Understanding immunology is increasingly important in obstetrics and gynecology. Written primarily to meet the needs of practicing obstetricians and gynecologists, this book explores the role of immunological processes in reproduction. It presents immunologic concepts and illustrates important points with examples familiar to the clinician. The book is organized into four sections that explore the fundamentals of the immune system, the immunological paradox of pregnancy, clinical applications of immunology in obstetric and gynecologic practice, and immunopathology in obstetric and gynecologic practice. Written mainly for practicing obstetricians and gynecologists, the research results cited in the book are based on human experimentation. Fully illustrated with clear schematic drawings that highlight important concepts and processes, The Immunology of Human Reproduction gives readers an essential overview of immunology as it relates to human reproduction.

There are many possible causes of pelvic pain in a non-pregnant female patient, and it has been estimated to be responsible for nearly 40% of all visits by female patients to a family doctor and 10% of all referrals to specialist gynecologists. However, the topic of how to investigate and diagnose has been surprisingly neglected in print. This important and much-needed text from internationally respected experts shows how important ultrasound can be as a tool for physicians caring for women's health.

Covers gestational and chronic hypertension in addition to severe preeclampsia, eclampsia, and HELLP syndrome and discusses the interaction with the renal, hematological, neurological, and hepatic systems of pregnant women.

Get Through MRCOG Part 2: MCQs covers the breadth and depth of the MRCOG Part 2 examination syllabus and is an essential revision tool for candidates preparing for this examination. The comprehensive and wide collection of practice questions is designed to help the candidate test and assess their knowledge of the subject, aiding them in thorough preparation for the exam. The text contains 750 multiple choice stems, each with around four associated questions, providing the reader with a total of 3000 individual questions with which to test themselves. The material is divided up by subject area, allowing candidates to test their knowledge on a particular topic. The 13 'modules' are followed by two mock papers, each containing a selection of questions on different subject areas, which the reader can attempt under timed conditions. Answers are provided, with useful explanatory information for all questions to help the reader understand why their answer is right or wrong. The author, Paul Ayuk, was clinical lecturer in obstetrics and gynaecology at Oxford University for 6 years and has run an on-line MRCOG course for over 5 years, assisting over 8000 candidates worldwide.

Get Through MRCOG Part 2: Short Answer Questions is an essential revision guide for candidates preparing for the MRCOG Part 2 exam. This comprehensive collection of practice Short Answer Questions (SAQs) is designed to help candidates test and assess their own knowledge, aiding thorough preparation for the exam. The book opens with an introduction to the exam and includes advice on how to prepare for it, information on what to expect, and guidance on how to write excellent answers. This is followed by two sections: the first provides a wide range of SAQs divided into obstetric and gynaecological topics, and the second presents six practice exams set out in the format of the actual exam. For each question, the authors highlight the key words in the question, followed by a brief essay plan and then give a worked example answer. The specimen answers indicate how many marks the candidate would obtain for each point made, and are supplemented with valuable extra information and further reading, to enhance understanding and aid further revision.

The discovery of ER by Dr. Elwood Jensen exactly 60 years ago has not only led to the birth of a whole new vital nuclear receptor research field but also made a rapid, direct and lasting impact on the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. Since that landmark discovery, tremendous progress has been made in our understanding of the molecular functions of ER and development of targeted therapies against ER pathways for breast cancer treatment. However, there is currently no book available addressing these discoveries and recent advancement in a historical and systematic fashion. This book is intended to provide comprehensive, most up-to-date information on the history and recent advancement of ER and breast cancer by world renowned leaders in the field. These chapters include the history of the discovery of ER; physiological and pathological roles of ER; recent discovery of ER cistrome, transcriptome and its regulation of noncoding RNAs such as microRNAs and enhancer RNAs in breast cancer; development and clinical practices of the first targeted therapy Tamoxifen and other antiestrogens for breast cancer treatment; structural basis of ER and antiestrogen actions; molecular insights into endocrine resistance; the role of ER mutants, ER-beta and environmental estrogens in breast cancer; and emerging state-of-the-art therapeutic approaches currently in development to overcome treatment resistance and future perspectives. The book will provide undergraduate and graduate students, basic scientists and clinical cancer researchers, residents, fellows, as well as clinicians, oncology educators and the general public a thorough and authoritative review of these exciting topics.

