A few weeks ago I was given a list of books from HarperCollins to pick from and review on my blog. I could have passed on the list, but I saw the title Tao of Fertility and replied, “I would love to review this book, since fertility is a subject near and dear to my heart.” Or some such nonsense.

The book arrived and I started reading it with a kind of hard heart, not really wanting to open my heart to the subject matter at hand. With our background of infertility, I wasn’t ready to read a “to do list” of things I wasn’t really used to. And as is the formula for infertility books, I wasn’t really ready to read the happy success stories of infertile couples. Or maybe I was just hormotional.

Since I was just reading the book to review, not to make major life changes, I dug in.

Dr. Daoshing Ni (Dr. Dao) practices traditional Chinese medicine and has earned renown as an expert in fertility. He comes from generations of Taoists, the basis for his methods in traditional Chinese medicine. His approach to fertility isn’t just clinical, but also deals with the mind and soul.

The beginning of the book was enlightening just in the area of Chinese medicine, a topic I never really looked into. I knew what acupuncture was, but never had it really explained. I read about herbs, acupuncture, exercise, and just preparing your self for a journey into wellness. And it made me want to take the fifty steps out my back door to see the Chinese Medicine doctor in the building behind my house.

(Yes, there is a young man who practices Chinese Medicine in the building behind my house. I keep wondering if this book was pointing me toward something.)

Section two goes more in depth with discussing a plan for fertility; include diet changes and self acupressure. It was well laid out and I feel like I could take ownership of this direction for fertility. One of the biggest pluses for this book is the real idea that I could do something to take charge of my fertility. In section one, Dr. Dao mentions how in China, patients have their own medical records, and patients are partners with their doctors. I have never really felt like a partner with any of my doctors.

I was inspired by the third section. It discussed specific fertility problems and focused on case studies of women who had them. Dr. Dao explained his method of assistance, and the women added their voices to the experience. I was really impressed with how Dr. Dao’s Chinese Medicine worked hand in hand with the Western medicine.

When we were dealing with the emotional rollercoaster of trying to get pregnant, I had to throw all fertility books out. They were all driving me crazy, giving me the same information in different sentences and paragraphs, but never really helping me.

My heart was hard when I started reading the book, but my heart was softened by the last page. I really believe I read something different, and I could take a more active role in trying to achieve a healthy pregnancy. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to find more answers to fertility questions.

You can learn more about Dr. Dao and the Tao of Fertilty at the Tao of Wellness website.

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