This book will serve as a scientifically accurate yet easy-to-read introduction to birth control for teens and young adults. The information, guidance, and resources it offers will help readers to make better decisions regarding their sexual health. From barrier methods such as condoms and diaphragms to oral contraceptive pills and from hormone-based implants and injectables to permanent sterilization techniques, there are a number of ways to prevent unwanted pregnancy today. But which are the most effective, and how do you choose the method that's right for you? What about side effects and long-term implications for health, such as increased risk for cancer? Does birth control affect your chances of getting pregnant in the future? Birth Control: Your Questions Answered, a part of Greenwood's Q&A Health Guides series, provides clear, concise answers to these and other questions young readers may have about this sometimes embarrassing, yet very important, topic. Each book in this series follows a reader-friendly question-and-answer format that anticipates readers' needs and concerns. Prevalent myths and misconceptions are identified and dispelled, and a collection of case studies illustrates key concepts and issues through relatable stories and insightful recommendations. The book also includes a section on health literacy, equipping teens and young adults with practical tools and strategies for finding, evaluating, and using credible sources of health information both on and off the internet—important skills that contribute to a lifetime of healthy decision-making.

A wide-ranging history of assisted reproductive technologies and their ethical implications. Finalist of the PROSE Award for Best Book in History of Science, Medicine and Technology by the Association of American Publishers Since the 1978 birth of the first IVF baby, Louise Brown, in England, more than eight million children have been born with the help of assisted reproductive technologies. From the start, they have stirred controversy and raised profound questions: Should there be limits to the lengths to which people can go to make their idea of family a reality? Who should pay for treatment? How can we ensure the ethical use of these technologies? And what can be done to address the racial and economic disparities in access to care that enable some to have children while others go without? In The Pursuit of Parenthood, historian Margaret Marsh and gynecologist Wanda Ronner seek to answer these challenging questions. Bringing their unique expertise in gender history and women's health to the subject, Marsh and Ronner examine the unprecedented means-liberating for some and deeply unsettling for others-by which families can now be created. Beginning with the early efforts to create embryos outside a woman's body and ending with such new developments as mitochondrial replacement techniques and uterus transplants, the authors assess the impact of contemporary reproductive technology in the United States. In this volume, we meet the scientists and physicians who have developed these technologies and the women and men who have used them. Along the way, the book dispels a number of fertility myths, offers policy recommendations that are intended to bring clarity and judgment to this complicated medical history, and reveals why the United States is still known as the "Wild West" of reproductive medicine.

The over-arching goal of this volume is to help infertility practitioners evaluate and manage their patients with poor semen quality. The authors review the existing literature on the effects of medications on male fertility, and provide detailed information about what is known, giving the number of individuals and population characteristics for studies of medication effects on male fertility. Medications are designed to treat illness and reduce symptoms, but all have undesirable adverse effects such as headache or stomach upset. Some adverse reactions can even be life-threatening, so it is no surprise that some drugs have negative effects on male reproduction. Medical practitioners rarely consider a man's reproductive plans when prescribing medications. Men are routinely treated with drugs that can impair or abolish fertility. Although practitioners in the field of reproductive medicine generally realize that certain drugs impact negatively on reproductive health, there are limited resources providing evidence-based knowledge useful in counseling patients. Tables throughout this volume summarize the information for each drug, providing a handy reference for clinical use.

This book provides an overview of the role and function of regulatory RNAs that lack protein-coding potential in key reproductive tissues. This includes the role of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Through clear, detailed and comprehensive debate, international leading experts discuss the role these novel regulators in normal development of sexual dimorphisms, including the differentiation of ovaries and testes, the genital tract including prostate, epididymis and uterus, as well as mammary glands. In addition, particular attention is paid on their role in pathophysiological processes within the reproductive tract. The power of next generation sequencing has proved to be an invaluable tool to discover new non-coding RNAs. While the identification of non-coding RNA is relatively easy, analysing their function represents still a challenge today. In this book, authors present historical and conceptual background information, highlight the ways in which non-coding RNAs function is analysed and present their vision of the future research in their key research area.

Human Reproductive Genetics: Emerging Technologies and Clinical Applications presents a great reference for clinicians and researchers in reproductive medicine. Part I includes a brief background of genetics and epigenetics, probability of disease, and the different techniques that are being used today for analysis and genetic counseling. Part II focuses on the analysis of the embryo, current controversies and future concepts. Part III comprises different clinical scenarios that clinicians frequently face in practice. The increasing amount of genetic tests available and the growing information that patients handle makes this section a relevant part of the fertility treatment discussion. Finally, Part IV concludes with the psychological aspects of genetic counseling and the role of counselor and bioethics in human reproduction.

