Older Moms and the Pursuit of Fertility

Paulson, of USC, is not only a leading authority on egg donation, he has treated the oldest mother in the world (a 63-year-old who gave birth in 1996). This book describes the process of pursuing motherhood well after natural fertility has diminished with age.

Paulson starts out by honoring the concept that motherhood is a natural desire that should not be denied, even to women in menopause. From there, he and coauthor Sachs describe an actual patient’s experiences undergoing treatment. The woman, 48-year-old Sarah, is shown in all phases of the process, including the struggles she and her husband go through to achieve a pregnancy. Woven into the anecdotes is technical information about various treatments and the science of human infertility.

The book discusses sensitive issues, such as society’s reaction to older mothers and the question of “who is a fit parent?” Besides being a good consumer guide, this book will advance the debate about the appropriateness of infertility treatments in older couples.

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“Stealth Health: How to Sneak Nutrition Painlessly Into Your Diet” Evelyn Tribole; Viking; $24.95; 224 pages

Evelyn Tribole is one of the most helpful consumer nutritionists around. Tribole, who practices in Beverly Hills and Irvine, gave us the thoughtful book “Intuitive Eating” (Mass Market Paperback, 1996), along with coauthor Elyse Resch. Her new book takes the next step to address how people feel about various foods.

“Stealth Health” is essentially a recipe book. But it is compiled as a way to address the problems people encounter while trying to eat healthier. Chapters are aimed at such common problems as avoiding or disliking vegetables, fruit and milk. Most of the recipes are easy to fix and suitable for time-pressed families.