Mindfulness in the Birth Sphere draws together and critically appraises a raft of emerging research around mindfulness in healthcare, looking especially at its relevance to pregnancy and childbirth. Divided into three parts, this reflective book: * Investigates the phenomena of mindfulness through discussions of neuroscience, an indigenous worldview and research methods. * Develops the concept of mindfulness for use in practice with women/and babies across the continuum of childbirth. It includes chapters on birth environments, intrapartum care, mental health, fertility, breastfeeding and parenting among others. * Explores mindfulness as a tool for birth practitioners and educators, promoting self-care, resilience and compassion. Each chapter discusses specific research, evidence and experiences of mindfulness, including practical advice and an example of a mindfulness practice. This is an essential read for all those interested in mindfulness in connection to pregnancy and childbirth, including midwives, doulas, doctors and birth activists, whether involved in practice, research or education.

The ideal of equality constitutes a criterion for assessing current practice through attention to differences among individuals and groups. Inequality occurs when irrelevant differences are invoked in order to secure power or advantages over others. This book examines health care issues from an egalitarian perspective, focusing particularly on those that affect the lives of women and children. These are some of the most hotly debated, controversial, yet genuinely humanitarian issues of our time. They include gender stereotypes in medicine and in adolescent socialization, fertility curtailment and enhancement, coercive treatment during pregnancy, fetal tissue transplantation, decisions regarding newborns, decision-making by minors, the feminization of poverty and its impact on women's and children's health, and the meaning and role of "family" in health care decisions. The book describes a case-based or "feminine" model of reasoning as appropriate to the health care setting, but also as a possible rationale for exploitation of women. Different versions of feminism are clearly explained and specifically related to care-based reasoning. To overcome the pitfalls of paternalism and excessive stress on patient autonomy, a concept of "parentalism" is defended. An egalitarian perspective, the author claims, involves use of one's power to empower others. Because of the timeliness of the topics discussed, and the depth of detail, this book will be necessary reading for all bioethicists, health-care analysts and policy-makers, and women's studies researchers.

The versatility of oocyte and embryo donation has proven to be extremely valuable to both patients and doctors engaged in reproductive medicine. Originally thought to be applicable only to a rather small subset of infertile women, today busy practices commonly recommend the procedure and it is estimated that nearly all of the 400 or more IVF programs in the United States provide these services. Oocyte and embryo donation has established itself as a mainstay procedure within assisted reproductive care, and the breadth, depth and complexity of practice is deserving of focused attention. Much has changed within the field of oocyte and embryo donation since the publication of the first edition of Principles of Oocyte and Embryo Donation in 1998, thus the need for a completely updated and more expansive text. The second edition of this book provides an overview of the major issues affecting men and women engaged in the practice of oocyte and embryo donation. A primary emphasis has been placed on defining the standards of practice that have evolved over the past 30 years, clearly stating the outcomes expected from adhering to these established protocols. Details of both the basic science and the clinical medicine are presented together and attention is also focused on the non-reproductive aspects inherent to this unique method of assisted reproduction that involves opinions from lawyers, ethicists, mental health care professionals and theologians. Oocyte and embryo donation requires a working knowledge of the medicine, the law and the ethics that underlies its foundation. This book is intended to serve as a complete and comprehensive reference for all health care professionals that provide services related to egg donation, reproductive endocrinologists, obstetrician- gynecologists, and fellows and residents entering the fertility field.

Cervical laminoplasty for the treatment of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament was developed and refined in Japan during the 1970s. Since that time, various cervical laminoplasty techniques have been further analyzed and modified, and have proven to be clinically successful. Until now cervical laminoplasty has been practiced primarily in Japan, and surgeons outside Japan had only limited access to the detailed English literature needed to make full use of the procedures. This book fills that gap in English information and provides a detailed, up-to-date guide to performing safe and effective cervical laminoplasty. Drawing on the latest knowledge from Japan, the book covers the history of cervical laminoplasty, surgical anatomy, basic procedures, modified procedures, possible complications, and perspectives on the future of expansive laminoplasty. This volume by leaders in the field is an excellent guide for all surgeons interested in laminoplasty.

