Why do women live longer than men? Does ownership of paired X chromosomes confer more prolonged survival on females, or is the gender difference in life-expectancy a cumulative consequence of differing life experiences for women and men? The areas of gender differences in aging, functional capacity, and the response to physical activity have often been the basis for speculation rather than informed judgment.

Gender, Physical Activity, and Aging draws upon the sound knowledge base of leading investigators to provide objective, evidence-based evaluations of particular facets of the aging process. Focusing on gender differences, it examines the rate of aging, loss of functional capacity, disability, and the quality of life among the elderly and presents evidence of potential modification through physical activity and lifestyle.

Winner of the NCTE George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language Although Roe v. Wade identified abortion as a constitutional right 45 years ago, it still bears stigma-a proverbial scarlet A. Millions of Americans have participated in or benefited from an abortion, but few want to reveal that they have done so. Approximately one in five pregnancies in the US ends in abortion. Why is something so common, which has been legal so long, still a source of shame and secrecy? Why is it so regularly debated by politicians, and so seldom divulged from friend to friend? This book explores the personal stigma that prevents many from sharing their abortion experiences with friends and family in private conversation, and the structural stigma that keeps it that way. In public discussion, both proponents and opponents of abortion's legality tend to focus on extraordinary cases. This tendency keeps the national debate polarized and contentious, and keeps our focus on the cases that occur the least. Professor Katie Watson focuses instead on the cases that happen the most, which she calls "ordinary abortion." Scarlet A gives the reflective reader a more accurate impression of what the majority of American abortion practice really looks like. It explains how our silence around private experience has distorted public opinion, and how including both ordinary abortion and abortion ethics could make our public exchanges more fruitful. In Scarlet A, Watson wisely and respectfully navigates one of the most divisive topics in contemporary life. This book explains the law of abortion, challenges the toxic politics that make it a public football and private secret, offers tools for more productive private exchanges, and leads the way to a more robust public discussion of abortion ethics. Scarlet A combines storytelling and statistics to bring the story of ordinary abortion out of the shadows, painting a rich, rarely seen picture of how patients and doctors currently think and act, and ultimately inviting readers to tell their own stories and draw their own conclusions.

In this volume Smith examines the early modern science of generation, which included the study of animal conception, heredity, and fetal development. Analyzing how it influenced the contemporary treatment of traditional philosophical questions, it also demonstrates how philosophical pre-suppositions about mechanism, substance, and cause informed the interpretations offered by those conducting empirical research on animal reproduction. Composed of cutting-edge essays written by an international team of leading scholars, the book offers a fresh perspective on some of the basic problems in early modern philosophy. It also considers how these basic problems manifested themselves within an area of scientific inquiry that has not previously received much consideration by historians of philosophy.

With attention to the ways in which new reproductive technologies facilitate the gradual disembodiment of reproduction, this book reveals the paradox of women's reproductive experience in patriarchal cultures as being both, and often simultaneously, empowering and disempowering. A rich exploration of birth appropriation in the West, New Reproductive Technologies and Disembodiment investigates the assimilation of women's embodied power into patriarchal systems of symbolism, culture and politics through the inversion of women's and men's reproductive roles. Contending that new reproductive technologies represent another world historical moment, both in their forging of novel social relations and material processes of reproduction, and their manner of disembodying women in unprecedented ways - a disembodiment evident in recent visual and literary, popular and academic texts - this volume locates the roots of this disembodiment in western political discourse. A call to feminist political theory to re-remember the material dimensions of bodies and their philosophical significance, New Reproductive Technologies and Disembodiment will appeal to scholars of sociology, gender studies, political and social theory and the study of science, technology and health.

In the space of one generation major changes have begun to take place in the field of human reproduction. A rapid increase in the control of fertility and the understanding and treatment of sexual health issues have been accompanied by an emerging threat to reproductive function linked to increasing environmental pollution and dramatic changes in lifestyle. Organised around four key themes, this book provides a valuable review of some of the most important recent findings in human reproductive ecology. Major topics include the impact of the environment on reproduction, the role of physical activity and energetics in regulating reproduction, sexual maturation and ovulation assessment and demographic, health and family planning issues. Both theoretical and practical issues are covered, including the evolution and importance of the menopause and the various statistical methods by which researchers can analyse characteristics of the menstrual cycle in field studies.