The Routledge International Handbook of Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health is the authoritative reference work on important, leading-edge developments in the domains of women's sexual and reproductive health. The handbook adopts a life-cycle approach to examine key milestones and events in women's sexual and reproductive health. Contributors drawn from a range of disciplines, including psychology, medicine, nursing and midwifery, sociology, public health, women's studies, and indigenous studies, explore issues through three main lenses: the biopsychosocial model feminist perspectives international, multidisciplinary perspectives that acknowledge the intersection of identities in women's lives. The handbook presents an authoritative review of the field, with a focus on state-of-the-art work, encouraging future research and policy development in women's sexual and reproductive health. Finally, the handbook will inform health care providers about the latest research and clinical developments, including women's experiences of both normal and abnormal sexual and reproductive functions. Drawing upon international expertise from leading academics and clinicians in the field, this is essential reading for scholars and students interested in women's reproductive health.

There are many possible causes of pelvic pain in a non-pregnant female patient, and it has been estimated to be responsible for nearly 40% of all visits by female patients to a family doctor and 10% of all referrals to specialist gynecologists. However, the topic of how to investigate and diagnose has been surprisingly neglected in print. This important and much-needed text from internationally respected experts shows how important ultrasound can be as a tool for physicians caring for women's health.

Based on the protocols in use at the highly acclaimed King's College Hospital in London, Clinical Protocols in Labour presents a consensus of the best and most appropriate techniques for standard delivery and uncommon clinical scenarios. Each chapter is written as a stand-alone unit making the information easy to find. Coverage ranges from a general approach to care, normal labour, and care of the baby to specific issues such as eclampsia and pre-eclampsia, uterine rupture, and postpartum bleeding. In addition, the book includes protocols for emergency closure of the labour ward, communication among members of the labour team, and more. A compact, authoritative volume, Clinical Protocols in Labour provides practical templates for the perinatal management of women and their babies during labour and delivery.

The only gynecological text that combines a medical reference and surgical procedural atlas into one volume has been fully updated and revised A cost-effective option to purchasing two separate textbooks, this lavishly illustrated guide brings you fully up to date on the latest topics, including minimally invasive procedures, benign gynecology, and the subspecialties of urogynecology, gynecologic oncology, and reproductive endocrinology. With 1,200 photos and illustrations-including 450 full-color figures depicting operative techniques, Williams Gynecology provides comprehensive coverage of the full spectrum of gynecologic healthcare and disease management, including benign general gynecology; reproductive endocrinology, infertility, and menopause; female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery; and gynecologic oncology. Its extensive use of treatment algorithms, differential diagnosis boxes, and other elements, make finding the right answers a quick, efficient process. The Aspects of Gynecologic Surgery and Atlas of Gynecologic Surgery section covers benign gynecologic conditions, minimally invasive surgery, surgeries for female pelvic reconstruction, and surgeries for gynecologic malignancies.

The Diploma of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaceologists (DRCOG) examination consists of 60 multiple choice questions (MCQs) and 22 six minute structured clinical examination stations (OSCEs), of which two are rest stations. This one day examination is designed for General Practice trainees, ideally with six months' experience in obstetrics and gynaecology at the senior house officer grade.This book presents three complete DRCOG MCQ and OSCE circuits and encompasses all the possible MCQ and OSCE topics that can and have been asked in the DRCOG examination. They are presented in an identical way to the exam itself.The author, Mrs Una Coales MD, FRCSEd, DRCOG, trained in medicine in the USA and moved to practise in the UK. She has taken and passed the DRCOG exam herself and has also published popular exam texts for PLAB Parts 1 and 2.

This title is designed to help the candidate in preparation for the short essay paper components of the written MRCOG Part II examination. By providing a section of model answers with bullet points indicating specific points where marks are allocated, this text provides the candidate with a firm grounding in examination principles and technique for the short essay question papers. A section of practice papers is provided, 10 in obstetrics and 10 in gynaecology with marking schemes by which the reader can test their knowledge under examination conditions. Also valuable as a revision aid, this book highlights the core information that is central to all the MRCOG Part II examination components.

