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Preconception Book Review

Expecting Miracles: On the Path of Hope from Infertility to Parenthood

By by Michele St. Martin

Expecting Miracles is the story of Dr. Christo Zouves and some of the patients he has treated in his San Francisco-based fertility clinic. Many of the patients he sees are on the verge of giving up their quest to build a family through pregnancy and childbirth; some have been encouraged to do so by other doctors. They've put years of their lives on hold, suffered painful procedures, spent tens of thousands of dollars, and lived the heartbreak of being infertile in a child-centered society. Some have had miscarriage after miscarriage. Dr. Zouves is often their last hope.

This book presents the stories of 22 couples who are past patients of Dr. Zouves. You come to know these people and identify with their struggles as the dream of parenthood is snatched from them again and again. It's almost as if you were there like a fly on the wall at Dr. Zouves' clinic, sharing their pain and their hopes. You come, too, to know Dr. Zouves, who shares his own story, personal and professional, and you begin to see why he is driven to help these couples build their families. That in itself sets this book apart from the average book about infertility.

Although he is remarkable in his concern for his patients as individuals, Dr. Zouves seems to look at individual cases as if they are puzzles -- ones that he can solve, if only he can find the missing pieces. His tools are compassion, a thorough grasp of the high-tech procedures that comprise modern reproductive medicine and a willingness to break new ground as he searches for answers that are often elusive but generally there, if one is willing to take the risks and spend the time to find them. Though many of these patients are at the end of the road, so to speak, Dr. Zouves doesn't see things quite that way. He recognizes their courage, their isolation and the need that drives them to try just one more time. In his own words, "It is my great, good fortune to have accompanied them along the way."

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