Part of the recognised Infertility Management Series, this handbook is a complete guide to ovarian stimulation. Beginning with an overview of the physiology of gonadotropins, the following chapters discuss ways in which clinicians may better predict ovarian response to stimulation and how to select and tailor appropriate protocols. The book covers both oral and injectable agents for stimulation, and protocols for IVF and IUI, egg donors, oncofertility patients, and for low ovarian response. The final chapter details complications in ovarian stimulation, and their prevention and management. Other titles in the series include: Investigating Infertility, Intrauterine Insemination, Practical Management of Male Infertility, and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Key points Part of Infertility Management Series providing complete guide to ovarian stimulation Helps clinicians better predict ovarian response and select appropriate treatment protocols Covers oral and injectable agents for different patient groups Edited by recognised team of experts in reproductive medicine

Progestogens are a class of steroid hormones that bind to and activate the progesterone receptor. This book is a guide to the use of progestogens for clinicians. Beginning with an overview of structure, biochemistry and classification, the following chapters discuss methods of administration, pharmacokinetics, metabolism and the physiological actions of progesterone. The remaining sections of the book cover clinical usage guidelines for progestogens, their role in contraception, side effects and contraindications. The book concludes with a chapter offering guidance on prescription writing and detailed references. Key points Guide to progestogens for obstetricians and gynaecologists Provides step by step detail on structure, classification, and pharmacokinetics Includes clinical usage guidelines, side effects and contraindications Features chapter on prescription writing

Aegean Conferences is an independent, nonprofit, educational organization directed and managed by the scientific community. The board is made up of nine researchers/scientists in various disciplines from Harvard, Brown, University of Pennsylvania, UCSD, Princeton, Biovista and the Foundation for Biomedical Research Academy of Athens. The board both invites and approves unsolicited proposals for Conferences in all fields of Science, Engineering, Arts, and Humanities. The purpose of the Conferences is to bring together individuals with common interests to examine the emerging and most advanced aspects of their particular field.

The Symposium on Ovarian Cancer: State of the Art and Future Directions intends to bring together international experts interested in the development of novel diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic tools for ovarian cancer. The meeting will function as a think tank where clinicians, translational and basic scientists, and parties from the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry will get together to review recent advances in clinical research and translational science in ovarian cancer and define areas of future research opportunities and priorities.

This book, part of the series Rare Diseases of the Immune System, offers comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of the pathophysiology and management of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Immunologic and genetic aspects are discussed and the pathogenic mechanisms responsible for such phenomena as APS-mediated thrombosis and pregnancy loss/complications are explained. The main clinical manifestations, classification criteria and diagnostic tools are identified, and close attention is paid to the nature of the involvement of various organs or organ systems in APS. Specific chapters describe the treatment of the different symptoms, therapies of value in avoiding recurrences, and innovative treatment approaches. The authors are senior experts in the field who are aided by younger fellows, ensuring that the book is also educationally oriented. This handy volume will be a valuable tool for postgraduates in training and professionals wishing to extend their knowledge of this specific syndrome.

An analysis of cell death in reproductive physiology. It examines topics such as the control of apoptosis in the uterus during decidualization and stern cell factor regulation of apoptosis in mouse primordial germ cells.

Peritoneoscopy and culdoscopy were first introduced in the second edition of TeLinde's Operative Gynecology in 1953. TeLinde noted, "In many instances we find peritoneoscopy to be a useful procedure. Nevertheless it often left something to be desired." During the subsequent four decades, enormous progress has allowed the expansion of the application of laparoscopy and hysteroscopy throughout gynecol- ogy. Thus, it is appropriate and quite useful to have a text devoted solely to this rapidly advancing specialty. In its second edition, the text Practical Manual of Operative Laparoscopy and Hys- teroscopy is a complete and honest overview of the field providing the reader with a critical appraisal of the current literature on technique, development, and long- term follow-up. Refreshingly, the authors include not only the American experi- ence but also advances from Europe and Asia. Ricardo Azziz and Ana Alvarez Murphy have carefully organized the text into general concepts and laparoscopic and hysteroscopic operative techniques. The editors have selected authors of national and international stature to prepare chap- ters in their areas of expertise. The edited text carefully analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of each operative technique so as to allow readers insight as to the proper place for a particular endoscopic technique in their surgical practices.

In this second volume, the Biennial Review of Infertility brings together the most up-to-date research and clinical information on male and female infertility, emerging assisted reproductive techniques, and controversial issues in reproductive medicine. This volume includes discussion of cutting-edge topics such as epigenetics, proteomics, and the role of the environment in fertility, as well as insightful evidence-based discussion of common clinical procedures. It is the cumulative effort of a preeminent panel of experts presenting each chapter in a clear and well-balanced manner. Created to provide an ongoing appraisal of current knowledge, the Biennial Review of Infertility stimulates communication amongst all those working to help couples resolve their infertility.

