It Starts with the Egg: The Science of Egg Quality for Fertility, Miscarriage, and IVF (Third Edition)

This book is so useful!! When you discover you have infertility complications, if you're anything like me, you go on a Google rampage looking up anything and everything that's supposed to help. Unfortunately it's very hard to weed out the rumours and old wives tales from the proven aids and so I found myself rattling like a maraca having taken up about 15 different vitamins/supplements. After my second unsuccessful IVF I was recommended this book by my acupuncturist and I wish I'd had it sooner. It's based on thorough academic research and gives clear, simple outlines of the various supplements etc which will make a difference - both positive and negative (I was horrified to learn some of the things natural food shops had suggested for me might actually be making things worse). It also provides ideas for lifestyle adjustments, such as switching household products which can be affecting your fertility, and diet recommendations (though you'd probably want a separate book for that, there are plenty available with recipe ideas for fertility-friendly meals). I'd only been making changes for about a month or 6wks when I fell pregnant naturally - I don't for a minute think this is entirely down to the book, I'm sure my recent IVF cycle and a big massive dollop of luck helped considerably, but I do believe this made a difference and I'm trying to continue with some of her suggestions throughout the pregnancy. Plus it made me feel I was doing something pro-active to help things along by trying some of the lifestyle changes like swapping toiletry brands etc. Overall, an easy read which has many valuable ideas.

I enjoyed reading this book and found it very helpful. I agree with the other reviews I read that say you have to step away from it at times because it can feel like you need to live in a protective bubble in order to get pregnant but overall a very helpful book. I added some of the supplements to my diet as well as reducing plastics/exposure to BPA by switching to glass food storage containers. If anything it makes you more aware of what you should and should not be doing based on your issues and even if you don't follow it perfectly, it is helpful to have in the back of your mind. I am 31 and have PCOS and I liked that the book recommended certain things for certain problems or different ages. You can read SO MUCH conflicting information on the subject of fertility/infertility and it is reassuring to know that all the info in this book is based on research and you can trust it. Too early to tell if it worked for me but I recommend it to my friends who are struggling to get pregnant due to various factors.

Initially I was absolutely obsessed with this book. It’s scientific and very actionable, with detailed supplement plans for different situations. While this sounds amazing at first, I only learned later down the line that you need to be careful with generic recommendations like this. I only learned that once I started a university course in Nutritional therapy. Generic recommendations will not be applicable to everyone, and there are dangers in blindly taking all of the supplements on the list. It’s important to do blood testing (and/or other tests) first to see where you stand and what you need in your very unique situation. We are truly all very different individuals. Some of the raving reviews might be from people who were lucky that this generic program worked for them, but that won’t be the case for everyone. Many others experience negative effects from that protocol. That’s why I cannot stress enough to take this book with a grain of salt, and make sure you consult a professional to find out what supplements (and MOST importantly, at what dosage!) you need. But don’t try your GP, they are not trained in this. A nutritional therapist is your best option.

Purchased this book 2 weeks ago after finding out about it on a UK IVF Facebook group. I really, really wish I knew about it sooner! It should definitely be recommend by Fertility clinics or GPs. Reading this book should be the 1st thing you do. Unfortunately for me I read the book after undergoing two failed IVF treatment cycles and a natural miscarriage. I have endometriosis and this book really focused on this condition suggesting the best diet & supplements for this condition in particular. It also focuses on our fertility conditions such as PCOS. Two weeks into this book I already feel enlightened, I have thrown away lots of plastics in my home (bathroom & kitchen mainly). I have also changed my hair shampoo & conditioner to that which contains no sulphates and other nasty chemicals, (I'm UK based so use Maiu products, which can be found in Tesco and Superdrugs for £9 a bottle) - I have no affiliation to this brand. Others in the UK have tried OGX products. I just wish I knew which products were best to try in the UK & reasonably priced, which is why I'm sharing this info. The book also gives purchase suggestions for the USA & UK. I also have changed my shower gel to Simple, which again can be found in most UK supermarkets, Boots etc. I've changed a lot of my cooking utensils to wood or silicone. I've thrown away plastic Tupperware and am using glass containers with sillicone lids or beeswax wraps instead. I've completely changed my diet to that of a Mediterranean based diet and have almost cut out all chocolate and sugar. I've completely cut out other trans fat foods such as chips, burgers, fish fingers etc. I don't like fish much but went to the fishmonger who filleted and skinned haddock and cod for me. I then cooked the fish in garlic, herbs & extra virgin olive oil to help with the taste, it's not salmon yet but it's a start. I've also been taking all of the supplements suggested for endometriosis sufferers on a daily basis for the last 7 days or so. I already feel good different, my symptoms already feel much better. In a short space of time I would already recommend this book. If nothing else it's changed my life for the better already. If I fall pregnant within the next few months, I'll be sure to leave another review!!! :)

