It's book review time!

I just got done reading through The Fertility Journal, A Day by Day Guide to Getting Pregnant by Kim Hahn and the Editors of Conceive Magazine.

When I was first asked to take part in this review, I was simply ~thrilled~. It was just up my alley! I mean, what was I more obsessed with than trying to conceive? Nothing! And a JOURNAL to do it all in? Heaven.

See, I'm a forms girl. I love filling things out. I actually race other patients in doctor's offices to see how much faster I can fill out my entire medical history, which is quite extensive, than anyone else given the forms. Even with a head start, no one beats me. This shows you a little bit of my obsessiveness, but will also give me a little credit when talking about the aspect of ~journals~.

The book came in two parts. For the first year ttc-er and then for the woman who has moved into treatments.

The first year was a day by day block of things to checkoff and to note. It was also interspersed with little "notes" and "tips" about trying to conceive tidbits and also what to expect when you receive that magic line.

I imagined being a newbie and loving this. Being excited about those first steps. Reading the little tips and taking notes. But also, since I am an old bitter ttc with a happy ending, I thought about how those little "looking ahead to pregnancy" could start to wear on me, especially after a hard day. In no means do I think the author's should of left it out. It crossed my mind so I wanted to mention it.

The second section of the book was handled differently than the first due to treatment cycles. As any of you who have gone through treatment cycles knows, it's all about medications. And the journal understands this. The daily boxes are now files with appointment notes, doctor's orders and a medication schedule. VERY nice and tidy for anyone obsesses with KEEPING TRACK! Oh yes, this was me.

I personally would have loved to have this journal during my IVF and FET cycles. I kept my notes on some graph paper, pretty much trying to make my own daily journal records. I much rather would have had a prepopulated place to jot down my notes. The journal didn't miss anything I would have needed either.

I plan on passing this copy of "The Fertility Journal" off to one of my friends who is just starting to ttc. I think it would be a great emotional help to any trying to conceiver because, well, it just seems like you are ~doing something~ in your cycles. The months can start melting together and with taking notes like you would in the journal, you could possibly pick up on little nuances and end up helping yourself before you ever reach the big scary "infertility treatments" pages.

I'm almost a little bummed I don't get to use it myself. (okay, so I'm lying a little bit here at the end! ~wink~)