IVF can seem like a daunting prospect. An often expensive emotional and physical rollercoaster, and one that is filled with new and strange jargon. How do you choose a clinic or decide which treatment options are right for you? And how do you avoid getting sucked into a black hole of late night googling, searching for answers? This fully up to date handbook contains everything you need to know about the ever evolving world of IVF, with professional insights from top level consultants and counsellors. Science journalist Jheni Osman holds your hand through the process, taking you step by step through each stage, and cuts through the confusing terminology and information overload. Find out exactly how IVF and ICSI work, what the different medications involved do, and the costs involved. Learn about why some of us struggle to conceive, how to handle the ups and downs, and what can be done to improve your chances of conception via IVF.

The late 20th century has witnessed dramatic technological developments in biomedical science and the delivery of health care, and these developments have brought with them important social changes. All too often ethical analysis has lagged behind these changes. The purpose of this series is to provide lively, up-to-date, and authoritative studies for the increasingly large and diverse readership concerned with issues in biomedical ethics - not just healthcare trainees and professionals, but also social scientists, philosophers, lawyers, social workers, and legislators. This volume brings together work by an international group of contributors from various fields and perspectives, on ethical, social, and legal issues raised by recent advances in reproductive technology. These advances have put us in a position to choose what kinds of children and parents there should be; the aim of the essays is to illuminate how we should deal with these possibilities for choice. Topics discussed include gender and race selection, genetic engineering, fertility treatment, ovarian tissue transfer, and post-menopausal pregnancy. The central focus of the volume is the interface between reproductive c

This concise, truncated version of Zini and Agarwal's Sperm Chromatin: Biological and Clinical Applications in Male Infertility and Assisted Reproduction offers select, research-oriented chapters for a handy, more affordable, state-of-the-art resource. Sperm Chromatin for the Researcher addresses such vital issues as: - Structure and function of human sperm chromatin - Biological determinants of sperm chromatin damage - Laboratory evaluation of sperm chromatin - Protocols to measure sperm chromatin damage Ideal for novice and experienced researchers alike, Sperm Chromatin for the Researcher contains all of the need-to-know information about these cutting-edge topics in reproductive medicine.

The success of Assisted Reproductive Technology is critically dependent upon the use of well optimized protocols, based upon sound scientific reasoning, empirical observations and evidence of clinical efficacy. Recently, the treatment of infertility has experienced a revolution, with the routine adoption of increasingly specialized molecular biological techniques and advanced methods for the manipulation of gametes and embryos. This textbook - inspired by the postgraduate degree program at the University of Oxford - guides students through the multidisciplinary syllabus essential to ART laboratory practice, from basic culture techniques and micromanipulation to laboratory management and quality assurance, and from endocrinology to molecular biology and research methods. Written for all levels of IVF practitioners, reproductive biologists and technologists involved in human reproductive science, it can be used as a reference manual for all IVF labs and as a textbook by undergraduates, advanced students, scientists and professionals involved in gamete, embryo or stem cell biology.

The investigation and management of infertility has progressed radically since the advent of in vitro fertilization. It has ceased to be the province of the gynecologist alone, and often requires the co-operation of gynecologists, andrologists, endocrinologists, embryologists, geneticists, general scientists, psychologists, radiologists, nurses, ultrasonographers, social workers, medical administrators, and lawyers. Many of these do not have a medical background and fewer still have knowledge of the gynecological terms which are still in predominant use. Furthermore, scientific advances have led to the introduction of techniques and terms unfamiliar to the non-scientist, including the gynecologist. This dictionary of reproductive medicine, the first of its kind, has been conceived to address the concerns of all of these groups.

This book presents the latest insights into all the critical aspects of Klinefelter's Syndrome, in order to promote a more homogeneous a medical approach to this condition, leading to better and more "evidence-based" support, and improving patient satisfaction. It offers physicians and all health professionals involved in treating these patients (andrologists, pediatricians, endocrinologists, psychologists) a comprehensive overview and a useful tool for their daily clinical practice.

In Taking Baby Steps, Jody Lynee Madeira takes readers inside the infertility experience, from dealing with infertility-related emotions through forming treatment relationships with medical professionals to confronting difficult medical decisions. Based on hundreds of interviews, this book investigates how women, men, and medical professionals negotiate infertility's rocky terrain to create life and build families-a journey across personal, medical, legal, and ethical minefields that can test mental and physical health, friendships and marriages, spirituality, and financial security.

The Age-Well Project dived deep into the science of ageing well, and authors Annabel and Susan explained how they overhauled their own lives to prioritise healthy longevity. In The Age-Well Plan, Susan draws on almost a decade of extensive research into healthy longevity and her experience as a health coach to give you the tools you need to live your own age-well life. Her simple, clear and easy-to-follow six-week plan will show you how to make changes -- small and large -- to support healthy ageing, and prioritise the changes most appropriate for your body, lifestyle and circumstances. The first week of the plan guides you to understand your goals as you age and explains how to evaluate your current health and risk factors, in order to devise a bespoke plan for your body and brain. The subsequent weeks focus on the key elements of healthy ageing -- diet, exercise, sleep, engagement and the environment -- to help you build a personalised plan that will kickstart your age-well life.

