The Fertility Diet: Groundbreaking Research Reveals Natural Ways to Boost Ovulation and Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant

by Jorge E. Chavarro

Get pregnant--naturally! The Fertility Diet reveals startling new research from the landmark Nurses' Health Study, which shows that the food you eat can boost your fertility. The book prescribes ten simple changes in diet and activity that can increase your chances of getting pregnant.These changes

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Audiobook, Parenting

576 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2007

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most down-to-earth, cover-all, explain-all book I have ever read, and what shocks me most it that it is talking about food! In a world of fad diets and twisted ideas about what the word "health" really means, it was really such a relief to discover this book. I heard the author being interviewed by Diane Rehm on NPR and subsequently picked up the book from the library as soon as it was released. In reviewing my previous and current food/health habits, I discovered that the ten major choices recommended in the book for improving one's health, and thus one's reproductive health, had very likely affected my ability to conceive. (Turned out I was already pregnant when I checked out the book.) The first time around took fifteen months (and losing 18 excess pounds, which I later learned through this book is one way of kick-starting ovulation), and the second time around was more like five months. That last time I had already been following all but the daily exercise recommendation given!

If you're looking for a book pointing out the facts about healthy eating--before, during, and after pregnancy--this is the book for you. It includes an in-depth explanation about how our bodies really work, thorough surveys of what the world-wide medical community currently knows about the effects of various foods on one's health, and logical applications of this knowledge. (Yes, I have seen research applied incorrectly, I hate to say.) It also includes a section on losing extra weight in a healthy way, which is why I currently have it reserved again at the library. (Wish I owned it, but funds are low right now.) I'm eager to clear myself of some unhealthy weight I gained after miscarrying (five pounds over the course of a winter is not an issue, but eight pounds in two months is) and get myself back on track for my next pregnancy.

To all of you who have faced the heart-rending challenge of infertility, I send you all my love and wish you the best in your efforts to bring a child into your loving home.

[Lizzie S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The findings in this book were interesting, but I found the narration to be very grating. I'm not sure if it would have been as irritating if I had read a physical copy of the book, rather than listening to the audiobook, but I found the audiobook to be annoying. This book felt like it was trying to take the conversational tone of the What to Expect series, but didn't hit the mark. I would have appreciated less metaphors/commentary and more straightforward information.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually I only read half of this book before someone else wanted it from the library. I thought the 10 steps at the very beginning were good advice but it was all stuff that I knew like eat more vegetable protein, eat more whole grains, exercise, drink lots of water, stay away from trans fats etc. The rest of what I read was pretty repetitive but that's how most of these books are, because if they were succinct their book would be 20 pages long and then they couldn't charge $29.95 for it :-)

[Beth Gea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Empecé a leer el libro no porque esté buscando quedarme embarazada, sino porque quiero ovular bien para tener un buen ciclo menstrual y las hormonas necesarias para tener una buena vida en general.

A pesar de que este libro no ofrece información revolucionaria, los consejos que ofrece están bien contextualizados, con un buen equilibrio entre jerga científica y divulgación. Esto, junto con el hecho de basar sus consejos en un estudio hecho en mujeres (no en hombres estipulando que, bueno, una mujer al fin y al cabo no deja de ser un hombre deficiente, verdad? [sic]) y de dejar claro cuándo los resultados de determinados estudios se contradicen con otros y, por lo tanto, las recomendaciones están hechas cogidas con pinzas, lo ha convertido en una lectura amena.

También hay recetas y un plan de menú, que si te gustan estas cosas, es un valor añadido :)

[Bethany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really just skimmed through this, since it really could have been covered in an article rather than a whole book. Basically says "follow the food pyramid and eat lots of carbs." Totally lost faith when I saw "if you must drink soda, at least drink diet." The whole milk/dairy bit was the only interesting insight.
Perhaps this is a good starting point if you aren't familiar with nutrition and how the body processes food, as it does have some decent explanations of the digestive/endocrine system.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In contrast to Expecting Better (about pregnancy), this fertility focused book provided similar literature based facts and figures but with more rationale, and therefore more confidence. For starters, the author is an actual MD. The discussion is based on peer reviewed literature and medical experience, provides logical approach without leaving a the hollow feeling of doubt I had when reading Emily Oster's books. Similar to Oster, I did feel better about my ability to manage the task of health after reading it. This book did not scare me with an overwhelming sense of obligation the way many female health sources leave me.

So if you enjoy fact based literature about your health, you may appreciate this book, too.

[Laurie Bartee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!!! This really opens your mind to what are the options for eating healthy... which can really mean so many things. I found the milk research very fascinating and used it to aid my own fertility.

