In spite of the fact that almost eighty percent of all IVF cycles are unsuccessful, the dominant representations of the technology are of its success. Based on extensive interviews with women and couples who have undergone IVF unsuccessfully and who have since stopped treatment, and taking an overtly feminist approach, the book explores the ways in which IVF failure is experienced and accounted for. The book argues that IVF failure and the end of treatment have to be carefully managed over time in order to construct the self as 'normal' in the profoundly gendered context of reproductive normativity. Treatment failure is identified in the book not only as a central, but largely excluded, aspect of the experience of IVF, but also of a proliferating range of new, more controversial reproductive and genetic technologies.

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

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.

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.

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.

The definitive week-by-week diet and lifestyle plan to support IVF treatment and help you become pregnant from the one of the UK's foremost experts on fertility and conception, Zita West. 'The IVF process is so out of your control and this was a really helpful tool to bring me back in control and nurture my body' -- ***** Reader review 'Excellent book, a great way to feel like you have some control over this crazy process!' -- ***** Reader review 'Terrific and informative - worth every penny' -- ***** Reader review 'Easy to read and easy to understand' -- ***** Reader review 'Brilliant' -- ***** Reader review **************************************************************************************************** More and more couples are turning to IVF each year to help them conceive, and yet there are still many questions to be answered. "What makes IVF successful?" and "what else can we do to support our treatment?" are two of the most important queries couples can have, and here, Zita West offers solutions. Nutrition and lifestyle advice, psychological and emotional support and a positive mindset all play an important part in helping couples conceive, and can even make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful outcome. This book not only advises how to prepare for IVF, but why it's so important to prepare, and with a step-by-step diet and lifestyle plan and over 60 recipes for meals designed for optimum fertility heath, this is a clear way to actively support your treatment.

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.

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

"Extremely well-written, innovative, and timely, "Infertility Around the Globe is a definitive work. Together, the authors use infertility as the lens to examine numerous compelling social issues, generating a powerful argument that infertility is a globally significant phenomenon. This volume will attract anthropologists and other social scientists interested in the study of reproduction, as well as anyone interested in gender studies, women's studies, and international health."--Carolyn Sargent, co-editor of "Childbirth and Authoritative Knowledge: Cross-Cultural Perspectives

"This groundbreaking, interdisciplinary book will change how infertility is theorized and how intervention programs are designed. It will become the primary sourcebook for international and comparative research in a variety of cultural settings. Reading this book was a distinct pleasure."--Lynn Morgan, co-editor of "Fetal Subjects, Feminist Positions

"A stunning achievement. Through its richly textured ethnographic accounts, this book beautifully explicates the universals and particularities of involuntary childlessness in disparate world regions. It challenges the myopic view that the heartbreak is limited to advanced industrial societies. This book is a much-needed antidote in a field mostly characterized by polemic and untested assumptions."--C. H. Browner, UCLA School of Medicine

"Scholarship on infertility too often has been culture-bound, focusing on Western versions of biosocial reproductive problems and on technological solutions. This innovative volume decenters that perspective, with studies on the ostracism of elder childless men in Kenya, political suspicions of vaccination campaigns in theCameroons, new reproductive technologies for ultraorthodox use in Israel, and China's emergent eugenics. It enlarges the 'public' in public health."--Rayna Rapp, co-editor of "Conceiving the New World Order: The Global Politics of Reproduction

'It is very hard to produce a timely book about a subject that changes as quickly as technologically assisted reproduction, but John Harris and Soren Holm have managed to do exactly that. The fourteen essays in this small volume provide an extremely useful and highly readable overview of the key moral, legal, and social themes raised by new ways of making babies. . . . The book is unique in that it offers perspectives on all these topics from a variety of disciplines and professions as well as from a broad range of national and cultural perspectives.' Arthur Caplan, British Medical Journal

Women and Exercise is an invaluable resource for all physicians, from general practitioners to specialists seeking information outside their specialty, who need up-to-date information and expert advice about women and exercise.