This book has given me real hope in a time of darkness, sadness and despair where none of the doctors would offer me any real insight into the miscarriages I was suffering. It has also allowed me some control in a situation where I have felt so out of control. I have eagerly awaited the second edition as soon as I saw it was due to be released in feb 2019 and it has not disappointed. I have read it thoroughly in two days and have added the additional advice from up to date research to mine and my husbands plan some of which is scientific evidence as recent as 2019. This is the healthiest I have been in my whole life and I am hoping and praying that the changes I have been inputting will make the difference I need for me to be able to give my son a sibling. I will forever be grateful to the author Rebecca who I note has graciously replied to each email I have sent her. I highly recommend both books particularly the second as it has more up to date research and detail re questions you may have had from reading the first book. I hope to update my review when my son has a brother or sister and say that all this hard work has worked. Update - September 2020, I now have a Ten month old beautiful healthy boy Who we conceived just as planned three Months after we started implementing all of the recommendations. Forever grateful to Rebecca Fett

Truly amazing book. I was struggling to conceive at 39. Within 3months of reading this book and actioning the recommendations, I was pregnant and went on to have a healthy baby boy. At 42, we started trying again, immediately rereading and acting on the recommendations again and within 6 months, I am now pregnant again. Given the odds of conceiving in a year at my age are something like 30% and that we struggled before, I think this is incredible. The book is scientific- not just opinion and waffle - and so I really felt I could trust it and it was worth giving it my all…

Like many on here I vowed to come back with my story to hopefully help other hopeful parents - just as past reviews of this book gave me hope when I was in despair. Exactly a year ago (Nov 18) DH (33) and I (29) were preparing for our IVF/ICSI cycle. This was due to severe Male Factor. His sperm was surgically retrieved a few months before and it was my turn. They then discovered I had low ovarian reserve so we weren’t expecting too many eggs but to our dismay we only got 5. Non of them fertilised (possibly coz of frozen sperm, sperm viability, possibly coz of egg quality). It was a really low point in life and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I’m a reader and an optimist so I started researching heavily and came across this book in January this year. I followed some of the key bits of advice, and the advice relevant to me (changed my prenatal, started on CoQ10, and didn’t start on DHEA despite wanting to - my bloods came back normal so didn’t make sense to rock that boat yet). I also got my husband on supplements (vitamins, CoQ10) and his doctor prescribed him Clomid. We also (mildly) followed some of the lifestyle and diet recommendations. Now the clinic had agreed to batch retrieve my eggs as my count was low and the plan was collect and freeze eggs over a few cycles while DH is on Clomid and prepares for yet another MicroTese to try with fresh (but still immotile) sperm. HOWEVER at my retrieval in March (2–3 months after the changes), they got 14 eggs (12 mature!). It was unbelievable! I had another retrieval in May where they got 12 eggs. So I now had 26 eggs frozen away. From having 5 eggs just five months before....! I really want to thank you Rebecca!! The rest of the story is miraculous too...my DH’s microTese yielded good results and the clinic went out of their way to ensure the lab has the right sperm viability test this time (HOS test) and also made sure to use the sperm fresh from the tese. As the sperm sample was decent we decided to thaw all 26 of my eggs. 22 survived and were injected. 15 fertilised (!) and 7 made it to Blastocyst. Nothing short of a miracle and I still tear up thinking about it. We had a frozen embryo transfer in August and I’m blessed to say we’re 16w pregnant. Please buy this book - it changed our lives. You can get snippets of advice from reviews but it’s best to read the research, the analysis for yourself and see what’s best for your situation. I believe there’s a V2 - get that by all means. And all the very best on your journey. Thank you Rebecca - God bless you.

The book is great, lots of great information. Unfortunately the page I need the most as someone with pcos has a couple sentences that are blurred. I think this is a printing error. It is ineligible and I also have a weird semi circle cut out on the bottom. Luckily the cut out does not cover any words. Can anyone recap these sentences for me on vitamin d?

A brilliant book and probably the best on this subject. I can't stress enough how important this book was for me and my wife. We both went through some emotional trauma after 2 miscarriages and failed IVF cycles. This book was very well reasearched, informative and descriptive on how to improve the egg quality. Living in Australia not all of the drugs are available or recommended by GPs but you can make your own decisions and do what you can do. We made a lot of lifestyles changes after reading this. Thank you.

Great book

This book was extremely helpful for me on my fertility journey. It was an easy read and had extremely useful information on changes that can be made in my daily life such as swapping nail polish and plastic to glass containers. I also enjoy that there are updated editions with current research and data. I was able to bring some of the medication suggestions to my doctor as well. I encourage all women going through a fertility battle to read this book!

A must read if you’re trying to conceive!

不妊治療中でYouTubeで著者のインタビューを見て、そこに書かれていたコメントを読んで即この本を購入しました。 どんなビタミンをどれだけ摂るべきか、検査結果でどの数値を注視するべきか等、あまりネット上にはない情報が多く大変参考になりました。 著者の主張はこうです。 妊娠できるかどうかは卵子の質にかかっていて、それは正しいサプリメントを取ることによって向上させることができる。「卵子の質は年齢で決まってしまうので、卵子の質を向上させることは出来ない」というのは誤り。 そのほか勉強になったのは、 卵子には精子のdnaの損傷を修正する力があるが、これは若い女性の質の良い卵子にしかできない。だから、精子の質を上げる必要がある。 受精は以外と起こっている。着床を持続させることの方が難しい。 著者は研究者ですが、医者ではなく不妊治療の専門家でもありません。自身の不妊治療のため医学書などを読み撤退的にリサーチして完成された本なので、患者目線で知りたいこと、知っておくべきことが書かれています。