Infertility is a significant health issue and one that has received increasing media attention in the UK and elsewhere in recent years. For affected couples, it is the cause of substantial distress and feelings of isolation that can lead to associated anxiety and depression. This is compounded by a perceived lack of support from health services as well as a lack of available information regarding its management. This book provides current information and practical advice on the underlying causes, diagnosis and management of infertility in a clear and concise style that is accessible to patients. The book covers all aspects of infertility from investigation, treatment, successful pregnancy and coping with childlessness. The text is written in a plain-spoken style that is easy to read and absorb, with liberal use of bullet points, diagrams, graphs, photographs, tables and other illustrations. Case studies and patient perspectives are included throughout the text to bring key concepts to life.

With advances in ultrasound, birth defects are increasingly detected during pregnancy and may be amenable to surgical correction before delivery, to improve outcomes. This essential book discusses the different birth defects that can be treated during pregnancy and the important anesthetic considerations for the mother and fetus undergoing these procedures. Experts in the fields of anesthesiology, maternal fetal medicine, surgery, and pediatrics have come together to develop the content of this book. Enhanced throughout with full color images and illustrations, the book covers important topics such as spina bifida, twin-twin transfusion syndrome, sacrococcygeal teratoma, and lung masses, as well as fetal cardiac intervention, intrauterine transfusion, ex utero intrapartum treatment, and multidisciplinary approaches to fetal surgery. An invaluable guide for pediatric and obstetric anesthesiologists, anesthesiology, obstetrics, and surgical trainees, nurse anesthetists, and maternal-fetal medicine specialists.

Meet Woody. Former journalist. Die-hard Oasis fan. High energy. Low sperm count. Training to be a vicar. Obviously. Matt Woodcock's frank, funny real-life diaries reveal what it was like for him to train as a vicar while struggling against all odds to become a father. In them he lays bare his joys and struggles as he attempts to reconcile his calling as a vicar with his life as a party-loving journalist, footie-freak and incorrigible extrovert. Becoming Reverend is a compelling and original account of how faith can work in the midst of a messy life, combining family, fertility, faith and friendship with the story of a divine - but unlikely - calling.

Growth, Maturation and Body Composition documents one of the most remarkable and significant studies in the field of human biology. The Fels Longitudinal Study is the longest, largest and most productive serial study of human growth, maturation and body composition. This book shows how data collected from more than 1000 participants during the past 60 years have been analysed to test a wide range of hypotheses, and describes how the findings have led to the development of improved research methods. Topics covered include the management and analysis of data, prenatal, familial and genetic studies, physical growth, development and maturation, bones and teeth, body composition, and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. With more than 1000 specialized publications of Fels data, the present book provides a unique overview of this fascinating research programme, which will be of interest to a wide range of researchers, including those in the fields of physical anthropology, nutrition science, pediatrics, gerontology, epidemiology, endocrinology, human genetics, as well as statistics.

Reproductive tract infections and other gynaecological disorders among women represent an enormous global health burden. This significant book will help focus research on this important though neglected area. The primary aims of the book are to provide an overview of reproductive tract infections and other gynaecological disorders, to highlight the conceptual and methodological challenges associated with undertaking research on this subject, and to serve as a reference for future research in this area. The book focuses on developing country settings, and recognizes that gathering this sort of information requires a multidisciplinary and culturally sensitive approach. Findings from the research described in this book will undoubtedly assist physicians, social scientists, epidemiologists and public health practitioners in evaluating the magnitude of this problem within the community at large and in identifying potentially effective medical and behavioural interventions to address this problem.

Introduced in Phnom Penh around 1990, at the twilight of socialism and after two decades of conflict and upheaval, ultrasound took root in humanitarian and then privatized medicine. Services have since multiplied, promising diagnostic information and better prenatal and general health care. In Fixing the Image Jenna Grant draws on years of ethnographic and archival research to theorize the force and appeal of medical imaging in the urban landscape of Phnom Penh. Set within long genealogies of technology as tool of postcolonial modernity, and vision as central to skilled diagnosis in medicine and Theravada Buddhism, ultrasound offers stabilizing knowledge and elicits desire and pleasure, particularly for pregnant women. Grant offers the concept of "fixing"-which invokes repair, stabilization, and a dose of something to which one is addicted-to illuminate how ultrasound is entangled with practices of care and neglect across different domains. Fixing the Image thus provides a method for studying technological practice in terms of specific materialities and capacities of technologies-in this case, image production and the permeability of the body-illuminating how images are a material form of engagement between patients, between patients and their doctors, and between patients and their bodies.