The proposed volume is distinctive in that it offers different and even competing perspectives on loss, grief and bereavement, which is essential given the complexities of the tragic human experience of perinatal, neonatal, and pediatric death. The Editors have selected an impressive array of contributors who have provided new theoretical approaches and explored extant concepts in new ways. The book is foundational for both novice scholars in the field of perinatal and pediatric grief and bereavement and for clinicians who seek a trusted resource in their care of bereaved women and families. Combining all of the theories into one provides easy access for the emerging canon on perinatal and pediatric loss.

This extensively illustrated book provides an accessible and up-to-date introduction to obstetric anaesthesia and analgesia. With only three principal authors, there is a consistency of style within a comprehensive textbook that presents the basic science, pharmacology and clinical practice relevant to obstetric anaesthesia. Chapters cover topics such as analgesia during labour, anaesthesia and postoperative analgesia for caesarean delivery, major obstetric and anaesthetic complications, evaluation of the foetus and resuscitation of the neonate, and common clinical scenarios such as management of pre-eclampsia, obesity, multiple gestation and co-existing disease.

This collection brings together the leading research in maternity care from the United States, Canada and Europe to discuss systems of care for pregnancy and childbirth. The essays focus on the practical side of "good" social science and "feminist-friendly" research. The text not only looks at maternity, but also the act of childbirth, with the goal of providing not just comparative perspectives of care, but also to integrate the differences in care within each essay for a truly international understanding of maternity care.

The endocrine and neuroendocrine system in pregnancy involves highly complex maternal, fetal and placental mechanisms, which are critical for the maintenance of pregnancy, the timing of parturition, for fetal growth and protection from adverse fetal programming. This timely book summarizes the different endocrine aspects related to pregnant women, describing how hormones regulate physiological homeostasis and influence the pathogenesis of disease. The first section of the book covers the role of specific hormones in detail, including oxytocin, hCG and estrogen. The second section discusses gestational disorders such as diabetes, hypertensive disorders and preeclampsia and how the involvement of hormones has clinical implications for management. Best practice for management of endocrine disorders, which can negatively impact pregnancy, such as thyroid disease and obesity, is also reviewed. This book is essential for clinicians and scientists looking to gain knowledge of the role of hormones in pregnancy and how they can best support patients.

This book is a collection of original essays on the meaning of providing care. These essays address not only the work of caring for the elderly, but also the work of caring for children, the infirm and those with disabilities.
The essays approach the topic from an ethical standpoint and also from a more practical, feminist and sociological point of view. The main goal of this book is to re-conceive the notion of care work, beginning with steps as simple as replacing the phrase 'caregiver' with the phrase 'care worker'.

Originally published in 1982 Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Tudor and Stuart England traces the development of obstetrics and gynaecology over the past two centuries. Between the 16th and 18th century midwifery passed from a female mystery, employing traditional medicines and superstitions, to a scientifically-based clinical skill, with both gains and losses to the patient. The case-mortality was high enough to make the increasing involvement of male surgeons socially acceptable, despite sexual taboos. Thus, as scientific knowledge of anatomy and physiology developed and was applied in the form of new techniques, so the midwives, who had less opportunity and inclination to acquire the new knowledge and skills, lost esteem and by the mid-eighteenth century were increasingly relegated to the service of the poor. The book also examines ideas about sexuality, menstruation, conception, pregnancy and lactation and shows how the views of society about femaleness, marital relations and the management of pregnancy and childbearing were influenced by these notions.

Rayna Rapp, one of the leading feminist anthropologists in the United States, explores the complex and contradictory nature of prenatal diagnosis and its social impact and cultural meaning through the narratives of the people who have experienced it. Rich with the voices and stories of participants, these touching firsthand accounts examine how women of diverse racial, ethnic, class and religious backgrounds perceive prenatal testing. These moral issues have prompted complex questions such as:
* What do women want and not want from technology in pregnancy?
* What conditions are 'worth' an abortion?
* How do women receiving a 'bad' diagnosis cope with their ultimate decisions?

A bracing account that challenges current medical thinking. This book makes urgently clear that winning the war on cancer will not be accomplished by physicians, scientists, pharmaceutical corporations, epidemiologists and geneticists, nor by the thousands employed in governmental agencies and universities at home and abroad. It will be won by people who understand the connection between the loss of personal health and the unchecked boundaries of worldwide pollution.