Despite incredible and previously undreamed-of advances in modern medicine, for many women the issue of infertility remains a heart-breaking reality. Using a combination of traditional and modern astrological techniques, the author has delved deeply into the charts of hundreds of infertile women, and in many cases has unravelled what might be at the root of the problem. Sometimes it's a matter of location or timing, or it could be psychological issues in the relationship that are causing the block; whatever the reason, the author works closely with the couple - and often the medical profession - to produce results that are frequently positive where there has been no hope before. Although this is an advanced textbook for astrologers, the human element of the case histories is nothing short of inspiring, and from that perspective can be enjoyed by readers with no knowledge of astrology.

This practical, extensively illustrated handbook covers the procedures that are undertaken in andrology and ART laboratories to analyse and assess male-factor infertility, and to prepare spermatozoa for use in assisted conception therapy. The content is presented as brief, authoritative overviews of the relevant biological background for each area, plus detailed, step-by-step descriptions of the relevant analytical procedures. Each technical section includes quality control considerations and the optimum presentation of results. In addition to the comprehensive 'basic' semen analysis, incorporating careful analysis of sperm morphology, the handbook provides established techniques for the use of computer-aided sperm analysis and sperm functional assessment. The interpretation of laboratory results in the clinical context is highlighted throughout, and safe laboratory practice is emphasized. Fully revised, incorporating the new ISO TS 23162 on basic human semen analysis throughout, this is an invaluable resource to all scientists and technicians who perform diagnostic testing for male-factor infertility.

With the rigor of a dedicated scholar and the passion of a committed activist, Nancy Lublin offers a fresh perspective on the ethical dimensions of providing and using reproductive technologies, including contraception, assisted conception, and antenatal and childbirth interventions. Combining feminist philosophy and legal theory, Lublin considers these issues under a single category that she calls 'technological intervention in the womb.' She addresses the positions of technophiles (who advocate acceptance of technological intervention in the womb as a source of liberation), technophobic feminists (who reject artificial invasions as anti-natural and anti-women), and other feminists who have argued that technological intervention in the womb should be legal and available to women because freedom of choice should be gender-neutral. Lublin identifies core principles that are common to a kaleidoscope of feminist theories, and she argues that a materialist feminism provides the most effective framework for establishing public policy and creating social change in the name of gender justice.

The thirteen million women now between the ages of forty-five and fifty-four have focused attention on menopause as a major health issue and greatly increased the demand for information on this once taboo topic. In Turning Point, biologist and author, Sue Furman puts menopause into perspective as one of many hormone-driven events in the continuum of a women's physical and emotional growth.
Furman takes a close look at the powerful influence hormones have on a woman's life, from bone growth and memory functions, to sometimes even swaying a woman's choice of Mr. Right. She then looks at the myriad symptoms that may arise around the time of menopause, including hot flashes, mood swings, migraine headaches, and palpitations, and explains exactly what is happening when these symptoms occur and how to alleviate or cope with them. Finally, Furman discusses the pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and how simple life-style choices like good-nutrition and moderate exercise can have a significant impact on the menopause transition.
Debunking the many myths and fears surrounding menopause by providing women with easy-to-grasp, reliable information, Turning Point helps women retain the peace of mind--and sense of humor--that can make menopause a healthy experience and allow women to move confidently into the second half of life.

Substantial Relations examines global reproductive medicine in India, focusing on in vitro fertilization. Since the 1970s, India has played a central but shifting role in shaping global reproductive medicine-from a provider of raw material, to a producer of knowledge and technology, to a creator of a thriving medical market that attracts patients from all over the world. Relying on archival material and oral history, Substantial Relations traces the path of this transnational historical trajectory. This book also examines the contemporary making of IVF in Delhi. Drawing on ethnographic research in homes, hospitals, and laboratories, Sandra Barnreuther provides deep insights into the intricacies of clinical life and everyday experience by depicting IVF users' quest for offspring and their fears of establishing unwanted ties, as well as the minute engagements of clinicians and laboratory staff with reproductive substances. Thinking through substances-metaphorically and materially-Sandra Barnreuther provides a novel and rich analysis of the various relations that the burgeoning IVF sector in India has relied on and generated. Substantial Relations contributes to a broader understanding of reproductive medicine as a global phenomenon constantly in the making, situating India in the midst of, rather than peripheral to, this process.

