Rating: 
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: After reading and hearing about this book on a number of infertility websites, I was excited and optimistic to learn about how the author achieved her miracle. What I found left me empty and angry. While I admire the book's ultimate message - that women need to be their own advocates when it comes to health care decisions - the book offered me little on either an emotional or substantive level. Ms. Indichova already had one healthy child at the time she embarked upon her infertility journey. While secondary infertility must be very painful, that pain is not the same as that experienced by infertile women who are unable to conceive even a single child. As one dealing with primary infertility I could not help but wonder, as Ms. Indichova went from specialist to specialist, who was staying with her young daughter. The author also seemed to have an unlimited supply of funds to finance her forrays into various types of alternative medicine. Most of the women I know suffering from primary infertility not only lack an understanding of the trauma of secondary infertility, but also the funds to engage in all of the experimental treatments in which Ms. Indichova participated. I found the author's struggle to be self-indulgent. I also felt that implicit in the book was a condemnation of women who must use forms of assisted reproductive technology to conceive. The message I came away with was that if more women took the time to explore the various dietary, physical, and spiritual alternatives the author did, they would not need ART. Infertile women do not need another reason to feel inadequate.
Rating: 
Summary: A MUST READ EVEN IF YOUR NOT FIGHT SECONDARY INFERTILITY
Review: Although I am not dealing with secondary infertility I still really related to this book. The book was excellent I couldn't put it down. It gave me hope and made me think of alternative ways of treating my infertility. After 2 failed IVF's I was looking for hope in other areas and this book definitely help. I highly recommend this to anyone dealing with infertility regardless of if its primary or secondary.
Rating:
Summary: Deceiving, if somewhat inspiring.
Review: Although I found parts of Indichova's story inspiring, overall I found this book more annoying than enlightening. Women who are struggling to conceive their first child should be warned before reading this book. Indichova's struggle is about secondary infertility. As someone who is still hoping for one child, I found it difficult to read page after page of Indichova's angst about trying for her second child. It made me feel that she didn't really appreciate the gift and miracle she already had with her first healthy child. I know secondary infertility is a serious problem for many women and I respect that it is, but for women who have not been able to have any children, this book can be an odd and unsettling read.
Rating:
Summary: Thank You, Ms. Indichova!!
Review: As a 37 year old IF woman, with high FSH, I thought all was lost. Then I found this book. With an FSH of 25, and doctors all telling me that I could never have a child of my own without an egg donor, life looked very bleak to me. But upon reading this book, I decided to make some life changes. I gave up going out to lunch (and brown bagged it instead) and going to movies (nothing wrong with renting) to be able to do my acupuncture sessions. I also bought yoga tapes and guided imagery tapes, and started drinking wheatgrass. I did not do the vegetarian diet though. From 25, my FSH is now 9. While I will still go through with my IVF, I am going into it with absolute belief that it is finally going to happen for me. When I received the results, I was overjoyed. And my doctors were shocked. They continued to test my FSH because they were sure it was an anomaly. They've been disappointed in seeing that my tests remain within a healthy range. I would encourage any and all who believe that in their body lies the key to fertility to at least give it a shot.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally powerful!
Review: As soon as I read this book, it changed my way of thinking. I found Julia Indichova's book by an extraordinary coincidence while I was walking through a bookstore in Boston. After my infertility doctor told me I had no chance of conceiving, I went to that bookstore to browse for adoption books. Like many other women, I suffer from high FSH levels, the same infertility condition Julia Indichova suffered. This book came to my life at a moment of absolute despair, depression and anger at Western medicine. There are many books out there on infertility, but I hadn't seen one about high FSH levels, which made me feel like I was such an exceptional case, with no solution. I bought this book in May shortly after my FSH test revealed 25.5 level. I have followed the path she describes in the book particularly those she recommends for naturally boosting the body, believing in my mind that I could lower my FSH levels if I wanted to. Maybe just coincidence but I got pregnant in June. I strongly believe that her book made a big impact in my mind, and how my mind and body communicated. I am now 7 weeks pregnant and hoping that in February I will deliver successfully.
Julia is an exceptional writer. She communicates the exact feelings women experience when struggling with infertility. She has a natural way of giving hope, and making changes in someone's life. She made me realize that I did everything I could to conceive and if it hadn't happened, then I was emotionally ready for adoption. I recommend this book to women with high FSH levels and everyone sharing their pain.
Rating:
Summary: An Inspiration!
