The potential impact of work being conducted in genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics upon clinical practice for gynecologists is immense but not yet completely appreciated. This groundbreaking text from international experts examines the newest topics on the perinatal agenda and gives clinicians a real look into the future via the newest methodologies.

Enhancing Fertility through Functional Medicine: Using Nutrigenomics to Solve 'Unexplained' Infertility provides cutting-edge information and solutions to help support the worldwide rise of fertility challenges. It addresses common, yet not commonly known, root-causes of oxidative stress that are at the heart of reproductive issues (and all chronic health issues). These solutions can help enhance the outcomes of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) or support women to avoid them altogether. Enhancing Fertility through Functional Medicine: Using Nutrigenomics to Solve 'Unexplained' Infertility will show you how to improve cell health (including egg and sperm), lower inflammation, balance nervous system functioning, and optimize genetic expression, allowing the body to return to its naturally fertile state. It details information on numerous root causes of health-derailing inflammation and oxidative stress, while the appendices discuss the genetic and biochemical pathways related to these topics. Each chapter also provides easy "Action Steps" that can be implemented immediately. Chapter topics include iron dysregulation; oxalates; mold/mycotoxins; phase 2 liver detoxification pathways; fat utilization; introductory information on genetics, epigenetics, and nutrigenomics; everything one needs to know about histamine intolerance; and how these factors adversely affect metabolic and reproductive functions. Enhancing Fertility through Functional Medicine: Using Nutrigenomics to Solve 'Unexplained' Infertility is the handbook for people wanting to achieve and sustain a healthy pregnancy. It highlights lesser-known causes of fertility challenges the reader can learn how to investigate. This book also serves as a reference guide for practitioners, providing them with additional tools to add to their repertoires when other protocols have not been effective. It may also provide clarity as to why other protocols did not work, and will enable the practitioner to custom-tailor protocols for each patient.

The Cassell Hospital Monograph Series, No. 1. The first in a series of monographs, intended to present accessible teaching material concerned with the practice of residential care.

This book stems from the author's clinical experience working with infertile women in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. It highlights the crucial importance of integrative work of psychotherapists and psychoanalysts with reproductive medical specialists in assisted reproductive technology (ART).

"I say that this is a dirty, filthy book, and the test of it is that no human being would allow that book on his table, no decently educated English husband would allow even his wife to have it...." Such was the uncompromising pronouncement of Sir Hardinge Gifford, Her Majesty's Solicitor General, who in 1877 prosecuted Charles Bradlaugh and Annie Besant for publishing Dr. Charles Knowlton's Fruits of Philosophy.

Knowlton's work was the first American medical handbook on contraception. It had become an incredibly popular book among Britons who believed the neo-Malthusian dictum that the only solution to poverty in Britain was a limit on the growth of its population. They saw effective birth control measures as a way to make such a limit practicable. In 1877, its publisher was hauled into court and pleaded guilty to printing obscene material. Bradlaugh and Besant tested the right of official harassment by bringing out an edition of the Fruits of Philosophy that bore an introduction explaining their motives. The pair was arrested and charged with violating the Obscene Publications Act of 1857.

Their arrest, trial, conviction, and eventual acquittal constitute a landmark in the history of the world birth control movement. The enormous publicity accorded the principals and their cause brought the subject of family planning into the homes of nearly every Briton who read the newspapers' sensational coverage. What followed thereafter is telling: a dramatic, steady decline in the English birthrate. By their simple act of publishing Knowlton's short book, Bradlaugh and Besant helped establish England's pioneering role in the dissemination, democratization, and implementation of birth controlinformation.

This volume contains the writings of Charles Knowlton and Annie Besant on reproductive physiology and birth control and an account of the Bradlaugh-Besant trial. Included also are two of Besant's own pamphlets on birth control, and a comprehensive introductory essay that establishes a context for understanding neo-Malthusianism and the advocacy of birth control in nineteenth-century England. One of a small handful of books that helped stimulate a women's movement in the West, it will interest sociologists and gender studies specialists as well as the general reader interested in the history of birth control.