One of modern healthcare's most controversial areas, reproductive medicine is an emerging discipline that fosters hugely divergent opinions on topics such as laboratory techniques, clinical management and ethical considerations. Highlighting over 50 contentious topics in reproductive medicine, this book presents expertly argued opinions are presented for and against, often with diametrically opposing views about management. Debates such as these are being increasingly used as learning tools, helping participants develop their critical thinking skills and showing that context is vital when making decisions. Issues discussed include limits on IVF provision, ethical queries about sex selection, embryology, and ovarian stimulation. Authors are authorities in their field, combining years of experience with fresh and innovative ideas to structure their arguments. Readers will gain an insight into topical controversies, critically evaluating the different sides to enhance their own clinical practice.

This book is the first to bring together an interdisciplinary collection of essays on surrogacy and egg donation from three socially, legally and culturally distinct countries - India, Israel and Germany. It presents contributions from experts in the field of social and cultural sciences, bioethics, law as well as psychology and provides critical-reflective comparative analysis of the socio-ethical factors shaping surrogacy and egg donation practices across these three countries. This book highlights the importance of a comparative perspective to 'make sense' of controversies and transitions in this highly contested area of artificial reproductive technologies. It demonstrates how local developments cannot be isolated from global events and vice versa. Therefore, this volume can be used as a standard reference for anyone seeking to understand surrogacy and egg donation from a macro-perspective in the next decade.

Mind Over Bladder is a trusted and informative guidebook for bladder control, written with respect and humor by a nationally known urogynecologist, revised and expanded for the 21st century woman. Urinary Incontinence plagues millions of women worldwide, vastly more women than men. The reasons for this are many, including we have children, go through menopause and our anatomy is pretty different. Since these issues affect approximately 30-40% or greater of all women, can include issues with prolapsing organs (bladder, uterus, rectum) and can limit a woman's freedom and ability to live a full and active life, an actual guidebook seemed not only necessary but overdue. Mind Over Bladder answers this need. Informative, respectful and written with humor by a leading urogynecologist, Mind Over Bladder asks and answers the question of "What is incontinence and what can I do about it?". This unique approach begins at the beginning takes women through basic bladder and pelvic plumbing to getting a diagnosis and formulating a treatment plan. Mind Over Bladder arms women with information and practical solutions to help lead better, drier and happier lives.

This second edition offers an expanded and updated history of the field of fetal and neonatal development, allowing readers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the biological aspects that contribute to the wellbeing or pathophysiology of newborns. In this concluding opus of a long and prominent career as a clinical scientist, Dr. Longo has invited new contributions from noted colleagues with expertise in various fields to provide a historical perspective on the impact of how modern concepts emerged in the field of fetal physiology and contributed to the current attention paid to the fetal origins of diseases in adults. In addition to new chapters on maternal physiology and complications during pregnancy, others trace the history of the Society for Reproductive Investigation, governmental funding of perinatal research, and major initiatives to support training in the new discipline of maternal fetal medicine, including the Reproductive Scientist Development program. The extensive survey provided by the author, who personally knew most of the pioneers in the field, offers a unique guide for all clinical and basic scientists interested in the history of - and future approaches to diagnosing and treating - pathologies that represent the leading causes of neonatal mortality and, far too often, life-long morbidity.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the structural, nanotribological and nanomechanical properties of skin with and without cream treatment as a function of operating environment. The biophysics of skin as the outer layer covering human or animal body is discussed as a complex biological structure. Skin cream is used to improve skin health and create a smooth, soft, and flexible surface with moist perception by altering the surface roughness, friction, adhesion, elastic modulus, and surface charge of the skin surface.

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) includes recurrent first- and second-trimester abortions and recurrent preterm delivery, second- or third-trimester intrauterine fetal death, intrapartum stillbirth, and early neonatal death. This book includes protocols for case scenarios of early and late pregnancy loss as well as instances of poor obstetric history. Key Features Explores the management of different clinical presentations of RPL Includes preeclampsia, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, and hypertension-related disorders in pregnancy Includes clinical protocols with flowcharts Features tip boxes with learning points for easy reference

The transnational industry surrounding assisted reproductive technology and regenerative medicine is based on the unacknowledged labour of gamete providers, surrogates and research subjects, and benefits from low labour costs in 'enabling' sectors such as logistics and transport. This finding calls for a comprehensive analysis of how the contemporary intersection of neoliberal capitalism and the life sciences - in short, the bioeconomy - capitalises on the body and its (re)productive capacities. The Reproductive Body at Work uptakes this challenge as it explores the relations between value production, labour and the body in one particular realm of the global bioeconomy: the South African bioeconomy of 'egg donation'. It highlights different forms and dimensions of unacknowledged or precarious human labour that are constitutive for the procurement, brokering and circulation of oocytes as valuable resources. The analysis illustrates that the respective organisation of value and labour renegotiate what 'the' (re)productive body can do, which status and roles it is ascribed, which cultural and economic values it signifies and how it is experienced and enacted within a matrix of intersectional power relations. A theoretically profound contribution to the interdisciplinary debate on 'New materialism', The Reproductive Body at Work will appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as gender studies, medical anthropology, cultural studies, sociology, political economy and science and technology studies.