This innovative book is one of the first resources to describe in detail the technique of digital time-lapse microscopy, a state-of-the-art analytical tool which is revolutionizing the field of assisted reproduction. Over 180 high-quality video sequences, accessible online via the password included in the book, provide a practical and highly visual guide to this new technology and the wealth of detail it can reveal about human embryo development. Written by a team of experts from across numerous clinical and scientific subspecialties, this book is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of the technique. It covers both the general principles of time-lapse microscopy and the specifics of working with various devices, with chapters on EmbryoScopeTM, Primo VisionTM and EevaTM as well as set-up and troubleshooting. Full electronic access to all text, images and supplementary videos makes this the ideal everyday reference for embryologists, clinicians and others working in IVF laboratories.

Infertility Counseling: A Comprehensive Handbook for Clinicians, 2nd edition, is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary textbook for all health professionals providing care for individuals facing reproductive health issues. It is the most thorough and extensive book currently available for clinicians in the field of infertility counseling, providing an exhaustive and comprehensive review of topics. It addresses both the medical and psychological aspects of infertility, reviewing assessment approaches, treatment strategies, counseling for medical conditions impacting fertility, third-party reproduction, alternative family building and post infertility counseling issues. Each chapter follows the same format: introduction, historical overview, literature review, theoretical framework, identification of clinical issues, suggestions for therapeutic interventions, and future implication. This edition also includes extensive appendixes of clinical tools useful to the clinician, including an Internet database of resources and an extensive glossary of terminology.

Aging has long since been ascribed to the gradual accumulation of DNA mutations in the genome of somatic cells. However, it is only recently that the necessary sophisticated technology has been developed to begin testing this theory and its consequences. Vijg critically reviews the concept of genomic instability as a possible universal cause of aging in the context of a new, holistic understanding of genome functioning in complex organisms resulting from recent advances in functional genomics and systems biology. It provides an up-to-date synthesis of current research, as well as a look ahead to the design of strategies to retard or reverse the deleterious effects of aging. This is particularly important in a time when we are urgently trying to unravel the genetic component of aging-related diseases. Moreover, there is a growing public recognition of the imperative of understanding more about the underlying biology of aging, driven by continuing demographic change.

This unique source of reference provides the first comprehensive guide to the adverse side-effects of many commonly prescribed drugs on fertility and sexual health. More than 150 drugs are listed in this compilation, and the evidence linking them with infertility and sexual dysfunction is carefully reviewed. The volume is designed to provide a rapid source of reference to alert doctors and pharmacists to these hazardous side-effects. The volume also includes an introductory account of the reproductive process and a review of the mechanisms by which these drugs can interfere with or inhibit reproduction. Another important theme of the volume is the effect of social and recreational drugs and environmental agents on reproductive health.

In this volume Smith examines the early modern science of generation, which included the study of animal conception, heredity, and fetal development. Analyzing how it influenced the contemporary treatment of traditional philosophical questions, it also demonstrates how philosophical pre-suppositions about mechanism, substance, and cause informed the interpretations offered by those conducting empirical research on animal reproduction. Composed of cutting-edge essays written by an international team of leading scholars, the book offers a fresh perspective on some of the basic problems in early modern philosophy. It also considers how these basic problems manifested themselves within an area of scientific inquiry that has not previously received much consideration by historians of philosophy.

At 11.47pm on July 25th 1978, Louise Brown was the first person ever to be born through science rather than as the result of two people having sex. The birth was hailed as a "miracle" by the world's media, making her instantly famous. For the first time Louise tells the story of her world changing birth and its impact on her life. The book contains many family photographs and letters which have never been published before. It was written by Louise with her long-term publicist Martin Powell of Empica PR.