This book provides a comprehensive overview on issues surrounding fertility in patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer or belong to a high-risk population. The impact of breast cancer treatment on fertility is clearly explained and all the available options for fertility preservation are discussed, including the use of assisted reproduction technologies. Guidance is offered on family planning and on management options when breast cancer arises during pregnancy and when pregnancy occurs after breast cancer. Answers are provided to a wide range of key questions, including: What is the impact of pregnancy after breast cancer on prognosis? What advice should be given on the timing of pregnancy in relation to chemotherapy and endocrine treatment? What is the effect of reducing the duration of endocrine treatment to allow an earlier attempt at pregnancy? Is breast feeding possible? Medical treatments of breast cancer have a huge impact on fertility. While many procedures can be applied to preserve fertility, all must be put into action within the very short time available before starting treatment. Any delay in referral of a woman wishing to preserve her fertility to an ART center with experience in oncologic patients may preclude the possibility of a future pregnancy. In addition, an increasing number of high-risk patients are asking questions about their reproductive life, from choice of contraception to the risks of assisted reproduction techniques. Physicians will find this book an invaluable aid in providing flawless counseling to their patients and ensuring that they receive optimal management.

Francis James Browne is remembered as the foremost obstetrician of his day. He is widely recognised as the founder of modern antenatal care. His book, Antenatal and Postnatal Care, became the best of its kind and a bible to many generations of medical students and junior obstetricians. In this biography, Herbert Reiss presents a fascinating glimpse into the life of a great man in a deft and vivid portrait..

Honorable Mention, Sociology of the Body and Embodiment Best Publication Award, given by the Body and Embodiment Section of the American Sociological Association The emotional and social components of teaching medical students to be good doctors The pelvic exam is considered a fundamental procedure for medical students to learn; it is also often the one of the first times where medical students are required to touch a real human being in a professional manner. In Feeling Medicine, Kelly Underman gives us a look inside these gynecological teaching programs, showing how they embody the tension between scientific thought and human emotion in medical education. Drawing on interviews with medical students, faculty, and the people who use their own bodies to teach this exam, Underman offers the first in-depth examination of this essential, but seldom discussed, aspect of medical education. Through studying, teaching, and learning about the pelvic exam, she contrasts the technical and emotional dimensions of learning to be a physician. Ultimately, Feeling Medicine explores what it means to be a good doctor in the twenty-first century, particularly in an era of corporatized healthcare.

Extensively revised and updated, the second edition of Essential Urology: A Guide to Clinical Practice provides support to primary care physicians through its review of common genitourinary problems. This edition continues to provide the primary care physician with tools to better recognize urological diseases as well as updated management strategies for these disorders. To enhance the theme of comprehensive care and family medicine, the volume is formatted according to the life cycle and the urological challenges, which may be detected and diagnosed by primary care physicians respective of the patient's stage in life, beginning with pregnancy and in utero diagnoses. Pediatric themes such as infection and voiding dysfunctions are followed by adult urological topics ranging from prostate diseases, nephrolithiasis, overactive bladder syndromes, incontinence and urological cancer screening. Three new chapters are added addressing male infertility/andrology and the growing demand for integrative and alternative medical care of urologic patients, as well as commonly encountered dermatological problems in the genital area. Essential Urology: A Guide to Clinical Practice, Second Edition is extremely comprehensive and yet, very accessible. It is authored by experts representing the spectrum of urological subspecialties, further enhancing the value of this unique work.

