Women’s health remains a robust subject for publishers, with several forthcoming titles addressing two high-profile topics: pregnancy and breast cancer.
In May, the Mayo Clinic, whose Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy has, according to publisher Da Capo, sold more than half a million copies since its 2011 publication, will release its Guide to Fertility and Conception, by reproductive endocrinologists Jani R. Jensen and Elizabeth A. Stewart. Da Capo senior editor Dan Ambrosio says he expects the book to become a staple in pregnancy titles. “With couples waiting until later in life to start families, fertility and conception are more and more a vital topic.”
Sarah Pelz, executive editor at Grand Central Life & Style, says that when families start the conception process later, there can be “a lot of anxiety around ‘Will I get pregnant?’ and ‘Will I have a hard time getting pregnant?’ ” She worked with nutritionist Christa Orecchio and homeopath Willow Buckley on How to Conceive Naturally and Have a Healthy Pregnancy After 30 (Oct.).
An alternative spirit drives The Mindful Mom-to-Be (Rodale, Aug.), by doula and pregnancy coach Lori Bregman, with Stefani Newman. The book aims to help women explore the emotional experience of pregnancy.
Another emotionally fraught subject, breast cancer, continues to be at the top of many publishers’ minds, and no wonder: according to the American Cancer Society, this year will see more than 230,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women.
The sixth edition of Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book (Da Capo), first published in 1990, will be published in October. Editor Merloyd Lawrence says the book’s comprehensive nature and routine “head-to-toe revisions,” completed every five years, help it retain its status as, in the words of the New York Times, the “bible for women with breast cancer.” The new edition will include information about hereditary breast cancer, as well as “less invasive” diagnostic methods like MRI and liquid biopsy.
Turning Off Breast Cancer (Skyhorse, July), by nutritionist Daniella Chace, offers a nutritional program aimed at preventing and healing from breast cancer, outlining 100 foods that combat the disease, as well as supplement recommendations for pre- and postmenopausal women.
And Bald Is Better with Earrings (Harper Wave, July), by breast cancer survivor Andrea Hutton, includes the author’s tips for women dealing with the disease, based on her own experience. Karen Rinaldi, senior v-p and publisher at Harper Wave, says the book spoke to her on a personal level. “Having just gone through a year dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment, I found that Andrea’s sensible advice was exactly the thing I wished I’d had.”
