9 Months Is Not Enough: The Ultimate Pre-Pregnancy Checklist To Create a Baby-Ready Body and Build Generational Health

by Alexandria DeVito

Navigating the fertility gap facing couples today can be challenging, but hope and solutions await. "9 Months Is Not Enough" unveils a new perspective on preparing for pregnancy, emphasizing pre-pregnancy wellness as the foundation for fertility and generational health.

Authored by pre-pregnancy expert Alexandria DeVito, this groundbreaking book combines scientific research with practical advice, offering a comprehensive roadmap to optimize your health before conception. DeVito's approach goes beyond traditional infertility treatments, focusing on natural, accessible strategies that prepare your body, mind and environment for pregnancy.

Key Highlights:
- Uncover hidden health issues with comprehensive diagnostic testing that may affect fertility.
- Learn how to effectively prepare for a preconception visit with your healthcare provider.
- Implement a fertility-boosting diet, supplementation, and lifestyle plan designed to enhance your wellness.
- Discover how your pre-pregnancy health can inspire a legacy of wellness for future generations.

Whether you're considering egg freezing, just starting to think about pregnancy or have been navigating the path to parenthood, "9 Months Is Not Enough" is the essential guide for anyone looking to embrace a holistic approach to fertility and generational health. Equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to make informed decisions about your pre-pregnancy journey and set the foundation for a healthy future for you and your family.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Health, Self Help

360 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 14, 2023

Reviews

[April Meisner · Rating 5 out of 5]

To my friends seeing this- the answer is no 🙃 but anyways this book has SO MUCH info. I found myself highlighting almost every page and I do think this is a must read for anyone thinking about having children one day. “Our body will always prioritize survival over procreation” changed my perspective on how much stress, dieting, and so many other health conditions can delay pregnancy.

Even for understanding what all goes into preparing our bodies to create life, it’s wild.

[Emily Stewart-Ronnisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have soooo many mixed feelings about this book.

1) I would never recommend this to my fertility patients because of the weight bias that exists and also the intensity with which some of the advice is given. I think it could cause more stress overall.

2) She does acknowledge this intensity at the end of the book and cites it’s totally not about perfection but moreso about implementing some strategies.

3) I did enjoy the amount of pure information in this book. I think there will be ways for me to disseminate this to patients in a more holistic manner.

4) Preconception care is not yet normalized so I love that she wants to change that.

5) I didn’t enjoy how she kept referencing her own website as a plug. At times it felt like there were scare tactics in order to encourage folks to pay for testing from her website. Maybe this was unintentional but it still felt that way.

[Perpetua Cannistraro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is replete with great information. It was helpful to learn about the ways males support their own fertility during the preconception period. I enjoyed learning some more about hormone function during each phase of the cycle too. That answered some questions I had about my own body.

If you are prone to anxiety though, don’t read this book. Or ask someone to read it to you? Don’t read it before bed lol. Alexandria’s tone is INTENSE—like an impassioned person grabbing you by the shoulders and screaming in your face about preconception. But what she has to say is very good.

[Taylor Ball · Rating 2 out of 5]

Questionable science?

[Taylor Matilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

disclaimer friends: I’m not preggo! Just reading for educational purposes😅

Anywho, this was a pretty good book to read as a gal who desires to have children in the future! Lots of good information to pick and choose from to implement into my own life before having a baby!

I appreciate the way the author writes. None of her suggestions are pushy - just simply giving information based upon her knowledge/research!

[Caitlin Ray · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book could have been edited down to like a 10 page article. but those 10 pages would be super helpful

[Kiley Snyder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damn my grandkids are already screwed. Interesting information but I’m taking any book that’s essentially one large self promo with a grain of salt.

[Emalee Lengerich · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will update my review with more information as I finish.

The thesis that nutrition fixes infertility is dangerous and incredibly troubling. I hope no one gives this book to anyone that they know who is struggling with infertility.

I am not done reading it yet, but as a scientist, the science in this is not correct. I am currently at the explanation of the epigenome and how it controls the expression of genes. It is just false. I do not know if it is the nuances getting lost in the oversimplification, but the way it is written is dangerously misleading.