Infertility Comics and Graphic Medicine examines women's graphic memoirs on infertility, foregrounding the complex interrelationship between women's life writing, infertility studies, and graphic medicine. Through a scholarly examination of the artists' use of visual-verbal codes of the comics medium in narrating their physical ordeals and affective challenges occasioned by infertility, the book seeks to foreground the intricacies of gender identity, embodiment, subjectivity, and illness experience. Providing long-overdue scholarly attention on the perspectives of autobiographical and comics studies, the authors examine the gendered nature of the infertility experience and the notion of motherhood as an ideological force which interpolates socio-cultural discourses, accentuating the potential of graphic medicine as a creative space for the infertile women to voice their hitherto silenced perspectives on childlessness with force and urgency. This interdisciplinary volume will be of interest to scholars and students in comics studies, the health humanities, literature, and women's and gender studies, and will also be suitable for readers in visual studies and narrative medicine.

In this third 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. An impressive panel of contributors presents cutting-edge information in a clear and well-balanced manner. This volume includes hot topics in reproductive medicine including age and its impact on fertility, lifestyle factors and reproductive health, fertility preservation for cancer patients, reproductive tourism and a discussion of clinical research design. The expanded section on controversies allows for point/counterpoint discussion between experts with differing opinions on topics like safety of the ICSI procedure and the role of IUI in modern reproductive medicine. 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.

Titles in the Pocket Tutor series give practical guidance on subjects that medical students and foundation doctors need help with 'on the go', at a highly-affordable price that puts them within reach of those rotating through modular courses or working on attachment. Topics reflect information needs stemming from today's integrated undergraduate and foundation courses: Common presentations Investigation options (e.g. ECG, imaging) Clinical and patient-orientated skills (e.g. examinations, history-taking) The highly-structured, bite-size content helps novices combat the 'fear factor' associated with day-to-day clinical training and provides a detailed resource that students and junior doctors can carry in their pocket. Key points Logical, building-block approach to content: initial chapters outline the basic approach to gynaecological history and examination, and essential pelvic anatomy Subsequent chapters describe physiology and pathology of women at all stages of life from puberty, to reproductive age, to menopause; and associated disorders such as congenital disorders, menstrual disorders, genital diseases, and pelvic organ prolapse Concludes with chapter on gynaecological oncology Disorders are accompanied by medical images, examination photos and practical artworks Focuses on the conditions medical students and junior doctors are most likely to see

The fourth edition of this book updates and elaborates on the seven dimensions of maternal emotional health that have significant impact on delivery, postpartum adaptation, infant health, and early childhood development. Supported by the authors' original research and interviews, the book provides readers with an analysis of the role of these core functions throughout pregnancy, as well as practical materials for use with pregnant clients in the form of assessment instruments and evidence-based interventions for promoting positive development. The book provides a theoretical framework with rationales for the seven psychosocial dimensions, therapeutic and counseling intervention strategies to improve adaptive development in each of the seven psychosocial dimensions, findings specific to women in diverse cultural groups, a chapter devoted to women in the military and military spouses, and discussion of salient issues of pregnancy, including physical changes, body image, intimacy, trust, and ambivalence. The book focuses on the seven dimensions of maternal prenatal emotional health: Acceptance of the pregnancy. Motivation and preparation for motherhood. Relationship with husband/partner. Relationship with her own mother. Preparation for labor. Sense of control in labor Self-Esteem and Well-Being in labor. Psychosocial Adaptation to Pregnancy is a significant addition to the psychosocial assessment literature, a needed resource for clinical and health psychologists, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, midwives, and obstetrical nurses. It is also adaptable to undergraduate and graduate courses in maternal reproductive health and obstetrical nursing.

It is challenging enough to be able to make a diagnosis in mammography, but the newer standards of care demand more than just providing a diagnosis. This book is an excellent resource to improve the understanding of breast diseases, recognize and manage problems encountered in breast imaging and clinical management of the breast diseases. With forty four chapters, this volume is divided into six sections on screening of breast cancer, imaging modalities, benign breast disorders, interventional procedures, pathological considerations and breast cancer. Breast Diseases: Imaging and Clinical Management is a crisp volume on clinical and multimodality breast imaging with emphasis on interventional procedures, pathology and the entire spectrum of breast cancers.