This book is a simple guide to the diagnosis, investigation, and treatment of all gynaecological cancers. It discusses the management of patients with gynaecological malignancies; considers the principles of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery; explains when and why each modality is used in treatment; covers the pathology of gynaecological cancer; discusses treatment of the advanced disease; and includes a chapter on the role of palliative care. The multidisciplinary approach reflects the cooperative practice in combined clinics.

This book presents both theoretical contributions and empirical applications of advanced statistical techniques including geo-additive models that link individual measures with area variables to account for spatial correlation; multilevel models that address the issue of clustering within family and household; multi-process models that account for interdependencies over life-course events and non-random utilization of health services; and flexible parametric alternatives to existing intensity models. These analytical techniques are illustrated mainly through modeling maternal and child health in the African context, using data from demographic and health surveys. In the past, the estimation of levels, trends and differentials in demographic and health outcomes in developing countries was heavily reliant on indirect methods that were devised to suit limited or deficient data. In recent decades, world-wide surveys like the World Fertility Survey and its successor, the Demographic and Health Survey have played an important role in filling the gap in survey data from developing countries. Such modern demographic and health surveys enable investigators to make in-depth analyses that guide policy intervention strategies, and such analyses require the modern and advanced statistical techniques covered in this book. The text is ideally suited for academics, professionals, and decision makers in the social and health sciences, as well as others with an interest in statistical modelling, demographic and health surveys. Scientists and students in applied statistics, epidemiology, medicine, social and behavioural sciences will find it of value.

During the early 1990s, global health experts developed a new model of emergency obstetric care: post-abortion care or PAC. In developing countries with restrictive abortion laws and where NGOs relied on US family planning aid, PAC offered an apolitical approach to addressing the consequences of unsafe abortion. In Dying to Count, Siri Suh traces how national and global population politics collide in Senegal as health workers, health officials, and NGO workers strive to demonstrate PAC’s effectiveness in the absence of rigorous statistical evidence that the intervention reduces maternal mortality. Suh argues that pragmatically assembled PAC data convey commitments to maternal mortality reduction goals while obscuring the frequency of unsafe abortion and the inadequate care women with complications are likely to receive if they manage to reach a hospital. At a moment when African women face the highest risk worldwide of death from complications related to pregnancy, birth, or abortion, Suh’s ethnography of PAC in Senegal makes a critical contribution to studies of global health, population and development, African studies, and reproductive justice.  

New mothers' feelings of isolation and anxiety that can often accompany the birth of a baby can trigger postnatal depression. If health and social care professionals, counsellors and therapists can find the right ways through groupwork to support women at this time, they can help them overcome these feelings. This book describes setting up and managing a discussion group for new mothers to provide support and introduce women to others at the same life stage in a safe environment. It shows how facilitating this structured activity can be positive and empowering for all concerned. It is practical and stimulating reading for everyone involved professionally with postnatal women. Contents Background and preparations for a postnatal group The world of motherhood Maternal health Planning the group Managing the group Expectations and reality Roles of motherhood Changes in relationships Parenting style Focus on feelings Building self-esteem

Pregnancy. For many women it is an exhilarating period of their lives. Having already made the decision to conceive, now women are confronted with a more encumbering choice, one riddled with emotional and moral implications: the option to test the health of their fetus prior to birth.
Rayna Rapp, one of the leading feminist anthropologists in the United States, explores the complex and contradictory nature of prenatal diagnosis and its social impact and cultural meaning through the narratives of the people who have experienced it. Rich with the voices and stories of participants, these touching, firsthand accounts examine how women of diverse racial, ethnic, class and religious backgrounds perceive prenatal testing, the most prevalent and routinized of the new reproducing technologies. This Pandora's box of moral issues has prompted complex questions, such as: What do women want and not want from technology in pregnancy? What conditions are "worth" an abortion? How do women receiving a "bad" diagnosis cope with their ultimate decisions?
Based on the author's decade of research and her own personal experiences with amniocentesis, "Testing Women, Testing the Fetus" explores the "geneticization" of family life in all its complexity and diversity.