Clinical case studies have long been recognized as a useful adjunct to problem-based learning and continuing professional development. They emphasize the need for clinical reasoning, integrative thinking, problem-solving, communication, teamwork and self-directed learning - all desirable generic skills for health care professionals. This volume contains a selection of cases on assisted reproduction that will inform and challenge reproductive medicine practitioners at all stages in their careers. Both common and uncommon cases are included. The aim is to reinforce diagnostic skill through careful analysis of individual presenting patterns, and to guide treatment decisions. Each case consists of a clinical history, examination findings and special investigations, before a diagnosis is made. Clinical issues raised by each case are discussed and major teaching points emphasized. Selective references are provided. The book provides a useful complementary adjunct to existing textbooks of reproductive medicine, and an excellent resource for teaching and continuing professional development.

This book offers a comprehensive roadmap for determining when and how to regulate risky reproductive technologies on behalf of future children. First, it provides three benchmarks for determining whether a reproductive practice is harmful to the children it produces. This framework synthesizes and extends past efforts to make sense of our intuitive, but paradoxical, belief that reproductive choices can be both life-giving and harmful. Next, it recommends a process for reconciling the interests of future children with the reproductive liberty of prospective parents. The author rejects a blanket preference for either parental autonomy or child welfare and proposes instead a case-by-case inquiry that takes into account the nature and magnitude of the proposed restrictions on procreative liberty, the risk of harm to future children, and the context in which the issue arises. Finally, he applies this framework to four past and future medical treatments with above average risk, including cloning and genetic engineering. Drawing lessons from these case studies, Peters criticizes the current lack of regulatory oversight and recommends both more extensive pre-market testing and closer post-market monitoring of new reproductive technologies. His moderate, pragmatic approach will be widely appreciated.

Gender, Identity and Reproduction draws on a variety of perspectives relevant to an understanding of reproduction across the life-course. Through a consideration of the representation of reproductive identities and experiences, the book highlights difference and diversity in relation to contemporary reproductive choices. The book focuses on women's and men's experiences of agency, control and negotiation within the context of cultural, medical, political, theoretical and lay ideologies of the reproductive process in contemporary Western societies.

Combining anthropological, gerontological and biocultural evidence, this study explores how humans came to grow old as slowly as they do, and what impacts this has had on their health and lives. It is only comparatively recent that humans have developed late-life survival, but much of the research on senescence is based on isolated cells, worms, and fruit flies, which may be only of peripheral relevance to human aging.

The development of new reproductive technologies has raised urgent questions and debates about how and by whom these treatments should be controlled. On the one hand individuals and groups have claimed access to assisted reproduction as a right, and some have also claimed that this access should be available free of charge. As well as clinically infertile heterosexual couples, this right has been claimed by single women, gay couples, post-menopausal women, and couples who wish to delay having children for various reasons. Others have argued that a desire to have children does not make it a human right, and, moreover, that there are some people who should not be assisted to become parents, on grounds of age, sexuality, or lifestyle. Mary Warnock steers a clear path through the web of complex issues underlying these views. She begins by analyzing what it means to claim something as a 'right', and goes on to discuss the cases of different groups of people. She also examines the ethical problems faced by particular types of assisted reproduction, including artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization, and surrogacy, and argues that in the future human cloning may well be a viable an

Western thought traditionally divides the human being into a body-mind dualism, a divide realized in the divergent research fields of geriatrics and gerontology; the first examines the physical body, and the second focuses instead upon psychological and social aspects of aging. Research Health Scientist Christopher Faircloth's edited volume of original pieces attempts to bridge this rift: reinserting the physical aging body and its lived experiences back into gerontology's study of aging. He asks, 'Is it not the physical body that readily marks us as aging?' Faircloth organizes this text around two major themes of the aging body: everyday experience, and the social and personal impact of its imagery, while concentrating on three areas of substantive concern: medicalization, gender/sexuality, and the body as consumer. This book would be of interest to gerontologists, social scientists, and students of these fields concerned with the aging body, both object and subject, as experienced and alternatively perceived in relation to contemporary society.

The concept of reproductive health promises to play a crucial role in improving health care provision and legal protection for women around the world. This is an authoritative and much-needed introduction to and defence of the concept of reproductive health, which though internationally endorsed, is still contested. The authors are leading authorities on reproductive medicine, women's health, human rights, medical law, and bioethics. They integrate their disciplines to provide an accessible but comprehensive picture. They analyse 15 cases from different countries and cultures, and explore options for resolution. The aim is to equip readers to fashion solutions in their own health care circumstances, compatibly with ethical, legal and human rights principles.