Highlighting latest advances in genetics and biochemistry, the completely revised Third Edition reviews the field from basic science, clinical, epidemiological, and regulatory perspectives. Contributions from top opinion leaders in the field bring together developments in molecular embryology and cell biology as they apply to problems in developmental toxicology. It covers testing of pharmaceutical and environmental agents and interpretation of developmental toxicology data, highlighting mathematical and statistical techniques, as well as the effects of toxic exposure on the functional development of various organs. The relationship between maternal and developmental toxicology is examined, in addition to current techniques for studying chemical disposition, metabolism, and placental transfer. Close attention is given to the regulatory aspects of testing and risk assessment. Pre- and postconceptional clinical care and genetic factors in clinical developmental toxicology are also discussed. Key topics include: the roles of apoptosis and signal transduction pathways in normal and abnormal development the role of epigenetic changes in development the role of nutrition and individual susceptibility the utility of bioinformatics global and targeted gene expression changes

Female Puberty: A Comprehensive Guide for Clinicians is a practical reference, covering the full range of issues related to pubertal development. Developed to answer pointed clinical questions and to provide a thorough review of the literature, the book covers both the basics and the complexities of puberty, encompassing psychosocial development to pubertal nuances in highly specialized populations. Comprehensive in scope, this title offers concepts that are concisely conveyed and chapters that complement each other well. Complex subjects such as details of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis are covered in a readily understandable manner and bullet points throughout the text serve as helpful reminders to the reader. An invaluable contribution to the literature, Female Puberty: A Comprehensive Guide for Clinicians will be of great interest to all health providers concerned with female reproductive health - including obstetrician gynecologists, reproductive endocrine specialists, pediatricians, pediatric specialists, family practitioners and allied health professionals.

This timely resource offers extensive discussions on the pharmacological, environmental, endocrinological, and natural factors that alter reproductive or developmental processes-elucidating the effects of toxicants on mechanisms of reproduction. Describing biological actions common to both genders as well as gender-specific processes, Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology -provides an overview of the basic biology and physiology of organ systems affected by toxicants -furnishes detailed examples of developmental toxicology -analyzes germ cell toxicity and infertility -covers the developmental effects of neurotoxicity -considers periods of exposure and long-term toxicological consequences -explains how gonadal processes may be susceptible to toxicants in other reproductive organ systems -and more! With over 3700 bibliographic citations and more than 100 photographs, drawings, and tables, Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology is a useful reference for toxicologists; reproductive, developmental, cell, and molecular biologists; endocrinologists; biochemists; obstetricians/gynecologists; pediatricians; pharmacists and pharmacologists; physiologists; geneticists; poison control specialists; and upper-level undergraduate, graduate, and medical school students in these disciplines.

The first and second editions of this successful textbook have been highly praised for their lucid and detailed coverage of abstract algebra. In this third edition, the author has carefully revised and extended his treatment, particularly the material on rings and fields, to provide an even more satisfying first course in abstract algebra.

Published in 1998, this book is a collected volume of papers from the first conference of the European Network for Biomedical ethics. The main subject of this conference is the ethical assessment of IVF in view of its concrete application as an infertility treatment and the consideration of possible alternatives for use. Twenty years after the introduction and the establishment of this therapy a more concrete evaluation of its medical indications, social conditions and consequences, the psychological consequences for the women involved and the parent-child relationship becomes possible. The legal and ethical evaluation of the reproduction technology as regards for example the legal and moral status of supernumery embyos in cryo-conservation has also to be considered in a European perspective. The ethical evaluation concentrates today on the new evolution that IVF technology takes in relation to the extension of diagnostics possibilities due to genetic research. Little work has been done on the connection between IVF and genetic diagnostics and therapy, so the medical and ethical evaluation of the connecting lines are also included in the book.

In the past, medical researchers and practicing clinicians have lacked a single, comprehensive resource on chromosome disorders, the cause of a wide variety of growth abnormalities and miscarriages. As new syndromes are being defined and known syndromes better described, patients with chromosomal abnormalities and their families are making greater demands on professionals for more extensive information. Consisting of more than 200 chromosomal aneuploidy syndromes, the Handbook of Chromosomal Syndromes is the most up-to-date reference to focus exclusively on clinical syndromes due to chromosomal abnormalities.

This fully illustrated guide is ideal for clinicians to use as a ready reference and for treatment and counseling of families and expectant parents facing abnormal prenatal tests. For each syndrome, this easy-to-use guide offers a complete description of clinical presentation, with illustrations, as well as information on behavioral aspects, life expectancy, diagnosis, and cytogenetics. Features of the text include:

• A section devoted to the nomenclature of chromosome abnormalities
• Pictorial material suitable to be shown to patient populations
• Descriptions of the phenotype in tabular and text form for quick and easy reference
• Ideograms for each entry
• A list of key references

Practicing clinicians–including primary care providers, pediatricians, and obstetricians–genetic counselors, researchers, and clinical and medical geneticists will find the Handbook of Chromosomal Syndromes to be an indispensable resource.