Men with cancer rendered infertile by surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy that are needed to control or cure their disease are increasingly being offered the chance to preserve their reproductive potential through artificial reproductive technologies. Cryopreservation of sperm and testicular tissue have increasingly helped boys and men preserve their fertility. There is a growing subspecialty within reproductive medicine aimed at fertility preservation in this population. Furthermore, strategies are being developed that may in the future revolutionize the approach to such patients. Written by international authorities in the field of fertility preservation, this comprehensive book is aimed at clinicians dealing with male cancer patients, in particular, urologists, andrologists, oncologists, pediatricians and nursing staff as well as clinicians in reproductive endocrinology. The text reviews the impact of cancers and their treatment on male fertility, the available fertility preservation strategies and post-treatment management.

This new book will enable family practitioners, obstetricians and pediatricians to answer the concerns of the families in their care. It is the first book to make information on this important topic so easily accessible to clinicians. The book is firmly rooted in clinical practice and based on many years of experience, much of it involving the development and implementation of new techniques for examining the fetus in utero. The techniques now available are assessed and better ways to identify pregnancies which are eligible to their application are proposed. The authors describe both the sampling and laboratory techniques available. Other sections cover both predictable and unpredictable pregnancy risks from genetic diseases to abnormal ultrasound, including the possibilities for laboratory evaluation, and the risks and limitations. Throughout the book, the special status of the fetus as a patient is emphasized and the concerns and questions of families are considered, making this the first fully comprehensive and authoritative volume on fetal medicine.

Obstetrics can be a particularly daunting prospect for those starting out. This book is designed for those SHOs, trainee obstetricians, trainee GPs, and medical students doing their obstetrics rotations, who find that they need a small, practical guide to dealing with the many and varied problems they will face. The chapters are arranged chronologically, starting with early pregnancy. Following chapters chart the course of the pregnancy and labour right the way through to the post-natal visit. Throughout the book, Dr Neuberg stresses the importance of the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths and emphasizes the intensive nature of much of the specialty, the potential for sudden problems, and the constant need for vigilance. The text is supplemented by many simple line drawings to aid clarification and numerous check lists to reinforce important points. A final section has been written specifically to help candidates for the DRCOG. Obstetrics is the ideal book for everybody coming to the field. Its chronological structure means that finding information is quick and easy, the check-lists aid recall, and the text focuses on those aspects of the specialty that the physician on the ward needs in everyday practice. It is not an `exam-crammer' but a well-written and concise guidebook to obstetrics and as such it will find a place in the library of every health worker who works with pregnant women.

In the mid-1990s, the international community pronounced prenatal sex selection via abortion an "act of violence against women" and "unethical." At the same time, new developments in reproductive technology in the United States led to a method of sex selection before conception; its US inventor marketed the practice as "family balancing" and defended it with the rhetoric of freedom of choice. In Gender before Birth, Rajani Bhatia takes on the double standard of how similar practices in the West and non-West are divergently named and framed. Bhatia's extensive fieldwork includes interviews with clinicians, scientists, biomedical service providers, and feminist activists, and her resulting analysis extends both feminist theory on reproduction and feminist science and technology studies. She argues that we are at the beginning of a changing transnational terrain that presents new challenges to theorized inequality in reproduction, demonstrating how the technosciences often get embroiled in colonial gender and racial politics.

This is the second volume in an annual series reviewing important areas and advances in obstetric ultrasound, with wide-ranging reviews as well as chapters that look at chosen topics in more depth. This volume again draws together outstanding contributions from radiologists, obstetricians, and scientists to provide full coverage of clinical problems of particular current interest, such as extopic pregnancy, prenatal diagnosis of neural tube defects, fetal cardiac arrhythmias, and non-immune hydrops, while also covering litigations, equipment, and randomized trails of obstetric ultrasound.

For developmental scientists, the nature versus nurture debate has been settled for some time. Neither nature nor nurture alone provides the answer. It is nature and nurture in concert that shape developmental pathways and outcomes, from health to behavior to competence. This insight has moved far beyond the assertion that both nature and nurture matter, progressing into the fascinating terrain of how they interact over the course of development. In this volume, students, practitioners, policy analysts, and others with a serious interest in human development will learn what is transpiring in this new paradigm from the developmental scientists working at the cutting edge, from neural mechanisms to population studies, and from basic laboratory science to clinical and community interventions. Early childhood development is the critical focus of this volume, because many of the important nature-nurture interactions occur then, with significant influences on lifelong developmental trajectories.