The Part 3 MRCOG is a clinical assessment of knowledge, skills, attitudes and competencies. Passing the Part 3 exam leads to the award of the Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG) and remains the essential waypoint for UK trainees to pass from core training to higher training. Trainees must have passed MRCOG Parts 1 and 2 before they can sit the Part 3 exam (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists). This book is a complete revision guide for students preparing for the MRCOG Part 3 examination. Beginning with an overview of training in obstetrics and gynaecology in the UK and basics of the exam, the following chapters provide step by step tips and advice on aspects of the exam, patient safety, communication with patients and colleagues, information gathering, application of knowledge, and clinical governance. The book features nearly 50 OSCE scenarios with variations that may be encountered in the exam, as well as clinical problems and their solutions. Related specialties such as anatomy, genetics, immunology, endocrinology, and psychology, are also discussed. Key points Complete revision guide for students preparing for the MRCOG Part 3 examination Features nearly 50 OSCE scenarios that may be encountered in the exam Includes clinical problems and their solutions Discusses structure of the UK National Health Service and the role of midwives in the care of pregnant women

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal malignancy of the female reproductive system and is also the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women. Sharing common characteristics of cancer, ovarian malignancy possess several clinical and biological particularities In "Ovarian Cancer: Methods and Protocols," expert researchers in the field provide methods that have been created or adapted to study various aspects of ovarian cancer. These methods and techniques are applicable to study genetic alterations present in ovarian cancer, structural and metabolic features of ovarian cancer cells, include in vitro and in vivo models that recapitulate ovarian cancer development and progression, and describe ovarian cancer-oriented drug delivery approaches. Methodological chapters are grouped into seven thematic parts, any of them is introduced by short subject review. 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 key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Authoritative and practical, " Ovarian Cancer: Methods and Protocols" seeks to aid scientist to optimize study designs, to correctly select the most applicable methods, and to produce interesting and novel results."

If there is one aspect of current cancer research that represents a major ch- lenge in both novice and experienced researchers, it is the rapid advance in our understanding of the disease. Researchers can be required to switch from analysis of gene expression to kinetics of protein activation, from genetic studies to the analysis of protein funtion. Cancers are highly complex disease systems and researchers aiming to understand the functioning of cancer systems require access to a wide range of laboratory techiques from a broad range of research disciplines. Increasingly, however, published methods are incomplete or refer back to a series of previous publications each containing only a small part of the complete pro- col. The aim of Ovarian Cancer: Methods and Protocols is to provide for ovarian cancer researchers in the first instance, a laboratory handbook that will facilitate research into cancer systems by providing a series of expert protocols, with proven efficacy, across a broad range of technical expertise. Thus, there are sections on tumor genetics and cellular signal transduction, as well as sections on apoptosis and RNA analysis. The value of Ovarian Cancer: Methods and Protocols to the ovarian cancer researcher will, I trust, be considerably enhanced by (1) the provision of a series of overviews relating to the biology, diagnosis, and treatment of this important neoplasm, and (2) the provision of a series of technical overviews introducing each part that provides an expert review of the applications and pitfalls of the various techniques included.

The prevalence of hypertension is almost three times as high as that of diabetes mellitus type 2, with both conditions being major risk factors for stroke, ischemic heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias, and heart failure. The exact prevalence of hypertension related to hormonal derangements (endocrine hypertension) is not known but estimated to affect less than 15% of hypertensive patients. Recent scientific discoveries have increased the understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms of hypertension. In Endocrine Hypertension, a renowned panel of experts provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of this disorder, discussing when to assign an endocrine cause in one of many conditions that may present with hypertension. The first part of Endocrine Hypertension is dedicated to adrenal causes. The second part of the volume concerns potential nonadrenal causes of hypertension, such as growth hormone excess or deficiency, primary hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D deficiency, testosterone deficiency, insulin resistance, obesity-associated hypertension, and the role of central mineralocorticoid receptors and cardiovascular disease. An important contribution to the literature, Endocrine Hypertension is an indispensable reference not only for endocrinologists, diabetologists, and adrenal investigators, but also for translational scientists and clinicians from cardiology, internal medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, geriatrics, urology, and reproductive medicine / gynecology.

A mother's narcotics abuse can have profound effects on her pregnancy and the health of her child, both inside and outside the womb. Spontaneous abortion, premature birth, labor difficulties, increased perinatal and neonatal mortality, respiratory distress, low birth weight, and passed on addiction are just some of the possibilities. Ernest Abel's Narcotics and Reproduction: A Bibliography is the first comprehensive listing of the scholarly research literature produced on this subject. Arranged alphabetically by author, the book lists materials dealing with the effects of the use of heroin, morphine, methadone, and related drugs on sexual function, reproduction, and the fetus.