[Jennee Schansberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been searching for this book for pretty much the past two years without knowing it. Frequent google searches of "fertility food" or "female fertility boosters" somehow did not bring this up as a recommendation, which is very unfortunate. I only finally discovered this book because Dan was being stubborn and trying to debunk Whole 30 (he is not enjoying it at all) and sent me the list of the US News and World Report's ranking of diets. Whole 30 was 38/38, but this book/diet was 6th. After reading this I definitely have to agree- there is so much science backing their tips and logic. Even though I've been immersed in this world for over two years, I still was able to learn so much (which may say more about my doctors than about this book, but I digress...). Whole 30 wraps up for me next week, and this will be what I shift to! Any diet that says I should eat ice cream everyday is A OK in my book!

The only thing I wish this did was summarize things a bit better at the end. There is a chapter to wrap up and give a very rough review, but for me (since this was a library book and therefore not something I could highlight and write notes in like I do with my personal books) the generic and surface level platitudes and tips at the end missed the mark. Instead I found myself skimming the whole book over again to make sure I wrote down recommended levels for the various nutrients discussed.

[Yuliya Baranova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically the book isn't too bad, but I do have some concerns about it.

If you are a person who is really interested in different nutrition approaches and in healthy eating you might find this book boring. You can read the first chapter and the last chapter getting knowledge of all the tips without any detailed explanation AND save the time.

The second concern is that the data in this book is more statistical than medical and fertility proven. Unfortunately, diet isn't a magic pill if you're trying to conceive. It's good to know some basic food approaches that might boost your ovulatory (the key word is "might"), but any fertility specialist would use a diet as a treatment for infertility.

Book contains 10 basic tips you can easily implement in your life to increase your fertility (we are talking only about female fertility). I don't want to spoil these facts, but I have to mention my favourite tip. You can drink wine and coffee while trying to conceive in a moderate amount. It means 1-4 cups of coffee per day and 1-2 portions of wine a day (but not more than 15 portions per week). 1 portion of wine is 5 ounces. Not too bad, right?
Anyway alcohol consuming during pregnancy is undesired and you might not know if you are pregnant or not.

I would recommend this book just as an alternate opinion, but only after you have had an appointment with your doctor.

[Eliza Bacelar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read quite a few fertility/pregnancy books at this point, and this is a very detailed specific approach focused on fertility and the correlation between the environment, diet, exercise, and other healthy habits, with emphasis on diet and all the misconceptions we went through over the decades of research. It is from a research doctor's point of view (my favorite type of book) and it does mention many different studies. Still, the primary interpretation comes from the Nurses' Health Study and the findings related to fertility from that. The Nurses’ Health Study is among the most extensive investigations into the risk factors for major chronic diseases in women and now it counts more than 280,000 participants. Very insightful! The overall approach in short is very similar to a Mediterranean-style diet, with emphasis on low glycemic sources of carbs; healthy sources of fat (although it does mention vegetable oils like canola oil, which from my understanding at the point of writing was less processed and considered a healthy source of omega-3 back then, and is largely no longer the case -- except for high quality olive oil); elevating the importance of plant protein; whole fat dairy in small-moderate amounts; and still backing up the use of multivitamins as insurance.

[Caitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-researched and thorough, I enjoyed this book despite the topic not being a particularly exciting one. The book opens with their findings, what I came to see, and I wondered, "Well, why even read the rest now? I got my list of dietary recommendations in the first few pages!"

But diving into the specifics made me feel motivated to follow the advice. Knowing why certain things help or hinder fertility made me feel more confident and excited to change things about my lifestyle because I understood more about how my body works. I also appreciate the perspective of this book overall: there are plenty of things about fertility that are within your control! Considering the other book I recently read on the topic was centered mostly around IVF, this felt incredibly empowering.

So many great details about nutrition and the body, I recommend this even if you're not currently working on fertility!

[quilton18 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it had some good pointers around diet and nutrition but nothing novel that I hadn’t read in other more comprehensive books.
However my scoring is around the fact that this book is EXTREMELY repetitive which came across as disorganized and careless. There were times where I felt I’d read that some page only three pages before - checked and there were chunks that looked almost identical. For that, it’s disappointing

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to implement advice if your trying to conceive. Some parts may be outdated re: vegetable oil and the very low bmi fertility zone weight. I liked reading more details about what goes in successful conception, all the hormones interacting and what we eat affecting that. Although that made it seem almost an impossible feat to accomplish pregnancy-like alllll the stars must align haha. I’m not giving up hope though and I wish all TTC the very best outcome.