The author cites research and then makes reaching statements that are not back by evidence. The study cited that shows that if your grandmother smoked, it could affect you negatively in your epigenetics, is a peer reviewed study with significant findings. The author then says that that means that if your grandmother lived a healthy lifestyle, your epigenetics from her would show a decreased risk of disease. That statement can not be inferred from the study the author quotes and is not backed by any scientific study

[Mattea Nybo · Rating 4 out of 5]

disclaimer friends: i am not pregnant. just doing my research.

overall, i thought this was a super informative book. i appreciate that it touches on many different sectors of health prep from physical, nutrition, partner health, toxicity in the body, etc. my only complaint is that i feel like a lot of it was pointing to her company to do testing. i do understand wanting to share about it in case people are interested and don’t know where to start so it didn’t ruin it for me completely.

[Gabriela Della Corna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really eye opening and a handy overall guide for anyone thinking about getting pregnant — it’s never too early to read this!!!!

A very good balance of informative but straightforward/easy to understand. A little repetitive within chapters but maybe it just will make things easier to remember.

Happy to have this as reference on hand.

[Amber Pavelka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally giving 5 stars because it’s a wealth of information without feeling overwhelming or preachy - great tool to prepare you to think about things and know what kind of questions to ask your provider. The last chapter especially is a great reminder - I’d even say read that after the foreword before you start the whole book, then read it again at the end.

[Savannah Kessler · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 recommend for anyone wanting to know more about how to have a healthy body even if you don’t want to get pregnant. So much insight on women’s health, and also men’s health

[Katie White · Rating 3 out of 5]

disclaimer i’m not pregnant

[Pascale Cormier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not pregnant 😝. Listened to audiobook 🎧, felt a lot like an ad, some likely useful info.

[Sarah Acosta · Rating 4 out of 5]

To my 5 followers - we don’t want kids for like 2 more years sorry my reading choices are insane 😂 good book tho

[Maddie Vock · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting. more surface level info / less science-y than other fertility books i’ve read.

[McKenzie Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has changed my views on pregnancy and how to prepare for it. I found this book very informative on things that can impact fertility and things you can do now to prepare. I like that she incorporated western and eastern medicine with a holistic view and has a website where you can learn more. The author also included information for both partners in the relationship, so the stress of fertility is not on the woman alone.

[Ashley Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting overall and keeping some of the material open-handed/minded; however, very insightful for overall preparing for pregnancy — whenever that may be.

[Colleen Shriner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned so much!!

[Camille Merose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Um NO. Meditate so the body detoxifies? Watch out for 5G? Raw milk?? Colonics?? I hate this pandering, anti-science crap so much.

[Meagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book brings us back to the basics, but delves (slightly) into the science of holistic health. Unfortunately I felt like a lot of information was missing because the author kept referring to her website for more details. Just add it to the book; that’s why we are paying $30 for it. I also was not a fan of the language she uses regarding weight, neurodiversity, and intersex folks - as if these are negative consequences to modern day life. It is obvious this book was written by and for white cishet women, so take it with a grain of salt. That being said, there is benefit to being reminded to take care of your health with nutrition, exercise, etc. Sometimes we all need this reminder.

[Raelynn Genovese-Mento · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is SOOO informative. I feel like the first half was a little repetitive as she is trying to help us understand the importance of pre-(yes ladies, 1-2 years before trying!)pre-natal care. The second half was PACKED with information and I learned so much I did not know. I wish they taught us this in health class in school. So much seemed to be basic female health knowledge that we are not taught. There’s so much more we can do to take care of ourselves than we are lead to believe.

[Kailey Trieger · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate this book so much I’m writing my review before I finish it.

This whole book reads like an ad for a pyramid scheme. I cannot in good faith recommend this book to anyone.

The language is SO inflammatory. Talking about things that “wreak havoc” on your body. Let’s calm down. Even worse, listening to this authors aggressive tone of voice. The entire book is her just pronouncing scientific words.

I sincerely hope women struggling with fertility never read this book.

[Keshia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, fast read, most all this is what you would find in google just compacted in to one spot.

[Miro Vilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

******i am not pregnant

[Jena Spinnato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guys I swear I’m not pregnant

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I admittedly am not the target audience: I am generally healthy with a healthy lifestyle, conceived a child in my desired timeline, lean towards evidence-based practices, and scoff fairly often at the fear mongering that occurs with women’s health (Leaky gut! Cortisol face! Toxins! Inflammation! Chiropractors!). However, sue me! As someone on somewhat of a health journey and hypothetically/hesitantly planning to try for another in the coming years (*gulp*), I was curious!