Prenatal Cocaine Exposures addresses the timely problem of maternal cocaine abuse and its effects on exposed infants, including growth retardation, learning, cardiovascular effects, and seizures. The impact of substance abuse on this and future generations presents an ongoing challenge to medical science. This comprehensive and authoritative volume reviews both animal and clinical studies to explain implications for treatment and long-term outcomes of early exposure.
Prenatal Cocaine Exposures investigates the specific role of cocaine in altering fetal development. Discussions of current studies and state-of-the-art techniques provide a basis for informed clinical decisions. Pediatricians, medical specialists, basic scientists, educators, and policy makers will all benefit from the comprehensive research gathered in this volume.

In Reproduction, Technology, and Rights, philosophers and ethicists debate the central moral issues and problems raised by today's revolution in reproductive technology. Leading issues discussed include the ethics of paternal obligations to children, the place of in vitro fertilization in the allocation of health care resources, and the ethical implications of such new technologies as blastomere separation and cloning. Also considered are how parents and society should respond to knowledge gained from prenatal testing and whether or not the right to abort should relieve men of the duty to support unwanted children.
Reproduction, Technology, and Rights illuminates the moral and ethical choices that our society faces because of advances in reproductive technology and helps to make those decisions better informed.

This book outlines the current understanding of how obesity affects female reproductive function across the lifespan. Topics include physiology of the menstrual cycle and early pregnancy, best practices in the delivery of contraceptive and prenatal care and healthcare policy that weighs the evidence in appropriate balance with principles that respect women's rights. Special attention is devoted to the idea that obesity's adverse effects are likely trans-generational; that is, children born to obese mothers are at increased risk for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life. Patients and their physicians need to be aware of the additional risks obesity confers in pregnancy and outline a plan of care that includes counseling preconceptionally, antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum in order to decrease morbidity. Obesity and Fertility provides advice for reproductive medicine physicians and gynecologists to help guide obese patients toward improved reproductive health and outcomes.

This book describes the principles and skills of counselling. It provides practical guidelines which show, by example, how to communicate effectively, how to offer counselling and support, and how to face and deal with difficult situations. Detailed attention is given to issues such as preparing women for surgery, breaking bad news, and providing information and support before, during and after childbirth. The book aims to increase the awareness of health workers by describing a broad range on women's experiences and reactions to their particular problems and health concerns, as well as the ways in which these are treated.

Today, we are exposed to an increasing number of chemicals in the environment and there is a growing awareness of the effects of these chemicals on the ovaries. Infertility resulting from environmental exposures may not be obvious until the reproductive life span is waning. As such, the potential for xenobiotic-induced infertility needs to be better understood. In recent years, research into chemicals that have the potential to cause early menopause by destroying pre-antral ovarian follicles is gaining greater appreciation. Ovarian Toxicology, Second Edition represents a compilation of chapters prepared by researchers who have substantially contributed to our understanding of the impact of xenobiotics and environmental factors on ovarian function. The second edition substantially updates newly investigated ovotoxicants as well as improved mechanistic insights that have emerged since the first edition. Topics include: Ovarian physiology and the metabolism of xenobiotics The effect of pesticides, heavy metals, phthalates, BPA, and cigarette smoking on the ovaries Ovarian cancer, including endocrine effects and new perspectives on chemoresistance Epidemiology and human health risk assessment for environmental chemicals and pharmaceuticals The first book to focus specifically on ovarian toxicology, this resource is ideal for scientists in academia, regulatory agencies, and industry who would benefit from a survey of the impact of xenobiotic chemicals on ovarian function.

How do men react to diagnosis of male infertility and how, if at all, are all their lives affected by it? Male infertility is commonplace yet the male experience of it has been woefully neglected. "Male Infertility - Men Talking" explores these issues by gathering together men's stories and seeing what common strands, if any, exist between them. Mary-Claire Mason explores the past and present medical management of male infertility as this forms an essential backdrop to the men's stories but the main emphasis is on how men's lives are affected. In the first half of this book, the discovery of sperm and the man's role in reproduction is considered together with a review of how the past affects the present medical management of male infertility and the problems that bedevil it. The male voice predominates in the second half, speaking of painful events and relationships with families and friends, their feeling of isolation, their medical experiences, the importance of biological fatherhood, and their hopes for the future.

This collection of essays, with an extended commentary by the editor, is concerned with developments in reproductive technology and the possibilities of genetic engineering. The volume provides a forum for debate between science and society. Leading scientists in the field explain the nature and goals of "test tube" reproduction and genetic engineering, and their eugenic implications. Other papers draw out the legal and ethical problems raised by these developments. The ethical dilemmas are discussed both from the point of view of secular moral philosophy and from a theological perspective. The extended commentary attempts to place these questions in the context of a social ethic, rather than an individualist one, in contrast to the approach adopted by the Warnock Report.