With contributions from: Eric Blyth, Ken Daniels, Julia Feast, Robert Lee, Nina Martin, Alexina McWhinnie, Derek Morgan, Clare Murray, Sharon Pettle, Claire Potter, Jim Richards and Francoise Shenfield

The separation of procreation from conception has broadened notions of parenthood and created novel dilemmas. A woman may carry a foetus derived from gametes neither or only one of which came from her or her partner; or she may carry a foetus created using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with the purpose of handing it to two other parents one, neither or both of whom may be genetically related to the prospective child. Parents may consist of single-sex couples, only one of them genetically related to the child; the prospective mother may be past her menopause; and genetic parenthood after death is now achievable. In a world increasingly reliant on medical science, how can the argument that equates traditional with natural and novel with unnatural/unethical be justified? Should there be legislation, which is notoriously slow to change, in a field driven by dazzling new possibilities at ever faster rate; particularly when restrictions differ from country to country, so that those who can afford it travel elsewhere for their treatment of choice? Whose rights are paramount - the adults hoping to build a family or the prospective child(ren)s future well being? On what basis can apparently competing rights be regulated or adjudicated and how and to what extent can these be enforced in practice?

Thoroughly examining the popular and expanding field of reproductive toxicology, this newly revised and expanded third edition provides the latest, cutting-edge scientific developments in this constantly evolving discipline. Reproductive Toxicology's contributors are experienced regulatory agency and Clinical Research Organization representatives who currently utilize the new techniques discussed in the text and continue to revolutionize reproductive toxicology research. This ground-breaking resource includes: New and important critical mechanistic topics such as epigenetics and omics The first significant compilation of epigenetic mechanisms An in-depth analysis of the role of genomics, proteomics, and metabolomicsin human reproduction New guidelines with respect to the latest research applications in the field

This volume offers an up-to-date overview on the major areas of gynecological endocrinology, presenting the latest advances in adolescent gynecological endocrinology, assisted reproduction, menstrual-related disorders, sexuality and transsexualism, polycystic ovary syndrome, myometrial pathology and adenomyosis, obesity and metabolic syndrome, hormonal contraception, premature ovarian failure and menopause. In each chapter the recent advances deriving from basic science and clinical investigations are related to the practical management of the condition under consideration, taking into account the need for individualized therapies. The book is published within the ISGE Book Series, a joint venture between the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology and Springer and is based on the 2014 International School of Gynecological and Reproductive Endocrinology Winter Course. It will be an important tool for obstetricians and gynecologists, endocrinologists and experts in women's health as well as interested GPs.

This volume explores, in various ways, the connections between reproductive health and culture. Individual chapters range over two broad questions. How does culture shape the particular ways in which reproductive events are associated with health outcomes? And to what extent does the notion of reproductive health, which emerged at a historical moment and was moulded by the experience of specific groups, have relevance in different circumstances?

The book considers signaling events from the zygote embryo through to the blastocyst with relevant data from embryonic stem (ES) cells, including dialogue with the extracellular environment and with the maternal tract during the implantation process. Application of the knowledge described to improve the success of human and animal assisted conception is considered where appropriate, but the focus is largely on fundamental rather than applied cell/molecular biology, as this is the area that has historically been neglected. While the general features of metabolism during preimplantation development are well established, especially in terms of nutrient requirements, uptake and fate, remarkably little is known about early embryo signaling events, intracellular or intercellular, between individual embryos in vitro or with the female reproductive tract in vivo. This contrasts with the wealth of information on cell signaling in somatic cells and tissues, as a glance at any textbook of biochemistry illustrates. This lack of information is such that our understanding of the molecular cell biology of early embryos -- a prerequisite to defining the mechanisms which regulate development at this critical stage of the life cycle -- is seriously incomplete. This volume is the first to address this issue by describing the current state of knowledge on cell signaling during mammalian early embryo development and highlighting priority areas for research.

Reproductive medicine is a growing field with new technology emerging faster than we can assess consumer's perceptions of -the number of cancer survivors are growing and there is a great need to attend to their quality of life-this book addresses the needs of males and females, identifies effective communication strategies and proactive measures for health care professionals and researchers to use as well as identifying gaps in the literature where more research is needed.