The good: lots of feminist recognition, including how birth control was an essential step of women’s liberation in modern society and how (in)fertility is unfairly pinned on women when it takes two to tango (or fail at tango). The author fully states that the contents should be a resource, not a bible, and that anything from the book should be questioned and additionally researched. There is a lot of recognition that a lot of this information can be anxiety-inducing.

The bad: I’ve read a few of these books and as per usual, the chapter summaries are pretty much all you need to read; the book could’ve been a 15-page pdf with citations and it would’ve functioned similarly. Much of the book is common sense or at least common knowledge (“Eat a balanced and varied diet. Move regularly.”). There are many, many advertisements for the resources offered by the author’s (now defunct?) company.

There are some many anomalies and leaps in logic. “Infertility currently affects about 19 percent of married women between the ages of fifteen and forty-nine years… Infertility is starting to become more the rule than the exception.” How? How does exactly 80%+ success magically become “more the rule than the exception”?

Anyways, I would recommend this book to the subset of people who are a little crunchy and curious about fertility but who also do not frequently spiral with worries about infertility or struggle with health anxiety.

[Savannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hoo-ey, I just sped read and skimmed this because I could sense it was too much good information that would ultimately trigger a lot of anxiety. This book would land better if the last chapter - about following your intuition and doing what is reasonable - was the second chapter. Instead, the book told me every single little toxin, nutrient, hormone, biome, gene, etc I need to be measuring and tracking to ensure my baby is healthy. 🥴 Her tone is more “do this or perish” than “do this if you have capacity.” I had to work really hard to sift through the BS. For instance, she said even after a year of infertility, most couples can conceive in the second year (which I read as: it can just take longer, and making lifestyle changes can help.) But she also made it seem like the “preconception checklist” was crucial for good outcomes. I had to keep reminding myself that countless humans have procreated through time and continue to.

I feel like this book is best approached as a spectrum: on the extreme end, you could order every test she recommends, make all the lifestyle changes, and hire her company 🧐. On the other end, you could start taking fish oil AND a prenatal vitamin and maybe schedule a preconception appointment.

This book left me with a lot of questions:
- Would my preconception appt be with my OBGYN? Should my spouse come or should he schedule his own with his doctor?
- Where do you get genetic testing done?
- Do some of these “KPIs” show up in my annual physical, is there a way to see them in my health chart?
- and so on and so on

And bro, don’t get me started on the medical model, BMI, gendered bullshit. She acknowledges it but also says it is what it is.

[Alyssa Soppe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated the information in this book. Alexandra presented everything in ways that were clear and understandable to someone who doesn’t have a strong medical or scientific background. I was already at least a little bit acquainted with most of the material. Despite this, I think there will be several chapters that I come back to again and again as I prepare to become a parent over the course of the next several years.

My one concern with this book is that Alexandra’s business is no longer operational. She plugs her work, website, and resources almost once per chapter, but I discovered after following her directions that her business has disappeared. This concerns me, especially when considering that this book was just published in 2023. Why would her business have gone under? I tried to find Alexandra on other platforms as well (namely LinkedIn), and her account had not been active since 2024. For me, this took away some of the credibility of the text and raised questions about the validity of the contents of the book. For that reason, I don’t feel comfortable rating this book about 4 stars, and I would almost say 3 stars is more appropriate.

[Carolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends, if you see this, we’re not trying, but I figured it’s a good time to learn! I’d actually recommend the first half of this book to everyone, whether you’re thinking about kids now or years from now. I learned so much about fertility, hormones, nutrient levels, and what “preconception health” actually is.

One thing that really stuck with me: we always hear “just start prenatals,” but she explains why getting baseline labs first is so helpful, some deficiencies (like Vitamin D) can take months to rebuild, and prenatals aren’t always enough. It made me realize how little we’re taught about this!!

I also loved reading this alongside Andrew and talking about it together. The book includes chapters about what men should do during the preconception period, which I really appreciated!

Downside: she definitely plugs her company a lot, though honestly…I might still check it out. And most of the second half wasn’t particularly useful for me. Also: the repetition……… this book could’ve been 100 pages shorter….

Overall: worth reading, especially the beginning, just skim when she starts saying the same thing again or if a chapter isn’t relevant to you!