[Eric Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

lots of good scientific advice, readable style

the authors have an upbeat style and do a good job explaining the reasons for the recommendations, based on a systemic understanding of the various body functions

what is most interesting is that lifestyle change can make a huge difference for fertility!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of good information. It's mostly focused on PCOS and people who don't ovulate, but still good advice for anyone looking to conceive.

[Rachel]

Giving up on this not because it wasn't good information but because fertility treatments havn't been working for us and we are giving up to try adopting instead.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy, quick read and pretty informative and helpful. Lots of common sense information, but a good reminder nonetheless!

[Coralie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with so much information I feel like even if you are not struggling with infertility that this book is worth your while.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read and provides information based on scientific studies.

[Mariko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems to be the most reliable source on the topic. It's biased towards overweight people and doesn't give much advice for those underweight (which I get, because of the audience, but still).

[Wintermote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting research and clear guidance for improving health.

[Amy Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great info, but a little basic in some sections for people who are well-versed in nutrition. Some of the writing was pretty corny as well.

[Sam With Veggies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! I dont think I had an issue with any of the info and ifound it all relevant, but I cant quite remember the book. I read it a month ago now...so it didnt quite stand out.

[Nessa Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative!

[Sabrina Y C · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts that weren’t that applicable to me but overall I think I took away some new information about maintaining and improving my fertility. I was happy to know I am doing things that are good for my body and future of conception while other aspects of my life I definitely can improve on to benefit my life and my fertility score.

[jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is driven by conclusions drawn from the Nurses Health Study. The NHS was a multi-decade study of over 120,000 female RN's, and tracked everything from diet and exercise to lifestyle choices. With all that data, patterns start to emerge, and a lot of people have been trying to make sense of it. So, here's a book that attempts to draw conclusions between certain lifestyle practices, and increased fertility, with all other factors being equal or accounted for (smoking, birth control use, relationship status, etc). There are several basic tenets that arise out of the swirling data clouds. Most are obvious to anyone with a pretty rudimentary understanding of the female reproductive system, but there are a few surprises. There is a lot of dietary advice - is caffeine really bad for your fertility? how much ice cream helps make a baby? (one serving per day!!) good carbs, good fats, staying hydrated, and plant proteins are recommended alongside exercise and losing 7.5% of your body weight. There's no magic bullet here, just some common sense ideas that, put together, likely culminate in a higher rate of fertility. The presentation is rooted in research, but mostly accessible, although some of the pedantic scientific reasoning is a yawnfest for someone who has baby fever. I don't think I need to read it again, but I did take pretty detailed notes while I was reading, so I absorbed most of the pertinent info.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fertility diet was a fascinating book. I really enjoyed everything I've learned in this book about nutrition and health, especially for women. Since the findings in the book are based off the Nurses Health Study, which was focused on women, the tips are specifically for women, which is great.

I've tried to apply the things I learned in this book to my eating habits. The goal is to stabilize and even out blood sugar, and I feel I've done that, as my cravings have significantly decreased. I'm working on the exercising part, which doesn't produce results quite so quickly.

The reason I gave 3 stars instead of 4 was that many of information regarding fertility was simply conjecture based on patterns in women who were studied for another reason. Although many of the connections seemed strong, there wasn't any demonstration of how CHANGING one's habits as per the book has helped anyone to conceive. I think another addition of this book would be strengthened to stories to this effect.

That said, whether the steps in this book promote fertility in my case or not, it was a great introduction into basic nutrition and what different foods do to your body. Easy to read and remember, which is always a plus, and I didn't find any of the suggestions to be extreme as diets often are.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As my husband and I started talking about trying for baby #2, I wanted to make sure I was healthier this time around. It took a while to conceive my first baby and I am now three years older. I want to make sure that I have a better pregnancy than my previous one. I had gestational diabetes and was induced three weeks early.

The book gave a lot of great tips on how to improve my chances of ovulating and having a healthy pregnancy. These tips were healthy lifestyle tips, in general, but they weren't things I had been doing. Some of the tips include cleaning up your diet, taking a multi-vitamin with folic acid, and exercising daily. I'm working on slowly adding these changes to my life. This book reads quickly and isn't overly medical or scientific.

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly, I liked this book. Finished it in a number of days and it gave me a lot to ponder and take into consideration. I was diagnosed with PCOS and picked up this book just to see what it had to say in regards to diet and fertility and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm already doing everything on the list, so it gave me piece of mind, but it also gave me some vital information in regards to early pregnancy and such.

[Kayla Fall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great for me since i had a hard time getting pregnant. It has great tips on vitamins to take, which workouts are appropriate and even what the guy should be doing to help you concieve. I originally bought this book because it talks a little bit about PCOS(polycystic ovarian syndrome) and how to combat it in order to get pregnant. Worked for me!