What does modern medical science know about menstruation? The menstrual cycle is less well understood by physicians than is commonly assumed and medical understanding of disorders associated with it are also limited. This study challenges the orthodox thinking in both society and medicine on menstruation. The authors base their study on women's own experiences and accounts of menstruation and menstrual disorders, drawing on a wide range of studies including their own. The book shows that women are often socialized to interpret the menstruum in negative terms and as something essentially private to be contained within the female domain. Taking an unorthodox approach, the authors incorporate a discussion of how menstruation is perceived within male culture and how the perspective of the medical profession has remained discernibly patriarchal. They show the significance of this in relation to women's experience within the family and at work. They end the book by focusing on the medicalisation of menstruation and the advantages and disadvantages for women of the greater access to the sick role this development implies.

Compiled by two experts in Reproductive Medicine, with contributions from internationally respected specialists, this innovative text lets the whole team in Reproductive Medicine get literally on the same page. Taking a cook-book approach to the operational procedures in the laboratory and in the clinic, it details what needs to be prepared in advance, what needs to be prepared earlier the same day, and what steps to take before, during, and after the procedure itself. This is an essential tool for ensuring all staff - whether experienced or starters - can be confident in their tasks and are in touch with what is expected of them and their colleagues.

This work is based on the proceedings of the seventh conference of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research held at the University of Michigan in Arbor in June 1987. It discusses such topics as the experience of menstruation, perimenstrual symptoms and premenstrual syndrome and menopause.

Compiled by two experts in Reproductive Medicine, with contributions from internationally respected specialists, this innovative text lets the whole team in Reproductive Medicine get literally on the same page. Taking a cook-book approach to the operational procedures in the laboratory and in the clinic, it details what needs to be prepared in advance, what needs to be prepared earlier the same day, and what steps to take before, during, and after the procedure itself. This is an essential tool for ensuring all staff - whether experienced or starters - can be confident in their tasks and are in touch with what is expected of them and their colleagues.

This book discusses the nature of meiotic chromosome pairing effects which may play a role in the determination of fertility. In particular, data and illustrations from the application of recently developed electron microscopic spreading techniques will allow researchers in related fields to come to grips with the recent advances in the cytogenetics of meiotic chromosome pairing behavior. Topics dealt with include meiotic and synaptonemal complex behavior in humans and mice with a variety of chromosomal and genetic abnormalities, sex chromosome pairing in mammals and birds, the significance for fertility or pairing in mammals and birds, the significance for fertility of XY pairing and crossing over, the effects of hybridity on pairing and fertility in plants, and the genetic control of synaptonemal complex formation and crossing over in polyploids. This is a timely reference book for graduate level medical and veterinary students, and scientists in the field of genetics and cell biology.

A comprehensive survey of the use of ultrasound in management of infertile patients is presented in this publication. Particular atten-tion is given to recently developed techniques such as assessment of endometrial changes, ovarian blood flow measurements, and per-cutaneous oocyte retrieval for in vitro fertilization. The very re-cent technique of transvaginal sonography is presented and richly illus-trated with original results obtained in biopsy-guided oocyte re-trieval, and in the precise delineation of follicle size and number for infertility treatment. Guidance in the interpretation of ultrasonic findings, which include potential limitations and pitfalls, is provided in each chapter. Researchers and practitioners interested in the management of infertile patients will find this volume indispensable.

Assisted Reproductive Technologies in the Global South and North critically analyses the political and social frameworks of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), and its impact in different countries. In the context of a worldwide social pressure to conceive - particularly for women - this collection explores the effect of the development of ARTs, growing globalisation and reproductive medicalization on global societies. Providing an overview of the issues surrounding ART both in the Global South and North, this book analyses ART inequalities, commonalities and specificities in various countries, regions and on the transnational scene. From a multidisciplinary perspective and drawing on multisite studies, it highlights some new issues relating to ART (e.g. egg freezing, surrogacy) and discusses some older issues regarding infertility and its medical treatment (e.g. in vitro fertilisation, childless stigmatisation and access to treatment). This book aims to redress the balance between what is known about Assisted Reproductive Technologies in the Global North, and how the issue is investigated in the Global South. It aims to draw out the global similarities in the challenges that ARTs bring between these different areas of the world. It will appeal to scholars and students in the social sciences, medicine, public health, health policy, women's and gender studies, and demography.