Practicing specialists in pathology, laboratory medicine, and obstetrics comprehensively summarize the latest scientific findings and their experiences in the use and interpretation of laboratory testing in patients who are pregnant or experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss. Topics of interest include the effects of normal physiological changes on test results, test selection for diagnosis, changes in reference ranges, monitoring the pregnant patient, new technologies, and the limitations of laboratory testing. The authors not only clearly explain currently used test methods and technologies for the nontechnical reader, but also provide comprehensive details for laboratory professionals. The comprehensive appendix that compiles published normal reference ranges by first, second, and third trimester consttitutes an excellent resource for professionals caring for pregnant women.

Anyone working to improve the childbearing experience and help women avoid unnecessary intervention has encountered numerous obstetric myths or old doctors' tales. And while the evidence in the medical literature may be solidly, often unequivocably, against whatever the doctor said, without access to that evidence, the pregnant woman is quite reasonably going to follow her doctor. This book is an attempt to make the medical literature on a variety of key obstetric issues accessible to people who lack the time, expertise, access, or proximity to a medical library to research concerns on their own. This compact, accurate, yet understandable reference is designed for people without medical training and organized for easy access.

After an introductory chapter giving basic information about the different types of medical studies, how to evaluate them, and some basic statistical concepts, Goer provides chapters on cesarean issues, pregnancy and labor management, and a review of alternative approaches. Each chapter begins with a stated myth, followed by an examination of the reality. Goer then analyzes the mainstream belief, pointing out its fallacies. Then comes a list of significant points gleaned from the studies and keyed to her abstracts. Next is the outline by which the abstracts are grouped. Finally come the numbered abstracts of relevant articles published, in most cases, after 1980. The book concludes with a glossary of medical terms and an index. This compact, accurate, and understandable reference tool is designed for people without medical training as well as care givers.

Leading researchers and experienced clinicians join forces not only to illuminate today's understanding of the endocrinology of menopause, but also to provide a sound basis for its successful management. These seasoned experts review in detail the cardiovascular, bone, brain, and genitourinary changes that accompany menopause and spell out the risks, benefits, and alternatives of conventional hormone replacement therapy. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), androgen replacement, calcium supplementation, and the role of phytoestrogens are also fully reviewed. Menopause: Endocrinology and Management offers practicing physicians a comprehensive understanding of the menopause process, as well as an evidence-based approach to optimizing treatment strategies for the challenging medical problems accompanying this important period in women's lives.

Medical imaging has been transformed over the past 30 years by the advent of computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and various advances in x-ray and ultrasonic techniques. An enabling force behind this progress has been the (so far) exponentially increasing power of computers, which has made it practical to explore fundamentally new approaches. In particular, what our group terms "model-based" modalities-which produce tissue property images from data using nonlinear, iterative numerical modeling techniques-have become increasingly feasible.

Alternative Breast Imaging: Four Model-Based Approaches explores our research on four such modalities, particularly with regard to imaging of the breast: (1) MR elastography (MRE), (2) electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), (3) microwave imaging spectroscopy (MIS), and (4) near infrared spectroscopic imaging (NIS). Chapter 1 introduces the present state of breast imaging and discusses how our alternative modalities can contribute to the field. Chapter 2 looks at the computational common ground shared by all four modalities. Chapters 2 through 10 are devoted to the four modalities, with each modality being discussed first in a theory chapter and then in an implementation-and-results chapter. The eleventh and final chapter discusses statistical methods for image analysis in the context of these four alternative imaging modalities.

Imaging for the detection of breast cancer is a particularly interesting and relevant application of the four imaging modalities discussed in this book. Breast cancer is an extremely common health problem for women; the National Cancer Institute estimates that one in eight US women will develop breast cancer at least once in her lifetime. Yet the efficacy of the standard (and notoriously uncomfortable) early-detection test, the x-ray mammogram, has been disputed of late, especially for younger women. Conditions are thus ripe for the development of affordable techniques that replace or complement mammography. The breast is both anatomically accessible and small enough that the computing power required to model it, is affordable.

The Interfaces of Perinatal Addiction Ira J ChasnofT In the last few years, problems associated with drug use in pregnancy have become endemic. As cocaine has become the drug of choice for millions of Americans, including pregnant women, as AIDS has become more commonly recognized in women and infants, and as legal cases have begun to raise the question of fetal abuse, no professional group has come forward to serve as advocate for this special population of substance abusers. Meanwhile, however, physicians, nurses, social service agencies and public health officials have all been faced with increasing numbers of infants showing the detrimental effects of their mothers' drug use. Although problems of substance abuse in pregnancy have received increasing attention in the medical literature since the early 1970s, there has recently been a very rapid increase in the number of articles published related to this field. The reasons for this new interest are easily understood when current statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse are reviewed 1. Although patterns of abuse of alcohol, marijuana, heroin and other substances by women of childbearing age have changed very little over the last ten years, the incidence of cocaine use in this special population has been rising rapidly, a reflection of cocaine's increasing popularity among the general population of the United States.

