without being overwhelming, but I found myself wishing at times that it gave a little more of the biology. I had unanswered questions while reading this book. None of...more
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recommends it for:
All the Ladies
Don't be turned off by the title of this book; you don't have to feel like you need to take charge of anything, or even be particularly focused on your fertility, to be *amazed* by this book.
I was 31 years old when I read it, and I was in fact trying to TAKE CHARGE of my DAMN FERTILITY! I was trying to get pregnant, and thought this book could do the trick. Well, it did - and then some! I learned more about myself in this book than in any high school anatomy or health class. I couldn't...more
I was 31 years old when I read it, and I was in fact trying to TAKE CHARGE of my DAMN FERTILITY! I was trying to get pregnant, and thought this book could do the trick. Well, it did - and then some! I learned more about myself in this book than in any high school anatomy or health class. I couldn't...more
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Several friends recommended this book to me, and I would in turn recommend it to just about any woman who is interested in understanding her body better, whether or not she's searching for a method of natural birth control. It's very accessible and in no way pushy or preachy. I can't vouch for the sections on pregnancy achievement because I'm not quite ready for that :), but I can agree with the reactions of other reviewers who wish that the information about the reproductive cycle was made re...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
people with vaginae, people who enjoy them, and people who must relate to them
her writing is a little annoying; she lacks discipline, but it's fairly harmless. also, though she attempts to demonstrate objectivity, she definitely puts her pom-poms behind this method of birth control (which, i think she would like me to point out, is not the rhythm method!).
but, literary criticism is probably misplaced, here.... this is an essential, comprehensive, and empowering guide for anyone who wants to understand the gross physiology of being female and/or who wan...more
but, literary criticism is probably misplaced, here.... this is an essential, comprehensive, and empowering guide for anyone who wants to understand the gross physiology of being female and/or who wan...more
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Read in March, 2006
recommends it for:
anyone that hates being on hormones or wants to get pregnant
Thanks to Jennie for this read! It's not a page-turner or anything, but it's an interesting read. There a wealth of information on women and their cycles and how to "take charge" of your life. I think it's come in handy for sure. After all, I self-diagnosed my thyroid issue using this book and charting. I walked into the the doc's office and told her my story and said I thought I had could thyroid issues (knowing I wasn't pregnant). One blood test later and I was in to see the endo...more
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recommends it for:
all women
This book should be required reading for all women. I was shocked how much I didn't know about my own body.
You don't have to be "taking charge" of your fertility - I feel the title puts off women who are not trying to currently reproduce. It's more of a user's manual for your entire reproductive system and it is simply fascinating. It is quite empowering (and much easier than I ever thought) to know exactly when you are ovulating and exactly when your period will be coming. If yo...more
You don't have to be "taking charge" of your fertility - I feel the title puts off women who are not trying to currently reproduce. It's more of a user's manual for your entire reproductive system and it is simply fascinating. It is quite empowering (and much easier than I ever thought) to know exactly when you are ovulating and exactly when your period will be coming. If yo...more
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Read in March, 2007
I had already been charting and knew a fair amount of the general information in the book from research I had done while trying to get pregnant. If I had this book earlier, I would have saved myself a lot of time researching. I learned how to chart more effectively even though I had already been charting. She talks a little bit about what a few variations in charts can indicate. I gained confidence in fertility awareness as a method of birth control, which I am now using. Most importantly, ...more
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
all women
I got this from the library and this book is going to be a great help... It shows you how to keep simple but detailed records of your cycle - your waking temperature and the state of your cervical fluid can help you accurately pinpoint when you are going ovulate.
Obviously, you'd use this data to help you determine when you are fertile - helpful information, depending on your goal...
But tracking these things will tell you other things about your health. The trends can alert you to meno...more
Obviously, you'd use this data to help you determine when you are fertile - helpful information, depending on your goal...
But tracking these things will tell you other things about your health. The trends can alert you to meno...more
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This is such a GREAT reference with so much information. I had already read The Art of Natural Family Planning when I read this, so it was interesting to compare. I liked both for different reasons. This one is a little easier to digest with the writing style, and it is neutral with regard to religion. It also has better pictures and illustrations. I did miss some of the statistics and extra information in the other book, but that's why I wanted them both! Bottom line: I think EVERY woman ...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Women and their significant others
Want to understand your cycle better? This book is for you! Trying to avoid pregnancy with the fire of a thousand suns? This book is for you! Trying to get pregnant and bring your bundle of joy into the world? This book is for you! Unsure of how fertile you actually are? This book is for you!
Since I just started reading it I'm giving it 3 stars for the moment - but my opinion may change later as I continue on.
I would even recommend this to men who want to be more involved in birth cont...more
Since I just started reading it I'm giving it 3 stars for the moment - but my opinion may change later as I continue on.
I would even recommend this to men who want to be more involved in birth cont...more
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Read in July, 1999
recommends it for:
all women
This is an excellent resource for women. I was surprised to learn that fertility and birth control are actually very personally accessible and naturally predictable instead of the highly medical, random and complex issues they had seemed to be. Excellent for either achieving or avoiding pregnancy but even if you don't trust yourself enough to rely on natural birth control exclusively, the practice of charting and knowing what signs to watch for throughout your cycle can be personally enlighten...more
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Read in January, 2000
Totally cool book, and worth reading even if you are not planning to be pregnant any time soo. It should be entitled, "A Woman's Guide to Her Body". It teaches you all kinds of stuff you never knew! How come no one tells us this stuff? It was the coffee table book in my apartment in college (with four single girls living there). We only put it away if we thought the Bishop was coming by. I'm pretty sure we left it out for the home teachers. Man, it's a good book. I buy it and send it t...more
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Well, it's pretty obvious what this book is about. Personally, I think it's a good one, and I give the software that comes with it four stars. It would be five stars, but it is pink and purple, and that diminishes it a bit.
I am an (usually rather quiet-ish) advocate of natural birth control, childbirth, and so on. I really like this book, although it is sometimes a bit overwhelming with the vast amount of information! Definitely a useful guide for any woman who would like to know a bit (or e...more
I am an (usually rather quiet-ish) advocate of natural birth control, childbirth, and so on. I really like this book, although it is sometimes a bit overwhelming with the vast amount of information! Definitely a useful guide for any woman who would like to know a bit (or e...more
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