Your fertile years : what you need to know to make informed choices

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Knowing your body: understanding your menstrual cycle and fertile window -- The biological clock: female fertility decline -- Optimizing your reproductive health -- Everything you should know about sex -- If you do not want to become pregnant, how do you prevent it? -- How sexually transmitted infections affect fertility -- What you should know about pregnancy and childbirth -- Is egg freezing the answer to age-related fertility decline? -- What causes infertility and how we test for it -- Debunking the myths of fertility treatments -- The menopause is not far away -- What does the future hold for reproduction?

Do you know your body as well as you think you do? For most women, their reproductive system is just something they live with - periods happen, contraception is (or isn't) used - and it all ticks over quietly without any need for interference. Until, that is, you need to decide when to have a baby. Or when not to have a baby. You want to get pregnant. Or not to get pregnant. You need to know when you're most fertile. Or when you're least fertile. That's when you find out that, in fact, you know very little about how your body actually works. Professor Joyce Harper is an internationally recognised expert on fertility, and in Your Fertile Years she sweeps aside the myths, misconceptions and misinformation that characterise our understanding of the female reproductive system. All the information in this book is based on the latest scientific evidence and the most thorough research into every aspect of fertility, meaning you can expect authoritative and credible answers to all your questions about your menstrual cycle, your fertility, egg freezing, IVF and the best time to get pregnant. You'll also discover the truth about supplements, diet and holistic therapies - what works, and what doesn't - and the bottom line about the best age to have a baby. Designed to accompany you through your fertile years and beyond into menopause, this book gives you the guidance you need to make decisions that work for you and your body.