Please God send me a husband

Many women desire to find the man of their dreams, fall in love, get married, and live happily ever after. But it?s not as easy as it sounds. This road is often filled with potholes and hurdles.

Gynecologist and author, Dr Monique Rainford, knows first-hand how difficult that journey can be. She told Outlook, "I really did not have an easy road to marriage. It took way longer than I expected, and some of my friends were married years before, so, at times, I was really worried it would not happen. I was one of those women who felt that it was very important to my life."

In the midst of this difficult 'journey', she had the idea for her second book, Please God Send me a Husband.

She found her life partner in her husband Chester Ryan Bourne, but before they met, she revealed, "At times, it was difficult to meet men that I found interesting. At other times, I might have met men that I found interesting, but were otherwise not compatible."

Whereas her first book,The Maternal Glow, was about her practice as an obstetrician, this book is more personal. "For this book, I called upon my personal experience. I spoke with more than 50 women. I read articles on relationships and I studied psychology courses dealing with relationships. Some of the major hurdles include anything from getting a date to sorting through which men are sincere from those who are not, and determining which type of man suits them best," she explained, adding that, to some extent, her book is a how-to guide.

"The book discusses everything from the decision about whether women should get married, to self-development prior to marriage, to advice on what to look for in a husband, and more." She said that in the first chapter of the book she addresses the issue that marriage is not for some women. But she advises: "She notes that women need to have a good sense of what they want in a man, which I believe comes from having a good understanding of themselves. They need to remain open to opportunities to meet new people and they should avoid being trapped in dead-end relationships."

First conceptualised in 2005, Dr Rainford did not begin writing the book that was launched on Tuesday in Washington DC, until three years ago. She told Outlook it was all about finding the balance. "The balance between work, marriage and motherhood is always difficult to navigate, but I know that this is often true for working mothers in general."

A gynaecologist obstetrician for more than 16 years, the Harvard alum is now a member of 'The Women' OB/GYN Group in Maryland - having moved to the United States about a year ago.