Reproductive health care professionals in fields such as Obstetrics and Gynecology, Family Medicine, and Pediatrics face difficult ethical issues because they work at the crossroads of patient decision-making, scientific advancement, political controversy, legal regulation, and profound moral considerations. The dilemmas these professionals face expose big-picture bioethics questions of interest to everyone. Yet for clinicians striving to deliver excellent patient care, the ethical questions that make daily practice challenging can be just as nuanced. This volume presents a carefully curated compilation of essays written by leading experts in the fields of medicine, ethics, and law, who address key issues at the forefront of reproductive ethics. It is organized into three main sections: I. Contraception and Abortion Ethics - Preventing Pregnancy and Birth, II. Assisted Reproduction Ethics - Initiating Pregnancy, and III. Obstetric Ethics - Managing Pregnancy and Delivery. Each section begins with a short introduction by the editors providing an overview of the area and contextualizing the essays that follow. This volume's primary aim is to be useful to practicing clinicians, students, and trainees by providing short and practical essays covering urgent topics-from race, religion and abortion, to legal liability, violations of confidentiality and maternal choices that risk future children's health. This collection provides clinicians at all levels of training with frameworks they need to approach the intimate and high-stakes encounters central to their profession.

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.

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.

This textbook takes a new, dynamic approach to the basic sciences in obstetrics and gynaecology. It teaches candidates all they need to know for the MRCOG Part 1 examination by extending the understanding of the basic medical sciences and their relevance to obstetrics and gynaecology. Like conventional textbooks it teaches what is 'true', but it also what is 'false', and why. The most complex concepts are discussed in a problem-based format so that the relevant basic sciences are taught and drawn together in context.

How the fear of malpractice affects mothers and reproductive choices Giving birth is a monumental event, not only in the personal life of the woman giving birth, but as a medical process and procedure. In The Business of Birth, Louise Marie Roth explores the process of giving birth, and the ways in which medicine and law interact to shape maternity care. Focusing on the United States, Roth explores how the law creates an environment where medical providers, malpractice attorneys, and others limit women's rights and choices during birth. She shows how a fear of liability risk often drives the decision-making process of medical providers, who prioritize hospital efficiency over patient safety, to the detriment of mothers themselves. Ultimately, Roth advocates for an approach that protects the reproductive rights of mothers. A comprehensive overview, The Business of Birth provides valuable insight into the impact of the law on mothers, medical providers, maternity care practices, and others in the United States.

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.

The enormous increase in our knowledge and understanding of diabetes mellitus in recent years has resulted in new management strategies for greatly enhancing care in diabetic pregnancy. Clinicians responsible for the care of women with diabetes need to keep abreast of these advances. Diabetes and Pregnancy: An International Approach to Diagnosis and Management is a comprehensive, yet practical guide to the present state of knowledge regarding diabetic pregnancy. It summarizes published literature, and offers clear and valuable information on the practicalities of providing special care before, during and after pregnancy. This volume will be indispensable to all members of the health care team involved in the care of pregnant diabetic women and their babies, including obstetricians, neonatologists, diabetes physicians, specialist nurses, midwives as well as general practitioners.

This book explores how conditions for childbearing are changing in the 21st century under the impact of new biomedical technologies. Selective reproductive technologies (SRTs) - technologies that aim to prevent or promote the birth of particular kinds of children - are increasingly widespread across the globe. Wahlberg and Gammeltoft bring together a collection of essays providing unique ethnographic insights on how SRTs are made available within different cultural, socio-economic and regulatory settings and how people perceive and make use of these new possibilities as they envision and try to form their future lives. Topics covered include sex-selective abortions, termination of pregnancies following detection of fetal anomalies during prenatal screening, the development of preimplantation genetic diagnosis techniques as well as the screening of potential gamete donors by egg agencies and sperm banks. This is invaluable reading for scholars of medical anthropology, medical sociology and science and technology studies, as well as for the fields of gender studies, reproductive health and genetic disease research.