Reproduction is a fundamental feature of life, it is the way life persists across the ages. This book offers new, wider vistas on this fundamental biological phenomenon, exploring how it works through the whole tree of life. It explores facets such as asexual reproduction, parthenogenesis, sex determination and reproductive investment, with a taxonomic coverage extended over all the main groups - animals, plants including 'algae', fungi, protists and bacteria. It collates into one volume perspectives from varied disciplines - including zoology, botany, microbiology, genetics, cell biology, developmental biology, evolutionary biology, animal and plant physiology, and ethology - integrating information into a common language. Crucially, the book aims to identify the commonalties among reproductive phenomena, while demonstrating the diversity even amongst closely related taxa. Its integrated approach makes this a valuable reference book for students and researchers, as well as an effective entry point for deeper study on specific topics.

This book explores the unresolved paradox at the heart of population aging, namely how to account for the fact that death rates from most non-communicable diseases rise as people age, yet aggregate death rates from such diseases have decreased overall despite an increasingly aging population. It provides a long-term historical perspective on this issue, presenting evidence that the underpinnings of modern aging extend as far back as the nineteenth century, and that aging has boosted per capita healthcare spending.  The book first outlines the three eras of the Epidemiologic Transition, taking readers from its first stage where the threat of infectious diseases loom large, through the transitional stage, and on to the modern era, where non-communicable diseases are the primary cause of death.  Next, the book examines the age-profiles of people whose childhoods coincide with the different stages of the Epidemiologic Transition. Using data from England and Wales, one of the few places that have recorded the data necessary for such an exploration, the book resolves the aging paradox by studying hidden generational change. It traverses historical time and identifies the distinct socio-economic and epidemiologic childhood conditions that may appear in it. It then compares, for instance, aging of children brought up in an earlier epidemiologic stage with aging of ones raised in a modern one.  In the process, it explores the influence of childhood development on aging. Overall, the book has a quantitative bent, engaging the reader with analytical issues that will help develop a deeper understanding of modern aging.

Human Fertility: Methods and Protocols is intended for all practitioners of reproductive medicine and ART, as well as for embryologists and reproductive, developmental, cell and molecular biologists and others in the biomedical sciences. The volume presents straight-forward manner best practice approaches for overcoming a host of fertility challenges. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Human Fertility: Methods and Protocols aids scientists in continuing to study assisted reproductive technologies.

The development and selection of ovarian follicles is one of the most active areas of contemporary reproductive research. Relevant experimental work extends from laboratory rodents, across a wide range of domestic species, to human clinical studies, especially as related to problems of fertility and in vitro fertilisation. This 2003 volume provides comprehensive coverage of the field, integrating research findings from animal and human studies and condensing the vast published literature into a meaningful and digestible physiological account which highlights the key role played by the oocyte in influencing all stages of follicular development.

In the space of one generation major changes have begun to take place in the field of human reproduction. A rapid increase in the control of fertility and the understanding and treatment of sexual health issues have been accompanied by an emerging threat to reproductive function linked to increasing environmental pollution and dramatic changes in lifestyle. Organised around four key themes, this book provides a valuable review of some of the most important recent findings in human reproductive ecology. Major topics include the impact of the environment on reproduction, the role of physical activity and energetics in regulating reproduction, sexual maturation and ovulation assessment and demographic, health and family planning issues. Both theoretical and practical issues are covered, including the evolution and importance of the menopause and the various statistical methods by which researchers can analyse characteristics of the menstrual cycle in field studies.

Forms, Souls, and Embryos allows readers coming from different backgrounds to appreciate the depth and originality with which the Neoplatonists engaged with and responded to a number of philosophical questions central to human reproduction, including: What is the causal explanation of the embryo's formation? How and to what extent are Platonic Forms involved? In what sense is a fetus 'alive,' and when does it become a human being? Where does the embryo's soul come from, and how is it connected to its body? This is the first full-length study in English of this fascinating subject, and is a must-read for anyone interested in Neoplatonism or the history of medicine and embryology.

Externally the vertebrate body plan presents a bilateral symmetry in relation to the midline. However, inside the body the distribution of the visceral organs follows a very particular pattern that is not symmetrical in relation to the midline.

The last 10 years have seen remarkable advances in our understanding of how the internal asymmetries typical of the vertebrate body are established and controlled. The use of different development models has permitted to uncover fascinating ways of creating asymmetry, like the activity of the nodal cilia. A host of studies has also unravelled the involvement of many genes in the left right patterning pathway.

Based on this knowledge the genetic basis of human laterality defects are beginning to be revealed. It is a major challenge now to understand how all these genes control left right development as well as the complex set of interactions established between them.

