Fertility Cycles & Nutrition: Self-care for Improved Cycles and Fertility...naturally!

I bought this book because my NFP instructor suggested it, and it has completely changed the way my husband and I look at food and dietary supplements. I never really approved of the "hippie" stuff, but now that I understand what my body needs, I make my own multi-grain bread, eat fresh salad every night, drink tea instead of coffee or pop, and take multiple health-store vitamins daily. I feel really great, mentally and physically, and I just wish everyone knew what I've learned from this book! I'm lending it to multiple friends. Her advice is straight-forward and easy to follow, with a chart you can print for your fridge with your food goals for the day and a comprehensive list of vitamin suggestions. She has advice for women who are trying to avoid pregnancy, trying to conceive, pregnant, breastfeeding, and raising children. I appreciate her advice about where to shop for good food, too, and I bought a cookbook she recommended. The style of the book is fun and easy to read, and she cites references and studies for everything. Make sure you double-check the advice with a more current source, because a couple of her recommendations are not favored anymore. Overall, wonderful read! I will always use it as a reference.

My wife had the author of this book as a professor for biology in college so she was really excited to hear about this book and order it! :) After reading through it, my wife definitely remembers Marilyn Shannon continually bringing up in class many of the topics she discusses in Fertility, Cycles and Nutrition. We read the book together and I was surprised that there was even a section in the book for overall male nutrition, as well as for male fertility. What drew me most to the book was the down-to-earth descriptions and explanations that Marilyn Shannon provides about seemingly complicated topics. For example, I have no background in biology or chemistry whatsoever, but I could easily understand what each fatty acid and B-vitamin (even with mentioning their chemical composition and such) does for my body and health and what the best natural source for each is. For my wife, she was amazed at the wealth of information Marilyn provides for women to naturally reduce (and even eliminate) the effects of all sorts of common physiological events that women dread, such as menstrual cramping, morning sickness, hot flashes, acne, many fertility issues, etc. In the book she mentions that 80-90% of the women she has worked with using her simple nutrition changes have seen drastic impacts for the positive with such events, with even better results than going on "the pill" (and no risk of the horrible side effects that come with the pill!) Overall, I would say Marilyn Shannon's book is an excellent nutrition book for both women and women, with everything being very readable!

this book was recommended to me by my doctor. Unless you are majoring in some sort of health science, you don't learn any of this and that is one of the great tragedies of the school systems. Every person should be learning about how their menstrual cycle plays a part in their everyday lives, and the side effects of the things we consume!

The information in this book was very useful in understanding women's cycles and how nutrition may help to regulate them. This book is full of suggestions, some of which I implemented into my daily routine. I did not use the vitamins suggested, rather I chose some supplements that I thought were more useful. There are also several references in the book to help you find more information about specific problems you may be having. Overall, I thought it was well-written and had some great tips and worth the money spent to learn a little more about your body and how adding a few supplements or changing your diet a little can help you a great deal. As with all books that suggest changes, and the author mentions this in the book as well, implement small changes at a time, that way you know what works for you and what doesn't. Good luck in your journey.

I purchased this updated edition for my daughter who struggled with PMS and after following these simple dietary recommendations she said her symptoms greatly improved. My son also followed the general nutritional guidelines and he said he had more energy. It's a fantastic resource for the whole family.

I don't have any fertility issues, but we are ready to TTC now and I wanted to make sure my body was in the best health possible before conceiving. VERY helpful information on how to eat right, things to avoid while pregnant and trying to conceive. It was easy to read, no high-tech words that most readers can't understand. Also, even if you are not TTC this has MUCH info on women's cycles if you experiance PMT, PMS, heavy bleeding, no bleeding...just a wealth of heavily researched information on how to correct cycle irregularities and common problems and symptoms that women experiance during their cycle. There is also a little bit in back for men's health as well. And a few recommendations on certain multi vitamins too!

This review is written from the perspective of one who wants to boost fertility--not one who necessarily doesn't support the use of contraceptives (that's an entirely different debate!). I'm also fairly well-versed in fertility issues, cycle irregularities, and charting. I'm by no means an expert. I had high hopes for this book, and I'm sure it's an excellent resource for those unfamiliar with NFP and fertility overall. In the end, however, it's only just okay for one trying to conceive. There are a plethora of other books that I feel do a better job of this (TCOYF, for instance). I was also disappointed by her approach to vegan diets, though I realize that isn't the purpose of this book. I'm not vegan, but have done a tremendous amount of research (professionally) regarding healthy diet and nutrition. Vegan and vegetarian diets can most certainly be healthy; counseling a mother to convince her daughter to change her lifestyle rather than help her make wise choices doesn't sit well. I was also surprised given her support of The Fertility Diet which encourages a plant-based diet to help boost fertility (though this is based on the NHS and controversial). Lastly, I wish I'd known this book took more of a religious stance and included scriptures. I knew it was a good resource for NFP, but Christians aren't the only people who practice NFP. All in all, my disagreement with her approach to veg*n living, inclusion of scriptures, and other minor issues really shouldn't influence my overall review--they have little to do with the basic information provided in this book! Once again, it's a good starting resource, but not the best for one who already knows a bit about TTC. It also didn't provide an accurate cause for my cycle irregularities, though it did provide several explanations for those of others. Not entirely complete, but a good start.

I appreciate the reverence for fertility. Aside from information about charting, this book stands out because it has practical guidelines about vitamins to take and tips for nutrition to restore your cycles. There is some pseudoscience sprinkled throughout, so use your best judgment and research claims that seem iffy science-wise (ie adrenal fatigue). I appreciated that this book is written from a Christian, life affirming point of view.