In my last post, How to Structure a Fertility Support Group, I mentioned that I selected the book Infertility: A Survival Guide for Couples and Those Who Love Them by Cindy Lewis Dake as the text for the support group I founded. Before continuing the support group discussion, I would like to review the book for you.
I considered several texts for the support group, but I settled upon this book because it covered all of the topics that I believed were important and then some. The book is well written, and it has a good combination of research and emotions. It is not always easy to find a fertility book with that kind of balance.
The book begins by sharing the author’s story, so you know that she “gets it.” She then talks about the woman’s perspective, the man’s perspective, and the effects on your marriage. Next, she moves into navigating emotions. After this, she talks about fertility treatments, resolving infertility, and God’s place in your struggles.
I really like the structure of the book because of its focus on the human/emotional side of fertility taking precedence over the clinical stuff. Yes, the clinical stuff is important (and the book has a fabulous glossary that defines many fertility terms), but it is our emotions that drive us to resources like books and support groups.
The book is written from a Christian perspective, but it is a fertility support book first. Even though I have a very strong faith, I am, personally, leery of “Christian books” because they often spend more time thumping you over the head with the Bible than they do offering you useful words of comfort. This book does not do this. While the author’s faith is clearly evident throughout the text, the “religious stuff” is mostly contained in a couple of chapters. So, even if you are not religious, this book has a lot to offer without driving you crazy with religious discussions.
This book truly is a “survival guide,” and I recommend it highly. It is, hands down, my favorite book on infertility.
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