Since 1989, more than 165,000 children have been adopted by American parents. Every indication suggests that this number will increase in the years to come. Many of these children arrive with complex medical and behavioural problems. These children require specialized medical attention to help them get well and adjust to their new lives and surroundings. The Handbook of International Adoption Medicine presents an overview of the medical and developmental issues that affect internationally adopted children, offering guidelines for families and physicians before, during, and after adoption. Laurie Miller has comprehensively researched these topics and also draws from over fifteen years of experience in international adoption and orphanages throughout the world. This book shows how to advise families prior to an international adoption, how to perform an effective initial screening assessment of the newly arrived child, how to manage common behaviour problems, and how to recognize and manage developmental and other more long-term problems as they emerge. Sections cover such subjects as the risks of prenatal exposures, problems in growth and development, infectious diseases, and other medical conditions such as inherited disorders, uncertain age, and precocious puberty. This information has never been available in one place, making the book an invaluable resource for families and professionals in the field of international adoption.

The early environment in which we grow up has profound, long lasting, and often irreversible consequences for us throughout our lives. Stresses due to undernutrition in early childhood can mean that in adulthood individuals are smaller, more prone to disease, and have a shorter life expectancy than those with normal diets. Disease and poor living conditions in infancy and childhood also have serious implications in adulthood. While environmental effects on human growth and development are well documented, the long term consequences due to processes taking place at the early stages of growth and development have only recently become a focus of intense study. In this volume, leading researchers in nutrition, epidemiology, human biology, anthropology and physiology bring together a uniquely accessible source of information on this fascinating topic.

Reproduction plays a huge part in many people's lives, but often little is understood about the biological processes involved and the larger impact of reproductive choices. This book offers an accessible, comprehensive introduction to this fascinating subject. Irina Pollard takes a unique, interdisciplinary perspective, describing in detail the biology of human reproduction, but also covering in depth the impact of procreational behavior on human social structures, the environment, and health. This compelling and authoritative account is the first to draw together in a single volume these two disparate yet intimately connected strands of the story of human reproduction. The book covers fertility and infertility, sexual behavior and pheromones, sperm creation, maternal physiology during pregnancy, fetal development, the biology of breast feeding, and the impact of parental behavior on the physiology of the newborn, as well as population dynamics, artificial control of fertility, the AIDS epidemic, the effects of nutrition and exercise on reproductive behavior, and the causes of birth defects, including abuse of substances such as nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine. This book is an ideal text for undergraduate and graduate students studying biology, medicine, anthropology, human ecology, population dynamics, and public health. It is also an engrossing and enlightening source of information for a wide range of general readers including prospective parents, pregnant mothers, teenagers, and anyone wishing a concise, up-to-date review of human reproductive biology.

Reproduction plays a huge part in many people's lives, but often little is understood about the biological processes involved and the larger impact of reproductive choices. This book offers an accessible, comprehensive introduction to this fascinating subject. Irina Pollard takes a unique, interdisciplinary perspective, describing in detail the biology of human reproduction, but also covering in depth the impact of procreational behavior on human social structures, the environment, and health. This compelling and authoritative account is the first to draw together in a single volume these two disparate yet intimately connected strands of the story of human reproduction. The book covers fertility and infertility, sexual behavior and pheromones, sperm creation, maternal physiology during pregnancy, fetal development, the biology of breast feeding, and the impact of parental behavior on the physiology of the newborn, as well as population dynamics, artificial control of fertility, the AIDS epidemic, the effects of nutrition and exercise on reproductive behavior, and the causes of birth defects, including abuse of substances such as nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine. This book is an ideal text for undergraduate and graduate students studying biology, medicine, anthropology, human ecology, population dynamics, and public health. It is also an engrossing and enlightening source of information for a wide range of general readers including prospective parents, pregnant mothers, teenagers, and anyone wishing a concise, up-to-date review of human reproductive biology.

This volume describes from an interdisciplinary perspective human motor development using longitudinal study methods. The biological basis of motor development is discussed, looking at mechanisms of embryonic growth and fetal development. Fetal movement patterns and developmental processes and adaptations that continue throughout childhood are also treated. Chapters cover the mechanisms that underlie the development of posture, goal-directed behavior, movement patterns for communication and the acquisition of skills, such as tool use and writing. The book also considers how the developmental process can go wrong. Possible risk factors for abnormal motor development are discussed and the adaptive processes that accompany motor deficiencies in childhood and later life are also described.

Ever wondered why your life and health can sometimes be so hard to control? Or why it seems so easy for other people? Mark Hanson and Lucy Green draw on their years of experience as scientists and educators to cut through the usual information on genetics and lifestyle to reveal the secrets of early development which start to make each of us unique, during our first 1,000 days from the moment of conception. Some surprising discoveries, based on little-known new research, show how events during our first 1,000 days make each of us who we are and explain how we control our bodies, processes that go way beyond just the genes which we inherited. Provoking new ways of thinking about being parents, this book empowers individuals and society to give the next generation the gift of a good start to life and future health.

