A Few Good Eggs: Two Chicks Dish on Overcoming the Insanity of Infertility

by Julie Vargo, Maureen Regan

Insight and frank, friendly advice on overcoming infertility -- from two women who have lived through it all.

We are bombarded by images of blissful older mothers, such as Madonna and Celine Dion. But 'Hollywood' articles about pregnancy and fertility at middle age gloss over the tremendous amount of financial, emotional, and physical effort faced by couples struggling to conceive.

In this warm, funny, empathetic book, journalist Julie Vargo and literary agent Maureen Regan -- women who have experienced personally almost every aspect of infertility -- give readers a glimpse into what to expect when you're not expecting. Hormones, sperm counts -- nothing is too personal for these two outspoken women!

Ranges from technical to humorous and everything in between. What are good, snappy comebacks to the question, 'Why aren't you pregnant?' What is the difference between gonadotropin releasing hormone and progesterone?' Should you freeze your eggs? These questions and many more are answered, and in the tone of a couple of good friends. Between them, the authors have gone through hormone treatments, miscarriages and multiple insemination's -- so they know firsthand the roller coaster ride of trying to achieve pregnancy.

With wise advice on how to communicate with doctors, husbands, friends, and mothers, this book is an invaluable guide for all women facing infertility.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

416 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2005

Reviews

[Tristy]

Wow. What a horrible book. The tone these two authors take is totally outrageous. Their ongoing "mantra" (as another reviewer said) is that women were duped by feminism, lived their twenties as they wished and are now "paying the price" of infertility. There are helpful facts in this book, but they are buried by these constant snarky comments about "liberated women" how they messed up their lives. I would never "go back and tell my former self to have babies earlier." How ridiculous and unhelpful. There are plenty of good and helpful books about understanding fertility to read out there, and this is not one of them.

[Elizabeth]

This book was very disappointing for me. I think those suffering from infertility, like any medical condition, look for books that either are informative (beyond what can be learned on the internet or from your doctor) or provide a story one can relate to. This book provides neither: it is too fluffy to be medically informative. On the other hand, although the author's strive to provide a comically 'here is my infertility story' book so that you won't feel alone, I frequently felt I could not relate to the writers at all. If anything, I found their tone to be very condescending, or very 'know it all,' as if their experiences were the definitive infertility experience. After lots of unsolicited advice from people who think they can solve my fertility issues, the last thing I need is more of that. I wish they had reached out to more woman and gathered more stories beyond their own, and wrote with a tone of 'perhaps you feel this, but perhaps not.' The best example I can give is that their infertility was age related. Their mantra seemed to be god damn us for letting our careers and fun take over our 30s, we never thought it would be so hard to get pregnant over 35, and thank god for fertility treatments because it was only a matter of time. This has not been my experience and it is actually something I had a very hard time relating to.

That being said, I gave the book more than one star because I did read it all the way through and because there are so few good infertility books out there. So I suppose it is better than nothing.

[Marlo Becton]

So, I can't say that I completely connect with this book since I'm not technically "infertile," but it was very informative of the process of infertility treatments and other issues. In a way, it has kind of stressed me out about not being able to conceive. I truly hope that I do not become like the authors in the sense that they were way too cynical about things. I understand they have gone through a lot of heartache and stress with infertility, but it seemed as though they kind of bashed others who could not necessarily relate to their situation. Yes, you should fight to have a viable pregnancy, but they seemed a little over the top. I guess I may not truly understand or connect with this book unless I have the misfortuned of being labeled "infertile." On a good note, I am far more educated about fertility treatments and the lingo associated with them in case I ever need it.

In other words, it's a good book if you are struggling with infertility that has been ongoing, but a very stressful book if you are just starting your path to conception and starting a family.

[Leigh]

This was one of those books that had some good parts with clear and correct information... And some parts that were a little off. While it provided some good factual information about the basics of infertility and used a lot of humor and much needed sarcasm, they missed the boat on several things. There wasn't much on the truth of the emotions or problems other than "old eggs.". It's hard to read a book that keeps pointing to age as the problem when that isn't often the case. I know many many women who are young and dealing with infertility. I also felt it failed to provide information on any male factor difficulties. Men and women are both involved here and sometimes there are even issues on both ends.

On the up side, I laughed out loud at many things and anecdotes. Humor is a tough thing to come by in the journey through IF, so I appreciated the opportunity to relate and laugh a little bit.

A decent read, but not the only book you should read if you're dealing with IF.

[Erica Speaks]

I read this book in 2008 when trying to get pregnant with the first of my two sons. I'm surprised to read so many reviews here stating that they felt the authors were "blaming" infertility on waiting during your 30s instead of 20s to have a baby. That's just a cultural new norm that has some medical realities to it. The book addressed many other aspects as well, too, so this was hardly the only point the authors had to offer.

It was a very informative, funny, and helpful read. This book helped get me through a very hard time in my life, and I felt the need to say so after reading some of the trashing reviews here on GR.

[Rachel]

I would recommend this book to any woman who is struggling with infertility. It is very informative and gives accurate information about diagnostic and treatment options, and when to see a doctor. It also gives first-hand stories of the pain, embarrasment, and uncertainty some people have to go through when trying to conceive a baby. It helps you feel like you're not alone in this struggle because more people than you realize are going through similar experiences. In fact, it also has some pretty funny stories too. I really liked this book.

[Kory]

This book was awesome. It gives a very in-depth view of all things infertility. What I really liked is that it touched on all aspects of infertility, not just the physical treatments. They talked a lot about how it impacts your health, your weight, your mental health, your marriage etc. It was definitely a helpful book, and was far better than others I have read on the topic. I would highly recommend it to anyone who was looking for information on this subject.

[Fiona]

This book will not cheer you up if you are infertile or if IVF doesn't work for you. It is written as a means to share the emotional journey of becoming parents after a long struggle with infertility.

[A.L. Sowards]

Funny. Written for women that can't get pregnant because they postponed motherhood until their late thirties, forties. Neither of the authors even tried IVF, so not too informative if you are looking for information on ART.

[Amy]

Great book so far...helps me realize I'm not alone in my journey to have a baby!

[April Welsh]

For thoses struggling with infertility issues, this is a great reminder that you are not alone!!!

[Murgdan]

An entertaining and easy read...it was better when I read it the first time, when I was an IF 'newbie'.

[Ashley]

If you have fertility problems read it.

[margotreynolds]

Liked the sense of humor; did not like the personal narratives. The best part is the checklists. Funny and informative, and empowering.

[KC]

I would have given this one a 5 if I'd read it a year ago. It's a good, honest read about the IF journey's ups and downs.

[Lynda]

Look what I bumped into the local author shelf! If only that publication date had been 10 years earlier...

[Karen Wong]

Book is great. Made me laugh, cry and get mad. It reallu gives all views of couples going through thid. I highly recommend to read this book while on your journey.

[Jess Gill]

insightful, honest.