Review: Far from adopting the attitude that "all infertility doctors are jerks and out to take their patients' money" as one reviewer asserts, Indichova sought alternatives when her doctors gave her no hope of conceiving with her own eggs. In conjunction with adopting a myriad of lifestyle, dietary and other changes, Indichova continued to periodically assess her medical condition with conventional Western doctors. In fact, if this reviewer had really read the book carefully, he/she would have remembered that Indichova had an appointment with yet another RE to discuss the viability of an ART procedure based her decreasing FSH levels on the day that she learned she had beat the odds and conceived her much-wanted second child! Some of the reviewers seem to have a negative attitude about anything that doesn't fall within the strictures of conventional Western medicine and thereby assign the corrollary attitude (incorrectly!) to Indichova (that she is into "hocus pocus" and "wacko" stuff and disparages Western medicine (she does not). I will agree with the reviewers who've noted that this may be a tough book to swallow for those infertility patients who are struggling with primary infertility *and* have never conceived any children. Indichova suffered secondary infertility, and until I emotionally reached the point where I desperately want a 2nd child (my first miracle baby was IVF 3 years ago), I too would have had little sympathy for someone in Indichova's position. My perspective now is definitely different, but women who've never conceived any children should be forewarned of Indichova's situation. I've been diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve, and though my FSH numbers aren't high, I've been largely written off as a lost cause by Western medicine. I have found new hope and inspiration in reading Indichova's story, and I'm grateful that she wrote this wonderful account. I'm certainly willing to give some or most of her ideas a try! I've adopted many of her suggestions over the last few weeks and I already feel better, regardless of whether my body is producing a good egg this cycle. True that she has no scientific backup to support what she did ... maybe all those dietary and lifestyle changes did absolutely nothing toward her second pregnancy. But maybe they did. Maybe they did.
Rating: 
Summary: Helped me beat myself up more
Review: Far from adopting the attitude that "all infertility doctors are jerks and out to take their patients' money" as one reviewer asserts, Indichova sought alternatives when her doctors gave her no hope of conceiving with her own eggs. In conjunction with adopting a myriad of lifestyle, dietary and other changes, Indichova continued to periodically assess her medical condition with conventional Western doctors. In fact, if this reviewer had really read the book carefully, he/she would have remembered that Indichova had an appointment with yet another RE to discuss the viability of an ART procedure based her decreasing FSH levels on the day that she learned she had beat the odds and conceived her much-wanted second child! Some of the reviewers seem to have a negative attitude about anything that doesn't fall within the strictures of conventional Western medicine and thereby assign the corrollary attitude (incorrectly!) to Indichova (that she is into "hocus pocus" and "wacko" stuff and disparages Western medicine (she does not). I will agree with the reviewers who've noted that this may be a tough book to swallow for those infertility patients who are struggling with primary infertility *and* have never conceived any children. Indichova suffered secondary infertility, and until I emotionally reached the point where I desperately want a 2nd child (my first miracle baby was IVF 3 years ago), I too would have had little sympathy for someone in Indichova's position. My perspective now is definitely different, but women who've never conceived any children should be forewarned of Indichova's situation. I've been diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve, and though my FSH numbers aren't high, I've been largely written off as a lost cause by Western medicine. I have found new hope and inspiration in reading Indichova's story, and I'm grateful that she wrote this wonderful account. I'm certainly willing to give some or most of her ideas a try! I've adopted many of her suggestions over the last few weeks and I already feel better, regardless of whether my body is producing a good egg this cycle. True that she has no scientific backup to support what she did ... maybe all those dietary and lifestyle changes did absolutely nothing toward her second pregnancy. But maybe they did. Maybe they did. This review has been edited in June 2003 to say that I am now 12 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child, conceiving 3 months after I adopted many of Indichova's suggested dietary and lifestyle changes. Thanks for the inspiration!
Rating:
Summary: Helped me beat myself up more
Review: First, let me say that I'm glad that the author had a success story. But, let's face it. The reality is that not all of us will be so lucky. It is almost unfair to suggest that by doing all the things that she did, we can have a baby too. It's not that simple. My husband and I have been trying for **nine** years. No live births yet. I read the book and just started beating myself up for working full-time, for not doing yoga, for not taking herbs, not relaxing enough, whatever. I am sorry to say that regretted this purchase and am giving my copy away.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I have ever read! A must read!
Review: I absolutely love this book! One of my all-time favorites (and I am an avid reader). This book provided me with strength, confidence and inspiration at a very difficult time in my life - at the age of 31, I was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure due to a high FSH reading and was told by my doctor that I would only be able to conceive, if at all, if I used an egg donor. Several other specialists in NYC re-affirmed this diagnosis. Then, I found Inconceivable. Not only is Julia Indichova an exceptional writer, but she was able to relay the exact feelings I was going through during this difficult time. I found her suggestions to improve your quality of life and health in a natural manner (via yoga, imagery, diet, etc. as opposed to taking medications) extremely helpful and liberating. Everything she said in her book completely appealed to me and I started working on improving my quality of life via the book's suggestions, despite what the doctors had told me. As of this date, I have lost count as to how many times I have read it - -every time I pick up the book I note new advice and tips. Several months after having first read her book and started taking steps to improve my quality of life, I found out that I was pregnant! I know that the lessons of Inconceivable were an invaluable tool that led me to my pregnancy. While Julia's story is also one of high FSH, anyone going through difficulty conceiving a child of their own will find this book immensely helpful. I cannot recommend it enough!!
Rating: 
Summary: Not as helpful as I'd hoped
Review: I agree with the other reviews that Julia's story is compelling and well-told. I expected to read an inspirational story that would be relevant to my situation (ttc 1+ yrs). I have normal FSH levels, and we will be starting AI, hoping we don't have to proceed beyond that into other techniques not covered by my insurance. Julia's FSH levels were elevated, which is why she was told she wasn't a good candidate. If you also have elevated FSH, this book may provide more inspiration to you than it did to me. If your FSH is normal, this story probably won't help you that much.
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