Assisted Reproduction is a specialty undergoing rapid change as new technologies are introduced and new research challenges previous treatment options. This text examines a selection of controversial topics for both laboratory and clinical practice and tries to place them in perspective, so readers can understand how and why the current state of the question has come about and how future contributions to the debate should be measured. All physicians involved with the technologies concerned will learn from the expert contributions assembled here. CONTENTS: The use of ovarian markers * Use of molecular markers of endometrial receptivity * Use of GnRHa for triggering final oocyte maturation during ovarian stimulation cycles * Use of time-lapse embryo imaging in assisted reproductive technology practice * Use of cryopreservation for all embryos * Preimplantation genetic screening * The use of single embryo transfer * Use of luteal phase support * Measuring safety and efficiency in in vitro fertilization * To flush follicles during egg collection or not * Use of blastocyst culture * Use of mitochondrial donation * Controversies in recurrent implantation failure: From theory to practice * Fibroids: To remove or not? * Limitations of endometrioma surgery in in vitro fertilization: Possibilities of early disease control

As a biological, cultural, and social entity, the human fetus is a multifaceted subject which calls for equally diverse perspectives to fully understand. Anthropology of the Fetus seeks to achieve this by bringing together specialists in biological anthropology, archaeology, and cultural anthropology. Contributors draw on research in prehistoric, historic, and contemporary sites in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America to explore the biological and cultural phenomenon of the fetus, raising methodological and theoretical concerns with the ultimate goal of developing a holistic anthropology of the fetus.

As Louise Brown -- the first baby conceived by in vitro fertilization -- celebrates her 30th birthday, Margaret Marsh and Wanda Ronner tell the fascinating story of the man who first showed that human in vitro fertilization was possible.

John Rock spent his career studying human reproduction. The first researcher to fertilize a human egg in vitro in the 1940s, he became the nation's leading figure in the treatment of infertility, his clinic serving rich and poor alike. In the 1950s he joined forces with Gregory Pincus to develop oral contraceptives and in the 1960s enjoyed international celebrity for his promotion of the pill and his campaign to persuade the Catholic Church to accept it.

Rock became a more controversial figure by the 1970s, as conservative Christians argued that his embryo studies were immoral and feminist activists contended that he had taken advantage of the clinic patients who had participated in these studies as research subjects.

Marsh and Ronner's nuanced account sheds light on the man behind the brilliant career. They tell the story of a directionless young man, a saloon keeper's son, who began his working life as a timekeeper on a Guatemalan banana plantation and later became one of the most recognized figures of the twentieth century. They portray his medical practice from the perspective of his patients, who ranged from the wives of laborers to Hollywood film stars.

The first scholars to have access to Rock's personal papers, Marsh and Ronner offer a compelling look at a man whose work defined the reproductive revolution, with its dual developments in contraception and technologically assisted conception.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Epigenetics is the study of how certain genes are activated without modification at the DNA sequence level, resulting in genetically similar individuals having different clinical outcomes. As contemporary medicine increasingly aims to personalize the medical approach to a patient's genetic profile, the factors that can affect which genes are expressed also increase in importance and relevance to the clinician. This text from experts will give the clinician in Reproductive Medicine a reliable grounding in current thinking and research on this fast-moving topic, with many clinical implications.

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.

Advances in technology now offer promising solutions to deal with the chronological aging of the cell, tissue or organ to synchronize its existence and its use. This book covers the developments in and benefits of the latest vitrification technology and its extensive applications in reproductive medicine. Protocols of gametes (oocyte and sperm), embryos, blastocysts and ovarian tissue cryopreservation have been reviewed by leaders in the field. In order to address the escalation in cross-border reproductive tourism entailing the transfer of reproductive cells and tissues rather than the patient, the challenges, caution and emerging possibilities of nitrogen vapor shipment of vitrified cells have been discussed. Current perspectives on oocyte banking present the reader with options and solutions to effectively utilize these gametes despite the physiological deterrents.The versatile applications and potential of vitrification of human embryonic stem cells, discussed in the concluding chapter, is an exciting reality offered by vitrification to help overcome numerous stumbling blocks in the management of various disorders.

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.

This Brief explores the use of proteomics as a tool for biomarker discovery in human reproduction and summarizes current findings and trends of proteomic studies in both male and female infertility. This simplifies this important but complex topic and equips the novice reader with sufficient background information on the use of proteomics in human reproduction. The up-to-date scenario on proteomic investigations will also appeal to researchers and post graduate students looking to keep abreast with the latest developments in reproductive research. This review summarizes current findings of contemporary proteomic studies on infertility in both males and females with various reproductive pathologies, and its use in predicting the outcome of assisted reproduction. In human reproduction, the search for biomarkers via proteomics is a fast-evolving approach that involves the analysis of proteins in the reproductive tissues and fluids, such as the male gametes, seminal plasma, ovarian and endometrial tissue, and follicular and uterine fluid. By comparing the protein profile of a healthy, fertile individual against that of an infertile individual, the differentially expressed proteins may give an indication to certain proteins that could serve as useful biomarkers that are related to infertility. As proteomic studies continue to unravel the dynamic proteome behind various infertility conditions, there is potential for the discovery of prognostic markers that could ultimately help in both natural and assisted human reproduction.