To celebrate the Center for Perinatal Biology's 40th Anniversary, an illustrious group gathered at Loma Linda University in February 2013. That gathering of experts and this volume of the proceedings are a tribute to the founder of the Center, Lawrence D. Longo, M.D. These chapters present contributions from individuals who in some way or another were influenced by Dr. Longo. Covering a wide range of topics, and illustrating the diversity of thinking and scientific interests, these proceedings address basic science through to clinical problems in the developmental programming of health and disease.

In the last decade, much of the clinical interest in the field of infertility has focused on advancing reproductive techniques and has often under-appreciated the role that male sexuality plays in reproductive problems. Male sexual function is an integral part of reproduction, and the treatment of sexual dysfunction is an important component for any couple seeking fertility. In some cases, treatment of sexual dysfunction may obviate the need for more invasive cures through advanced reproductive techniques. Thanks to recent clinical and scientific advances in male sexual medicine, the management of men's sexual dysfunction is often more effective and less invasive than how it was historically described. Men's Sexual Health and Fertility is the only resource that focuses on the interplay and interconnections between male sexual dysfunction and male factor infertility, gathering insightful data from a panel of experts in male sexual medicine for clinicians who treat couples with fertility issues due to male sexual dysfunction. Chapters discuss advances in the field of men's sexual medicine, including the latest treatment for erectile dysfunction, the most up-to-date understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of ejaculation, and the growing body of evidence that low testosterone and male infertility are intimately related. As such, this book provides important information in order to be able to better understand the link between sexual dysfunction and infertility and, most importantly, to better treat male sexual dysfunction in the infertile couple.

Reproductive biology is more than the development of techniques for helping with too little or too much breeding. While some of the relevant techniques are useful for individual species, technical developments have to be backed up by thorough biological understanding of the background behind the problems. This book is therefore threefold; (1) it provides a snapshot of the state of the art in terms of species-specific reproductive technologies, whether for individual animals or whole taxonomic groups; (2) it sets the reproductive problems in context and emphasizes the links between animal-based problems and the wider world, e.g. reproductive fitness and (3) it looks forward and presents realistic assessments of how effective some of the more recently developed techniques in reproductive technology might be at combating extinctions. This is a wide-ranging book that will be relevant to anyone involved in reproductive biology or in species conservation and provides provide them some useful perspectives about the real utility of current and emerging technologies. It has contributions from experts in reproduction and related fields.

This book's aim is to increase the awareness of a great variety of posttranslational modifications in the male and female reproductive system. Some of the most intriguing reproductive strategies, mechanisms, and pathways involving PTM are discussed, with an added angle of evolutionary conservation and diversity. The book also chapters on sperm-egg binding, as well as on histone modification in both the embryo and sperm. Chapters are also devoted to protein ubiquitination, the regulation of sperm function during fertilization in mammals and tubulin modifications in gametes and embryos. There are no other current books on posttranslational protein modifications as they relate to reproduction, making this contribution unique in the field. It is useful for both researchers and graduate students alike.

Authored by Bengt Kallen, professor emeritus in embryology at Lund University in Sweden. The subject of this book is to describe the occurrence of congenital malformations among children born and what risk factors exist. Population data are presented for a number of malformations, ascertained with the use of data from the Swedish national health registers for the period 1998-2010 corresponding to some 1.3 million births, together with prospectively collected information on a group of exposures of possible interest. The structure of the analysis is such that it excludes studies of, for instance, nutrition, alcohol or street drug use and many other lifestyle factors where prospective information or independent register information is difficult or impossible to obtain. Epidemiology of Human Congenital Malformations culminates with a discussion on how the presence of malformations can be explained and various possibilities for the prevention of birth defects. Moreover, it will include a series of instructions on how to read epidemiological literature in this field making it an essential resource both for those currently working in the field of reproductive epidemiology or those intending to enter it. It will additionally be useful for doctors working with malformations, either as obstetricians, neonatologists or pediatricians.

This volume represents an up-to-date overview on the major areas of gynecological endocrinology, providing the reader with a complete explanation of female endocrine regulation and metabolism and relevant disorders and treatment. It is published within the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology (ISGE) Series and is based on the 2013 International School of Gynecological and Reproductive Endocrinology Summer Course. The book covers a very wide range of topics – from primary amenorrhea to menopause, from the impact of ovarian surgery on fertility to fertility cryopreservation, from metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary to premature ovarian failure and from the clinical impact of selective progesterone receptor modulators to the use of progesterone in prevention of premature labor. It will be an important tool for obstetricians and gynecologists, endocrinologists and experts in women’s health as well as interested GPs.