Psychodermatology is a relatively new field in evolution and thus, there is a comparative paucity of information in general. However, when it comes to children and adolescents there is a complete vacuum of information as no other book has aimed to specifically address the psychodermatological issues facing this particular population. For assessment, diagnosis, comprehensive treatment of children with psychodermatologic conditions and establishing a relationship between skin and psyche, there is a lack of clear and relevant clinical information about these complex disorders. The complexity of these disorders is related to lack of understanding in genetic, embryonic, physiologic, neuroimmunologic, neurocutaneous, stress-related neuromodulation, and psychosomatic interconnections. This book presents a clinically relevant approach to the management of psychodermatologic issues encountered in normal practice. Various classifications and major categories that are discussed include psychophysiologic disorders, psychiatric conditions with dermatologic manifestations, dermatologic disorders predisposing to psychiatric disorders, systemic diseases with psychodermatological manifestations, and special issues in management of psychocutaneous disorders in children and adolescents.

This book will explore the childbirth process through globally diverse perspectives in order to offer a broader context with which to think about birth. We will address multiple rituals and management models surrounding the labor and birth process from communities across the globe.

Labor and birth are biocultural events that are managed in countless ways. We are particularly interested in the notion of power. Who controls the pregnancy and the birth? Is it the hospital, the doctor, or the in-laws, and in which cultures does the mother have the control? These decisions, regarding place of birth, position, who receives the baby and even how the mother may or may not behave during the actual delivery, are all part of the different ways that birth is conducted.

One chapter of the book will be devoted to midwives and other birth attendants. There will also be chapters on the Evolution of Birth, on Women's Birth Narratives, and on Child Spacing and Breastfeeding.

This book will bring together global research conducted by professional anthropologists, midwives and doctors who work closely with the individuals from the cultures they are writing about, offering a unique perspective direct from the cultural group.

This book presents an overview of the diagnostic performance of non- or semi-invasive tests for endometriosis in peripheral blood, endometrium, saliva, peritoneal fluid and urine. The value of existing and emerging systems biology technologies for biomarker development is addressed in several chapters on genetics, microarrays, proteomics and metabolomics. Although tests with high sensitivity and acceptable specificity have been developed, sometimes validated in independent populations and seem promising, more research is needed to translate these data into clinical benefit for patients and coordinate efforts internationally to standarize analysis, reports and operating procedures. The gold standard to diagnose endometriosis is currently through laparoscopic inspection with histological confirmation, a surgical procedure with rare but significant potential risks for the patients. A non-invasive test for endometriosis would be critical for the early detection of endometriosis of symptomatic women with pelvic pain and/or subfertility with normal ultrasound. This would include nearly all cases of minimal-mild endometriosis, some cases of moderate-severe endometriosis without a clearly visible ovarian endometrioma and cases with pelvic adhesions and/or other pelvic pathology, who might benefit from surgery to improve pelvic pain and/or subfertility. Such a test would also be useful in symptomatic women with ultrasound imaging suspicious for endometriosis, since it may be difficult to differentiate an ovarian endometrioma from other ovarian cysts and since the quality of ultrasound imaging is highly variable worldwide.

The Diploma of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (DRCOG) examination recognises a doctor's interest in women's health. Recent changes to the exam now require that candidates answer extended matching questions, single best answers and multiple choice questions. This comprehensive revision guide provides three full papers covering the entire DRCOG syllabus. Each paper is specifically designed for practice under exam conditions. To aid general revision, a detailed subject index enables a more focused approach to individual topics, and the explanatory answers have been fully referenced to assist further study where necessary.

Women's Health Communication explores and shares the stories of women who had a high-risk pregnancy and underwent premature labor or gave birth prematurely. This book discusses how women understand their experiences, cope with trying circumstances, and connect with others. Women's Health Communication provides insight into women's informational and support needs; delves into the range of emotions women experience; and examines how women seek out, avoid, and use the stories they encounter about pregnancy and birth to help them through their own traumatic experiences.

