Miscarriage What Woman Needs To Know Paperback – July 10, 2018

I bought it for my friend; after reading it she confessed that it helped him a lot

Regan is a recurrent miscarriage specialist from the UK, and her book - now 12 years old - really helped me wrap my mind around miscarriage as a patient trying to make sense of it all. Regan is a clinician and researcher, making her a wonderful guide through the murky waters of miscarriage. Not only does she see patients, but she studies the subject systematically and she knows how to describe and interpret scientific research. She provides compassionate, sensible advice throughout the book, and she weaves in thoughtful overviews of miscarriage research to date (keep in mind this is at least 12 years old, but alas, not that much of importance has changed). She frequently reminds the reader about how much we still do not know, and I found that very humble and realistic. She does not make false promises or give readers false hopes. She lays out the good, the bad and the ugly, and her ultimate message is one of cautious optimism for women who have experienced miscarriage - whether one miscarriage or multiple miscarriages. Being a realist myself, I appreciated her approach. She does not tell the reader "everything is going to be all right." She does not use the word "miracles" in her title, nor does she suggest that your miracle is imminent. She does, however, lay out really well what you're likely to be facing if you have this experience.In terms of content, Bruce Young's book "Miscarriage, Medicine & Miracles" is very similar, but I *much* prefer Regan's book to Young's. Regan's book is written for the smarter, more experienced reader, and it provides much more detail than Young's book. I hope Regan can publish an updated version of this guide in the future. Personally, I think it would be wonderful if she could include more about alternative medicine (which she supports, especially since we are still in the dark ages with western medicine on many of these topics) and more information for mothers of "advanced maternal age," laying out what we know now about how to improve the ovarian environment to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy (DHEA, etc).All in all, despite the book's age, I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to someone going through this excruciating experience. It's highly informative, and I closed the book with a great sense of respect for Regan and her compassion for her patients, and by extension, her readers. I had a strong, positive sense that she wants all women to succeed in achieving a healthy pregnancy, while at the same time encouraging patients to be very realistic about the odds they may face due to age, underlying disease or disorder, random chance genetic issues, and so on. As a patient, it helped me develop a clear-eyed view of what we experienced, and for me, that made a world of difference in recovering.

I bought this book because of the extensive sections on recurrent miscarriage, but rather than providing possible solutions and treatments, it simply bombards you with possible causes and no solutions. Worse than that, it dismisses solutions that are not only prescribed by most books on the subject, but by most doctors as well (progesterone replacement, baby aspirin, vitex, etc). The most shocking thing I read in this book was the author's claim that progesterone deficiency wasn't a cause of recurrent miscarriage, but a symptom of a miscarriage that is impending. When other books on miscarriage as well as new research into "premenopause" and other hormonal imbalances have concluded just the opposite (miscarriage is a symptom of the hormonal imbalance).I'm so glad my copy of "Miscarriage, Medicine, and Miracles" arrived first, so I had already read that wonderfully informative and positive book as well as a great book on progesterone deficiency (What You're Doctor Won't Tell You About Premenopause) before I read this. If I had read this three days after my last miscarriage I can't imagine how much worse it would have made me feel.If you're looking for success stories, forget it. If you're looking for hopeful and helpful solutions, forget it. In short, this book blows.