In June 1998 the Fourth International Workshop on Digital Mammography was held in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, where it was hosted by the department of Radiology of the University Hospital Nijmegen. This series of meetings was initiated at the 1993 SPIE Biomedical Image Processing Conference in San Jose, USA, where a number of sessions were entirely devoted to mammographic image analysis. At very successful subsequent workshops held in York, UK (1994) and Chicago, USA (1996), the scope of the conference was broadened, establishing a platform for presentation and discussion of new developments in digital mammog raphy. Topics that are addressed at these meetings are computer-aided diagnosis, image processing, detector development, system design, observer performance and clinical evaluation. The goal is to bring researchers from universities, breast cancer experts, and engineers together, to exchange information and present new scientific developments in this rapidly evolving field. This book contains all the scientific papers and posters presented at the work shop in Nijmegen. Contributions came from as many as 20 different countries and 190 participants attended the meeting. At a technical exhibit companies demon strated new products and work in progress. Abstracts of all papers were reviewed by members of the scientific committee. Many of the accepted papers had excellent quality, but due to limited space not all of them could be included as full papers in these proceedings. Papers that were rated high by the reviewers are included as long or short papers, others appear as extended abstracts in the last chapter."

This book is a practical guide to latest procedures and diagnostic guidelines for use of sonography in gynaecology. Beginning with an introduction to the role of ultrasound and patient preparation, the following chapters cover common pathologies, uterocervical abnormalities, colour flow mapping, and duplex Doppler. All the latest advances have been included to ensure clinicians are fully up to date in their field. The book features nearly 500 2D, 3D and 4D ultrasound images, with a corresponding image for most of the pathologies described in the text. Key Points Practical guide to latest procedures and diagnostic guidelines for gynaecologic sonography Provides overview of role of ultrasound and patient preparation Covers common pathologies, abnormalities, and different types of ultrasound Includes nearly 500 2D, 3D and 4D ultrasound images

Oviductal Recognition of Embryonic Signals; H.B. Croxatto, et al. Effect of Progesterone Antagonists on Ovo-Endometrial Interactions; A. Psychoyos. On the Requirement for Estrogen for Establishing Pregnancy in the Non-Human Primate; N.R. Moudgal. Embryonic Loss and Conceptus Interferon Production; R.M. Roberts. In Vitro Models of Implantation; S.R. Glasser, et al. Uterine EGF Ligand-Receptor Circuitry and Its Role in EmbryoUterine Interactions during Implantation in the Mouse; S.K. Dey, et al. Human Uterine Angiogenic Factor (HUAF). The Role of Lymphohematopoietic Cytokines in Signalling between the Immune and Reproductive Systems; T.G. Wegmann. Human Decidual Function in Trophoblast and Uterine interaction; T. Mori, et al. Cytokines at the Maternal Fetal Interface: Colony Stimulating Factor1 as a Paradigm for the Maternal Regulation of Muridae Rodents; C. Tachi. Hormonal Regulation of Uterine Complement; K.B. Isaacson, et al. Insulinlike Growth Factor Binding Proteins: A Paradigm for Conceptus-Maternal Interactions in the Primate; A.T. Fazleabas, et al. The Roles of Growth Factors and Their Receptors in Peri-Implantation Mouse Embryos and at the Embryomaternal Interface; Z. Werb, et al. Ligands and Receptors of the Insulin Family: Role in Early Mammalian Development; S. Heyner, et al. 6 additional articles. Index.

This book presenting the latest thinking on Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility is truly international as the authors hail from no less than four different continents (North America, Europe, Australia and Asia). The idea for this book was conceived during the XII World Congress On Fertility and Sterility where the unique confluence of our distinguished authors occurred in Singapore in October 1986. The authors were involved in the Pre And Post Congress Scientific Programmes which we organised. The overwhelming success of the Congress and the Pre And Post Congress Scientific Programmes prompted this book so that those unable to attend the meeting will still be able to benefit from the vast range of topics covered. This book will be a valuable addition to the knowledge in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and will be useful reading for those wishing to pursue this subspecialty. The authors are indebted to Lee Foundation (Singapore) for help in the publication of this book. We would also like to thank Miss Jam Siew Fong and Miss Tang May Mey for their excellent secretarial assistance. Singapore, January 1988 Charles SANg F H Maurine Tsakok S LTan K H Chan ix 1 Hypothalamic and Pituitary Disorders in Reproduction ROGER J PEPPERELL 1 HYPOTHALAMIC AND PrruITARY DISORDERS Disorders of ovulation are present in 15 to 25% of couples with infertility.