A much-needed overview of the available information now accumulating to indicate that assisted reproductive technologies are generally safe for both babies and mothers. However, the literature abounds with reports of a higher risk of obstetric and perinatal complications; regarding the long term outcomes for both women and children, the data are still scarce. The chapters summarized in this book review the current knowledge on long term safety of assisted reproduction and indicate the need for continued research to cover the lack of data in some specific patient groups and for recently developed treatments that only have a short period of follow-up.

1. Clinical cases set out as questions that are mapped directly to the curriculum and following the order of the RCoA curriculum 2. A focus on clinical anaesthesia with common cases, that can be used in the clinical environment either for teaching or as a refresher 3. Short, quick-fire cases that enable learning and retention of information with a summary of key points to remember for each question

The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists has recently introduced extended matching questions (EMQs) into the format of their MRCOG Part 1 exam. All candidates need to sit this exam and therefore need to be well rehearsed in the art of answering such EMQs. This book gives the candidate 300 practice EMQs with answers and explanations for these answers. It is divided into 3 sections. The first section provides the essential knowledge each candidate must have - it deals with anatomy, physiology, embryology, endocrinology, epidemiology, molecular biology and genetics, all highly relevant in the RCOG syllabus. This information is supplied with the help of useful figures and illustrations which are included to assist greater understanding and help the candidate revise. Section two contains 300 questions, grouped in clusters per topic, and section three provides the answers, along with the relevant reasons for them. Dr Prabha Sinha is herself an examiner for the DRCOG and MRCOG Part 2 exam, and is therefore the perfect choice for supplying the requisite information in this book. Along with her two colleagues, she has produced an excellent revision guide that will be an invaluable resource for all MRCOG candidates.

Key Features Explains normal physiology of pregnancy in addition to the physiology, evaluation, and management of endocrine diseases in pregnancy, and in the pre- and post-partum periods. Explores from a clinical standpoint with practical applications, useful for students, residents, fellows, mid-level providers, and practicing physicians. Discusses special considerations and emerging topics including pregnancy in transgender men, obesity and metabolism, and endocrine emergencies.

This book is one woman's funny, moving, and sometimes awkward quest to fix her sex life, but it's the story of millions of women everywhere - half of all women have felt pain during sex. During award-winning writer and performer Fran Bushe's journey towards building a better relationship with her genitals, doctors advised her to have a glass of wine to loosen up, and male friends suggested she simply hadn't 'tried' the right penis yet. Unsurprisingly, neither worked. After a visit to Sex Camp and many attempts to fix her 'broken' vagina, Fran decided to share her own hilarious, excruciating, and sometimes upsetting experiences. With the help of her 16 year old self's diary, expert advice, candid and enlightening interviews with others about sex, and some self-care exercises, Fran sets about trying to make herself, and other people, feel like they're not being gaslit by their own vaginas.

Maha Nasrallah-Babenko presents a culturally sensitive and uniquely accessible guide that equips clinicians, student sex therapists, and female clients with the tools to confidently treat genito-pelvic pain and penetration disorders (GPPPD). Addressing the issue from an integrated approach, the book provides evidence-based information and sensate, solo and partner practical exercises derived from the author's experience to help clinicians support women in redefining their relationship with sex, their bodies, and their partners. With a special focus on those from conservative and religious backgrounds, this beautifully illustrated text emphasizes the psychological, emotional, and relational factors that may increase shame and fear surrounding sex. The book defines GPPPD before outlining the author's ABCs approach, awareness, body, control, and safety, where she examines topics such as sexual abuse, how to communicate with you partner, sexual beliefs and messages, the importance of arousal, vulnerability and assertiveness, and shifting the significance of penetration for an enjoyable sex life. This book is essential reading for training and established sex therapists, family therapists, and couple therapists looking to support those struggling with sexual intimacy, as well as the couples seeking their help.