This volume surveys the state of knowledge and research on the determinants of human reproduction. It adopts an inter-disciplinary approach and integrates information from demographic, epidemiological and biological studies of fertility. The chapters provide a comprehensive overview of reproductive processes, including puberty and menopause, conception and fetal loss, and the effects of sexually transmitted diseases and lactation. The volume also considers the effects on fertility of nutrition and stress, environmental and occupational hazards, and social behaviour, and includes clinical papers on fertility following contraceptive use and treatment of infertility. Findings from original research on the determinants of human reproduction are also presented.

Il dolore cronico vulvare, o vulvodinia, e una patologia diffusa che puo avere un forte impatto sul benessere della donna. Nonostante sia frequentemente osservata nella pratica clinica quotidiana, resta un disturbo trascurato e puo richiedere anche molti anni per essere correttamente

diagnosticato. Il volume offre un panorama conciso delle ultimissime acquisizioni sulla diagnosi e la cura della vulvodinia e delle sue numerose comorbilita, ha un formato facile da leggere, con molti consigli pratici, e aiuta ad affrontare rapidamente ed efficacemente tutte le complesse e delicate problematiche

che sottendono il disturbo. Questo libro si rivolge ai medici motivati a migliorare la qualita di vita delle donne che soffrono di vulvodinia, e in particolare ai Ginecologi e ai Medici di Medicina Generale.

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

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

Sexualfreundliche Sexualerziehung soll und muss sein, aber wem nutzt eine pro-aktiv sexualisierende Sexualerziehung und warum loest sie Widerstand aus? Ist die aktuell diskutierte Sexualpadagogik mit ihren Zielen und Methoden kindgerecht oder bedient sie Interessen von Erwachsenen? Diese Streitschrift bietet Interessierten und an Erziehung Beteiligten Informationen und Analysen, sowie persoenliche Einschatzungen der Autorin, die nachdenklich machen. Das Buch reflektiert alternative Herangehensweisen an das Thema Sexualitat in Kita und Schule und erklart, warum sich religioes begrundete und "moderne" sexual-padagogische Konzepte ahneln. Die Autorin nimmt die Leser mit in die Fragestellung und Besorgnis, ob die derzeit propagierte Sexualerziehung darauf hinauslauft, Kinder mit padagogischer Legitimation in die sexualisierte Erwachsenenwelt hineinzuziehen. Es oeffnet die Augen fur die Thematik und gibt Hinweise wie Kinder und Jugendliche motiviert werden koennen, sich vor dem Einfluss von Pornografie zu schutzen.

For developmental scientists, the nature versus nurture debate has been settled for some time. Neither nature nor nurture alone provides the answer. It is nature and nurture in concert that shape developmental pathways and outcomes, from health to behavior to competence. This insight has moved far beyond the assertion that both nature and nurture matter, progressing into the fascinating terrain of how they interact over the course of development. In this volume, students, practitioners, policy analysts, and others with a serious interest in human development will learn what is transpiring in this new paradigm from the developmental scientists working at the cutting edge, from neural mechanisms to population studies, and from basic laboratory science to clinical and community interventions. Early childhood development is the critical focus of this volume, because many of the important nature-nurture interactions occur then, with significant influences on lifelong developmental trajectories.

A Scientific Book Club selection, this comprehensive account of the nature and function of the hormones in the processes of sex and reproduction. Originally published in 1942. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Despite the undeniable physical, psychological, and social effects of aging, most older persons cope quite well and find considerable satisfaction in their later years. Part of the explanation for this finding is based on what Robert C. Atchley calls "continuity"--the ability of older persons to maintain a strong sense of purpose and self in the face of the changes associated with aging. Continuity can help individuals evolve psychologically and socially in the presence of life events such as retirement, widowhood, and physical disability.

Atchley begins with a thorough explanation of continuity theory, identifying important methodological considerations in its evaluation and use. He then looks at evidence for continuity over time in the ways individuals interpret their experiences and make decisions regarding their living arrangements and lifestyles. He examines continuity as a personal goal that most people use to guide their development as individuals. Atchley finds that many aging adults add transcendence as a personal goal in later adulthood. In a concluding chapter, he revisits the basic elements of continuity theory, summarizing the evidence that supports it.

Drawing on data from a twenty-year longitudinal study that began with more than 1,200 individuals, "Continuity and Adaptation in Aging" explains one of the primary underlying forces that promotes effective adaptation to the aging process. This book will be of interest to researchers and students in gerontology and adult development.

Intrauterine insemination and ovulation induction is effective first-line treatment for infertility in many straightforward cases and is preferred by many clinicians because they are less invasive than in-vitro fertilization and its variants. This is a comprehensive account of how to set up and run a successful IUI program. The book addresses the practical aspects of treatments that will produce optimum results in terms of pregnancy outcome and safety, as well as the pharmacological and physiological reasons for their use. Chapters on how to prevent complications of ovulation induction such as multiple births and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome are included, as well as how to diagnose infertility in both sexes. Laboratory procedures for sperm preparation are described in detail. Worldwide resources for obtaining donor sperm and legal issues that surround the management of patients are included. This 2009 manual is of interest to reproductive medicine specialists, general practitioners and general obstetrician gynecologists.