Since the first fertilization of a human egg in the laboratory in 1968, scientific and technological breakthroughs have raised ethical dilemmas and generated policy controversies on both sides of the Atlantic. Embryo, stem cell, and cloning research have provoked impassioned political debate about their religious, moral, legal, and practical implications. National governments make rules that govern the creation, destruction, and use of embryos in the laboratory but they do so in profoundly different ways.

In Embryo Politics, Thomas Banchoff provides a comprehensive overview of political struggles aboutembryo research during four decades in four countries the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Banchoff's book, the first of its kind, demonstrates the impact of particular national histories and institutions on very different patterns of national governance. Over time, he argues, partisan debate and religious-secular polarization have come to overshadow ethical reflection and political deliberation on the moral status of the embryo and the promise of biomedical research. Only by recovering a robust and public ethical debate will we be able to govern revolutionary life-science technologies effectively and responsibly into the future."

During the last two decades, a new form of trade in commercial surrogacy grew across Asia. Starting in India, a "disruptive" model of surrogacy offered mass availability, rapid accessibility, and created new demands for surrogacy services from people who could not afford or access surrogacy elsewhere. In International Surrogacy as Disruptive Industry in Southeast Asia, Andrea Whittaker traces the development of this industry and its movement across Southeast Asia following a sequence of governmental bans in India, Nepal, Thailand, and Cambodia. Through a case study of the industry in Thailand, the book offers a nuanced and sympathetic examination of the industry from the perspectives of the people involved in it: surrogates, intended parents, and facilitators. The industry offers intended parents the opportunity to form much desired families, but also creates vulnerabilities for all people involved. These vulnerabilities became evident in cases of trafficking, exploitation, and criminality that emerged in southeast Asia, leading to greater scrutiny on the industry as a whole. Yet the trade continues in new flexible hybrid forms, involving the circulation of reproductive gametes, embryos, surrogates, and ova donors across international borders to circumvent regulations. The book demonstrates the need for new forms of regulation to protect those involved in international surrogacy arrangements.

Random Families is about the unprecedented families that have grown up at the intersection of new reproductive technologies, social media, and the human desire for belonging. Children of the same donor and their families, with the help of the internet, can now locate each other and make contact. Based on over 350 interviews with children (ages 10-28), their parents and related donors from all over the U.S., Random Families chronicles the chain of choices that couples and single mothers make from what donor to use to how to participate (or not) in donor sibling networks. Children reveal their understanding of a donor, the donor's spot on the family tree and the meaning of their donor siblings. Through rich first-person accounts of network membership, the book illustrates how these extraordinary relationships-woven from bits of online information and shared genetic ties-are transformed into new possibilities for kinship. Random Families offers down-to-earth stories from real families to highlight just how truly distinctive these contemporary new forms of family are.

In Quest for Conception, Marcia C. Inhorn portrays the poignant struggles of poor, urban Egyptian women and their attempts to overcome infertility. The author draws upon fifteen months of fieldwork in urban Egypt to present moving stories of infertile Muslim women whose tumultuous medical pilgrimages - or their "search for children," as they call their quests for conception - have yet to produce the desired pregnancies. Inhorn examines the devastating impact of infertility on the lives of these women, who are threatened with divorce by their husbands, harassed by their husbands' families, and ostracized by neighbors. Beliefs about procreation and infertility causation and cure among the Egyptian urban poor derive from a five-thousand-year history of shifting medical pluralism. Although colonially produced Western biomedicine is the dominant system in Egypt today, it represents only one of an array of therapeutic alternatives. Infertile women seek help from both "biogynecologists" (practitioners of Western biomedicine) and "ethnogynecologists" (practitioners of indigenous ethnomedicine), often using the remedies of both simultaneously. Quest for Conception examines in detail the variety of ethnomedical and biomedical treatments for infertility and concludes that treatments of both types are often ineffective and sometimes harmful. Given this untherapeutic setting, the future of infertile Egyptian women is explored in light of needed changes in reproductive health policy and the introduction of new reproductive technologies. Quest for Conception is the first comprehensive account of non-Western women's experiences of infertility and is a novel study within the literature on Middle Easternwomen.

