Best reproductive medicine & technology books according to redditors

You should see an RE and get tested for recurrent pregnancy loss. I've also had 3 miscarriages. I found that this book was helpful: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0998714607/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497498694&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=not+broken&dpPl=1&dpID=41AHrbC-dyL&ref=plSrch
I skipped the chapters on eastern medicine and I don't think you should stress out about the lifestyle changes she talks about. Miscarriage is out of our control and there's nothing you could have done to prevent it. Sorry you are dealing with this.

Hahaha https://www.amazon.com/Infertility-Caused-Decreased-Oxygen-Utilization/dp/1543749062

Check out “Not Broken” by Dr. Lora Shahine. It covers every known cause for recurrent loss and explains all of the tests REs typically run. It’s thoughtfully written, really easy to read, and based in science and medicine.
I had been (erm...have been) obsessing about my unexplained RPL and read this book in a day. It was fairly comforting.

Amazon link: Not Broken

So sorry for your losses, hope this helps.

Hey there. I used to be active here, so I'm not sure you'll "recognize" me - but, I am in a position to help with your questions with a history of recurrent loss (2MMCs, 1CP) and now being on my second day of stimming during my second IVF attempt. This might will long, too, since I want to respond to a number of points and questions that you raise.

First, how my situation may be different is that my losses were a whole lot more spread apart than yours, so we were already having trouble with conceiving as it was. Also, I don't know your age, but I just turned 36 - and we started to TTC when I was 32, so this has been a long and shitty ride for us. I will say, I do not think you should start IVF until you are really sure it is the right step, because it takes a profound physical, emotional, and financial toll on you and your partner. We were able to move to IVF when we felt it was right, and it has still been very hard. My first cycle yielded zero PGS normal embryos, and that took an emotional toll as large or larger than any of my losses.

Next - up to date references. A book from 1997 is absolutely outdated. I suggest reading Not Broken: An Approachable Guide to Miscarriage and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss by Dr. Lora Shahine. It is grounded in more current research and I happen to agree with her skepticism of quasi-scientific approaches to "treating" recurrent loss that she has. Those of use who have had multiple losses are a vulnerable population - we become increasingly desperate to try anything that may prevent loss, even when there is little or no strong scientific evidence to support these treatments. Just be a savvy consumer.

About your doctor pushing IVF - two things to keep in mind. One, it may well be too soon for you to go this route which is why you feel like it's a push and it makes you uncomfortable. Two, IVF with PGS is literally the only thing any RE can offer you that has any chance of reducing your odds of another loss - but importantly, does not eliminate the chance another loss will happen. Why is that? Because right now we don't actually know why your losses are happening. The odds are great that they are due to genetic abnormality of the embryos, but we don't know that, so we can't rule out that it's because of implantation or lining issues. The benefit of an IVF with PGS cycle is that if it does fail, you can start to figure out why that might be with things like biopsying the endometrial lining.

About the insurance - that's great, I have a plan that also covers 4 rounds of ART (which, for the record, is amazing coverage for being in the US). However, it is still expensive, and unless you are in one specific health plan in Boston, PGS is not covered, and it is expensive. Also, many, if not most plans require 6 rounds of "lesser before greater." You can call your plan to find out the details, but it means they require you to do 6 rounds of oral meds or IUI before they will authorize you for IVF. Our plan the oral meds counted, but some plans require 6 rounds of IUI before you can do IVF. Also, insurance will only cover one round at a time (assuming that's how your coverage works, and it's not a set lifetime dollar cap, which is a whole different story) - so you cannot take advantage of shared risk plans or do banking cycles (to have embryos in the freezer). If you think IVF might be in your future, find out more about what is required for your insurance. You might want to start trying to do some "lesser" interventions to speed your time to conception and move in that direction. Infertility treatment should be a very stepwise process, unless you were dealing with a reason to skip straight to IVF.

About the effects on your body - Is the egg retrieval painful? That's not quite the right question. You will be under general anesthesia for your retrieval. It's the before and after where there is discomfort and pain. It depends on your response, but the bloating can be really tough. By the end, anything with a waistband is out of the question, and at least in my case, it's tough to find an injection spot that is not bruised and sore - but you just learn to deal with it. What surprised me with the first retrieval was how much pain I had after, and I did not have OHSS. The pain was really tough after the retrieval, and I had a lot of nausea (only thing I remember from the ride home was puking in a bag in a parking lot). And I really could not function until about 5 days after. Also, the embryo "hunger games" are brutal. All you can do is wait for these update calls and wait for the news from the PGS lab. It's one of those things that is hard to explain until you are in it, but know that it is hard.

All that said, I get the feeling that now is not the right time for you to jump to IVF. But it is a good time to learn more about what it might mean to move in that direction, in case the time comes that you want to. Feel free to message me if you have other questions.

I'm so sorry this has happened to you. It is so painful.

Here is a book that I have heard about but haven't read myself that's supposed to be helpful. When/if you're ready. https://www.amazon.com/Not-Broken-Approachable-Miscarriage-Recurrent/dp/0998714607?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Well, chatted with husband last night. Told him how I want him to do some MC reading so that when we do go see the loss obgyn there's two brains rather than one at work. Because I think I'm going to be in tears within minutes of talking to this doctor.

I made him come for the last to appointment back in march and he did help by remember all sorts of things I'd forgotten or couldn't remember in the moment.

So now that we're on that page, I have to figure out what I would like him to read. Not Broken ( https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B06XTZW86Y/ref=pe_1086170_134824320_cm_rv_eml_rv0_dp ) was excellent and I think gives a good overview of everything....

Does anyone else have suggestions? What was a must read for your partner, for you??

Clearly you don't know the parts of a vagina. That's the whole point of this conversation lol. Also, I live in a two story single family home with a double garage, finished basement, finished attic, granite floors and counter tops, and hardwood everywhere else but keep projecting billy bob. Just say open bobs show vagene.

For the record, look at the people backing up my comments vs yours. The only reason your comments aren't at 0 is because I haven't downvoted you once. They sure don't like your original comment, though, because you're an uneducated virgin acting like an internet badass. You aren't impressing anyone, kiddo. You're getting pissy over someone you don't know saying you don't know shit about basic female anatomy. Might want to seek some professional help and read a book. I recommend this one.