In this, our Second Edition of Reproduction in Mammals, we are responding to numerous requests for a more up-to-date and rather more detailed treatment of the subject. The First Edition was accorded an excellent reception, but the first five books were written ten years ago and inevitably there have been advances on many fronts since then. As before, the manner of presentation is intended to make the subject matter interesting to read and readily comprehensible to undergraduates in the biological sciences, and yet with sufficient depth to provide a valued source of information to graduates engaged in both teaching and research. Our authors have been selected from among the best known in their respective fields. This volume discusses the manifold ways in which hormones control the reproductive processes in male and female mammals. The hypothalamus regulates both the anterior and posterior pituitary glands, whilst the pineal can exert a modulating influence on the hypothalamus. The pituitary gonadotrophins regulate the endocrine and gametogenic activities of the gonads, and there are important local feedback effects of hormones within the gonads themselves. Non-pregnant females display many different types of oestrous or menstrual cycles, and there are likewise great species differences in the endocrinology of pregnancy. But the hallmark of mammals is lactation, and this also exerts a major control on subsequent reproductive activity.

Reproduction in Mammals is intended to meet the needs of undergraduates reading zoology, biology, biochemistry, physiology, medicine, veterinary science and agriculture, and to be a source of information for advanced students and research workers. It is published as a series of small textbooks dealing with all major aspects of mammalian reproduction. Each of the component books is designed to cover independently fairly distinct subdivisions of the subject, so that readers can select texts relevant to their particular interests and needs. This volume consists of a series of thought-provoking essays by people with a number of very different backgrounds, including biology, comparative anatomy, psychology, psychiatry and moral philosophy. They discuss the physiology mechanisms, adaptive significance, clinical picture and social impact of a variety of patterns of human sexual behaviour, thereby providing a balanced and informative account of a highly sensitive and emotive subject.

Reproduction in Mammals is intended to meet the needs of undergraduates reading zoology, biology, biochemistry, physiology, medicine, veterinary science and agriculture, and to be a source of information for advanced students and research workers. It is published as a series of small textbooks dealing with all major aspects of mammalian reproduction. Each of the component books is designed to cover independently fairly distinct subdivisions of the subject, so that readers can select texts relevant to their particular interests and needs. This volume consists of a series of thought-provoking essays by people with a number of very different backgrounds, including biology, comparative anatomy, psychology, psychiatry and moral philosophy. They discuss the physiology mechanisms, adaptive significance, clinical picture and social impact of a variety of patterns of human sexual behaviour, thereby providing a balanced and informative account of a highly sensitive and emotive subject.

A lift-the-flap book showing milestones in a baby's development during pregnancy and the mother's experiences as it grows.

Why are women biologically driven to find Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome?Can more sex help ensure a safe pregnancy?What effect does pornography have on a man's fertility?

Dr. Sharon Moalem, author of the New York Times bestseller Survival of the Sickest, takes us on a trip from prehistory to the forefront of cutting-edge medical research--and through a bedroom or two--to tell the story of how human sexuality has developed over time. How Sex Works challenges common perceptions about our bodies as it provides answers to such provocative questions as: Can the birth control pill influence the type of men women are attracted to? Why do hourglass-shaped women tend to be especially fertile? When are women most likely to cheat? Can twins have different fathers?

From the composition and function of human sex organs to the fascinating biochemistry behind sexual attraction, How Sex Works is an entertaining, comprehensive exploration of culture, biology, and history that takes us far beyond our common understanding of sex.

The Male Reproductive System chart presents an overview of the structure and function of male reproductive anatomy. The primary image illustrates the overall structure, including the penis and testicles. Diagrams lay-out the process of spermiogenesis and the movement of sperm. Heavy gauge 3ml lamination with sealed edges and two metal eyelets for hanging makes chart highly durable. Write-on/wipe-off with dry erase marker (not included).

Why do women live longer than men? Does ownership of paired X chromosomes confer more prolonged survival on females, or is the gender difference in life-expectancy a cumulative consequence of differing life experiences for women and men? The areas of gender differences in aging, functional capacity, and the response to physical activity have often been the basis for speculation rather than informed judgment. Gender, Physical Activity, and Aging draws upon the sound knowledge base of leading investigators to provide objective, evidence-based evaluations of particular facets of the aging process. Focusing on gender differences, it examines the rate of aging, loss of functional capacity, disability, and the quality of life among the elderly and presents evidence of potential modification through physical activity and lifestyle.