Sexual problems are approached from a psychological and educational perspective with stress placed on the importance of the enhancement of individual relationships in this new text for clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse therapists, social workers and other professional groups.;Of special interest is the book's academic basis as it includes a review of the literature regarding the aetiology of psychosexual dysfunction and in the treatment that is provided.;Assessment of problems is comprehensive and the need for a tailored programme of treatment is supported by clinical examples. Problems encountered by the physically or intellectually handicapped, homosexuals and older people are addressed with sensitivity.;This cognitive-behavioural approach to the subject brings together the main therapies in a unique sythesis combined with the author's individual emphases, based on her clinical experience in Great Britain and Australia.

Ultrasonography is a crucial tool in successful assisted reproduction but requires a steady hand and can often be difficult for unconfident clinicians. A comprehensive ultrasound imaging reference, this is an essential guide for trainee clinicians, ultrasonographers, and nurses working in the field of assisted reproductive technology. Providing the reader with an overview of the process and a foundation to direct their ultrasound assessment of each patient, it contains highly practical tips and tricks for obtaining the best images. Heavily illustrated with example images, the role of ultrasound in fertility treatment is explained, as well as how to identify the uterus and ovaries, measure the endometrium, count follicles and recognize pathology. The role of ultrasound in assisted reproduction is covered, including transvaginal oocyte collection, embryo transfer, early pregnancy, miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. This is an indispensable reference for clinicians new to ultrasound in assisted reproduction.

Making a Good Life takes a timely look at the ideas and values that inform how people think about reproduction and assisted reproductive technologies. In an era of heightened scrutiny about parenting and reproduction, fears about environmental degradation, and the rise of the biotechnology industry, Katharine Dow delves into the reproductive ethics of those who do not have a personal stake in assisted reproductive technologies, but who are building lives inspired and influenced by environmentalism and concerns about the natural world's future. Moving away from experiences of infertility treatments tied to the clinic and laboratory, Dow instead explores reproduction and assisted reproductive technologies as topics of public concern and debate, and she examines how people living in a coastal village in rural Scotland make ethical decisions and judgments about these matters. In particular, Dow engages with people's ideas about nature and naturalness, and how these relate to views about parenting and building stable environments for future generations. Taking into account the ways daily responsibilities and commitments are balanced with moral values, Dow suggests there is still much to uncover about reproductive ethics. Analyzing how ideas about reproduction intersect with wider ethical struggles, Making a Good Life offers a new approach to researching, thinking, and writing about nature, ethics, and reproduction.

'Reproflexology' - the study and treatment of male and female reproductive and fertility conditions using reflexology - is aspecialist therapy that has been pioneered and carefully developed by Barbara Scott over 20 years. The therapy can be applied either as a stand-alone treatment to support natural conception or alongside fertility treatment. This is the first book to be published on treating fertility issues using reflexology.Reproductive reflexology can be a minefield with much conflicting advice being given about what practitioners can and cannot do. Because of this many practitioners choose not to work with clients who are having fertility issues. In this book Barbara Scott gives clear guidance on how to gain information from clients, how to interpret that information, how to plan treatment and what reproflexology techniques to use. This will give practitioners the knowledge and confidence to work with clients who have a wide range of reproductive conditions and who are trying to conceive.