Infertility. Unfortunately, it’s a term far too many couples become intimately acquainted with on their quest to become parents.   While Western medicine holds many options for today’s couples, esteemed infertility expert Dr. Daoshing Ni believes traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can help.

The Tao of Fertility, written by Dr. Ni and former patient Dana Herko, provides a practical plan for conception by combining TCM and Taoist principles to carry a woman through pregnancy, childbirth and beyond.

The seven bloggers who reviewed this book are at varying stages of life. Some intend to grow their families, while others consider their families complete. A few of our bloggers experienced infertility themselves, while others had an easy time conceiving. But all of our readers found this book compelling and “worth reading if you are at all affected by infertility.”

The Tao of Fertility assumes no prior knowledge of TCM, writes one blogger. But Ni and Herko lay out fertility advice in a “straightforward, clear, and logical way.” Another blogger also pointed this out, adding that the authors “were kind enough not to fill the book with jargon that would leave my eyes bleeding and my head hurting. They wrote in plain speech, and didn’t appear to try to dazzle the reader with flashy prose. On the contrary, this book is written so that a person with no knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine could understand it, and glean very helpful… and healthful information.”

The book “includes a questionnaire to find your ‘fertility map,’ a 28-day fertility program featuring a healthy diet (with recipes!) and self-acupressure, a discussion of how acupuncture works and a special section on specific infertility problems.” One reviewer noted, “In less than 300 pages, it covers material, much that I’ve seen in other sources, but in a more direct, concise way. Its suggestions are helpful not just for those wanting to conceive but for anyone, male or female, who is interested in a healthier lifestyle.”

 Dr. Ni believes a woman’s body, mind, and soul must be prepared for not only conception but pregnancy and beyond.  He, reveals one reviewer, “encourages readers to make serious changes in their lives, from diet and nutrition, to herbs, acupuncture and exercise, and even examining your readiness toward having a child.”

The good doctor, who is a descendant of more than 70 generations of Taoist masters, doesn’t downplay Western medicine’s strengths in the infertility arena. One mother/reviewer thought this might be the case. At first, she was skeptical: “I didn’t feel like a diet change or some imagery exercises would be able to unblock my fallopian tubes or locate my missing ovary. But I got the impression from reading the book that Ni isn’t trying to say that. He admits that some fertility challenges require surgery. That IVF might be necessary. But he also offers some things you can do to help yourself.”                                                                              

As women age, fertility drops. But just because you’re several years past the big 3-0, doesn’t mean your fertility window has closed. Dao has much to say on this topic. One mother who blogs remarks that “although I don’t share the same problems as the women in the book, I do share one important commonality: age. It’s harder to conceive after 35. It seemed all of Dr. Dao’s patients were in their 30s and 40s. He has good news about this — well, it seemed like good news to me — that good health has a positive effect on your eggs. Even a twentysomething can damage her fertility with an unhealthy lifestyle.”

Throughout The Tao of Fertility a few of the good doctor’s former patients share their gut-wrenching experiences with infertility as well as their experiences with the “east meets west” medical approach. It becomes quite apparent that Dr. Ni is more than just a doctor. He’s an advocate too.  “The most interesting thing that the book hit home, for me, is the importance of having someone knowledgeable on your side.  You can feel, from the women’s stories in the book, how much they’ve come to rely on Dr. Dao.  It’s like what I hear from my wife and her colleagues when they talk about how and why they do what they do as family doctors-about how they transform their role of “doctor” into one of coach, friend, ally, guide, interpreter, all in one,” observes one father/reviewer “… After reading this book, my wife doesn’t just want to follow a written plan and use its shopping list to buy ingredients for tea-she wants to find someone like Dr. Dao who can guide us through this.”