Think diet and exercise are the keys to a long, healthy life?
Think again.

What can you do to increase the likelihood of living a happy, healthy, fulfilling life into your sixties, seventies, eighties, and beyond?

For more than five decades Harvard Medical School has studied the basic elements of adult human development, analyzing the health and happiness of hundreds of individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds. In Aging Well, George E. Vaillant, M.D., the director of the study, draws on the data gathered and reveals for the first time why some people turn out to be more resilient than others. His surprising conclusion is that individual lifestyle choices play a greater role than genetics, wealth, race, or other factors in determining how happy people are in later life.

Among the topics Dr. Vaillant explores:

• · The importance of marriage and the impact of divorce
• · The role of play and creative activity
• · The effects of tobacco, alcohol, and other mood elevators
• · The benefits of forming new friendships and new social networks
• · The importance of intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning

With its step-by-step advice and its revelation of scientific secrets, this inspiring book can help you — whether you are thirty-five or sixty-five — ensure that your golden years are truly golden.

The method of vitrification of oocytes and embryos is fundamental for the outcome of IVF. This atlas presents data on both closed system and open vitrification techniques, and the consequences of each method for survival rates, aiding the comparison of vitrification methods. Structured on a patient-by-patient basis, the atlas describes 100 clinically documented case studies that follow the evolution of cryopreserved blastocysts between warming and blastocyst transfer. It relates fresh to post-warming blastocyst morphology and to response to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. For each case, pronuclear morphology and synchrony, as well as embryo morphology, are reported and described. Data on indications for treatment, stimulation type and duration, are accompanied by over 400 high-quality images of vitrified blastocysts. Covering the state-of-the-art techniques, this atlas is an essential aid in selecting the vitrification method for clinical embryologists and physicians in reproductive medicine.

As we enter the twenty-first century, a number of medical, environmental, and social changes have profoundly affected human reproduction. This book discusses some of the more dramatic changes in an accessible manner, illustrating the ways in which human biology and culture can affect fertility. It provides a unique interdisciplinary perspective on the subject. Topics of discussion include medical technological advances that equip us with potential cures for many causes of infertility; diseases, such as AIDS, that have a devastating impact on the reproductive and social lives of humans; increasing industrialization and the development of fabricated materials that pollute our environment in unforeseen ways with possibly devastating effects on human health and fertility; and social revolutions that profoundly alter human relationships, such as nonmarital unions between heterosexual couples, same-sex relationships, and adoption and surrogacy.

Recent developments in methods of contraception have presented women with a wider range of options than ever before. At the same time, however, scare stories - particularly about the Pill - have spread anxiety and confusion. In this third edition of Contraception, Anne Szarewski and John Guillebaud assess all the evidence, including the new guidelines which were issued by the Committee of Safety of Medicines (CSM) in May 1999 following a review of the 1995 scare stories. They describe the latest methods, including new types of condoms, Persona, and Mirena, and cut through the conflicting information to give you the clearest and most reliable advice you will find anywhere. From reviews of previous editions: 'A model of clearly presented, unpatronising, up-to-the- minute information ... the current definitive book on the subject.' Vogue 'Excellent.' British Journal of Family Planning 'Essential reading for anyone thinking of changing their family planning method.' Woman 'this is the book to buy ... Written by expert gynaecologists... with textbook clarity, it's one of the most comprehensive guides around... an invaluable book.' Health and Fitness

Reviews our current understanding of the role of protein oxidation in aging and age-related diseases

Protein oxidation is at the core of the aging process. Setting forth a variety of new methods and approaches, this book helps researchers conveniently by exploring the aging process and developing more effective therapies to prevent or treat age-related diseases. There have been many studies dedicated to the relationship between protein oxidation and age-related pathology; now it is possible for researchers and readers to learn new techniques as utilizing protein oxidation products as biomarkers for aging.

"Protein Oxidation and Aging" begins with a description of the tremendous variety of protein oxidation products. Furthermore, it covers: Major aspects of the protein oxidation processCellular mechanisms for managing oxidized proteinsRole of protein oxidation in agingInfluence of genetic and environmental factors on protein oxidationMeasuring protein oxidation in the aging processProtein oxidation in age-related diseases

References at the end of each chapter serve as a gateway to the growing body of original research studies and reviews in the field.