Getting Pregnant: What Couples Need to Know Right Now

There is hope and help for women having difficulty becoming pregnant, assures Lauerson, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at New York Medical College. The author of several books on women's health, with journalist Bouchez he here describes what factors affect fertility, as well as environmental and bacterial threats to both male and female fertility. But more important, the coauthors show what steps can be taken to prevent or remedy impediments, including ovarian cysts, fibroids, sexually transmitted diseases, pelvic inflammatory disease and endometriosis. Although many guides to becoming pregnant focus on the female, this contains a comprehensive chapter on threats to male fertility--sexual infections, high blood pressure and diabetes. Unfortunately, some well-known fertility problems, such as a woman's prenatal exposure to diethystilbestrol (DES), are mentioned but not discussed fully. For the couple still unable to conceive, Lauersen and Bouchez offer know-how on in vitro fertilization procedures and programs. A brief but helpful resource section lists the names of medical associations, self-help groups and physicians specializing in reproductive medicine. (July)