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.

Premature Ejaculation presents a unique and innovative therapeutic program for the successful treatment of premature ejaculation. This descriptive and well-structured program is fundamentally different from traditional sex therapy and contemporary sexual medicine. Centred on the management of sexual excitement, it enables couples to prolong the length of intercourse without having to interrupt their lovemaking or resort to medication. The program's sexological approach also empowers couples with the skills and knowledge to strengthen their sex life leading to a healthier and happier relationship. Combining theory and practical instruction, Francois de Carufel's book promotes a better understanding of premature ejaculation. It offers a new perspective on the causes of this dysfunction and provides practitioners and therapists with concrete ways to assist men and women in improving their sex life. Premature Ejaculation will be of interest and value to health professionals and graduate students in all fields dealing with sexual difficulties, including psychology, social work, medicine, physical therapy, nursing and counselling.

Premature Ejaculation presents a unique and innovative therapeutic program for the successful treatment of premature ejaculation. This descriptive and well-structured program is fundamentally different from traditional sex therapy and contemporary sexual medicine. Centred on the management of sexual excitement, it enables couples to prolong the length of intercourse without having to interrupt their lovemaking or resort to medication. The program's sexological approach also empowers couples with the skills and knowledge to strengthen their sex life leading to a healthier and happier relationship. Combining theory and practical instruction, Francois de Carufel's book promotes a better understanding of premature ejaculation. It offers a new perspective on the causes of this dysfunction and provides practitioners and therapists with concrete ways to assist men and women in improving their sex life. Premature Ejaculation will be of interest and value to health professionals and graduate students in all fields dealing with sexual difficulties, including psychology, social work, medicine, physical therapy, nursing and counselling.

Why are women biologically driven to find Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome?Can more sex help ensure a safe pregnancy?What effect does pornography have on a man's fertility?

Dr. Sharon Moalem, author of the New York Times bestseller Survival of the Sickest, takes us on a trip from prehistory to the forefront of cutting-edge medical research--and through a bedroom or two--to tell the story of how human sexuality has developed over time. How Sex Works challenges common perceptions about our bodies as it provides answers to such provocative questions as: Can the birth control pill influence the type of men women are attracted to? Why do hourglass-shaped women tend to be especially fertile? When are women most likely to cheat? Can twins have different fathers?

From the composition and function of human sex organs to the fascinating biochemistry behind sexual attraction, How Sex Works is an entertaining, comprehensive exploration of culture, biology, and history that takes us far beyond our common understanding of sex.

The first volume in this new series from The Center for the Study of Child and Adolescent Development at The Pennsylvania State University focuses on the relationship between the biological stress circuits and the behavioral concomitants to stress in animals and humans. The participants at this conference, a tribute to Dean Evan G. Pattishall, Jr., discuss the developmental implications of their work in relation to the periods of infancy, childhood, and adolescence. For professionals, clinicians, and researchers in clinical, developmental, experimental, and health psychology, behavioral medicine, psychiatry, psychotherapy, and the neurosciences.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Sarcopenia-the loss of muscle mass and strength that occurs with advancing age-is a major health challenge, particularly in North America, Europe, and Japan, which have large aging populations. This compendium volume is a valuable addition to the existing literature, providing state-of-the-art information on the most effective prevention and treatment options. Included are research articles on nutrition management and the prevention of sarcopenia; protein therapy for sarcopenia; effect of exercise on sarcopenia; and other therapeutic strategies, including antioxidants and steroids.

The Business of Being Made is the first book to critically analyze assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) from a transdisciplinary perspective integrating psychoanalytic and cultural theories. It is a ground-breaking collection exploring ARTs through diverse methods including interview research, clinical case studies, psychoanalytic based ethnography, and memoir. Gathering clinicians and researchers who specialize in this area, this book engages current research in psychoanalysis, sociology, anthropology, philosophy and debates in feminist, queer and cultural theory about affect, temporality, and bodies. With psychoanalysis as its fulcrum, The Business of Being Made explores the social constructions and personal experiences of ARTs. Katie Gentile frames the cultural context, exploring the ways ARTs have become a complex form of playing with time, attempting to manufacture a hopeful future in the midst of growing global uncertainty. The contributors then present a range of varied experiences related to ARTs, including: Interviews with women and men undergoing ARTs; A psychoanalytic memoir of male infertility; Clinical research and work with transgender, gay and lesbian patients creating new Oedipal constellations, the experiences of LBGTQ people within the medical system and the variety of families that emerge; Research on the experiences of egg donors (now central to the business of ARTs) and a corresponding clinical case study of successful egg donation; The experiences of ongoing failure which is the often unacknowledged for ART procedures; How and when people choose to stop using ARTs; A psychoanalytic ethnography of a neonatal intensive care unit populated in part with the babies created through these technologies and their parents, haggard and in shock after years of failed attempts. Full of original material, The Business of Being Made conveys the ambivalence of these technologies without simplifying their complicated consequences for the bodies of individuals, the family, cultures, and our planet. This book will be relevant to clinicians, medical and psychological personnel working in assisted reproductive technologies and infertility, as well as academics working in the fields of sociology, literature, queer and feminist theories and at the intersections of cultural, critical and psychoanalytic theories.

The Business of Being Made is the first book to critically analyze assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) from a transdisciplinary perspective integrating psychoanalytic and cultural theories. It is a ground-breaking collection exploring ARTs through diverse methods including interview research, clinical case studies, psychoanalytic based ethnography, and memoir. Gathering clinicians and researchers who specialize in this area, this book engages current research in psychoanalysis, sociology, anthropology, philosophy and debates in feminist, queer and cultural theory about affect, temporality, and bodies. With psychoanalysis as its fulcrum, The Business of Being Made explores the social constructions and personal experiences of ARTs. Katie Gentile frames the cultural context, exploring the ways ARTs have become a complex form of playing with time, attempting to manufacture a hopeful future in the midst of growing global uncertainty. The contributors then present a range of varied experiences related to ARTs, including: Interviews with women and men undergoing ARTs; A psychoanalytic memoir of male infertility; Clinical research and work with transgender, gay and lesbian patients creating new Oedipal constellations, the experiences of LBGTQ people within the medical system and the variety of families that emerge; Research on the experiences of egg donors (now central to the business of ARTs) and a corresponding clinical case study of successful egg donation; The experiences of ongoing failure which is the often unacknowledged for ART procedures; How and when people choose to stop using ARTs; A psychoanalytic ethnography of a neonatal intensive care unit populated in part with the babies created through these technologies and their parents, haggard and in shock after years of failed attempts. Full of original material, The Business of Being Made conveys the ambivalence of these technologies without simplifying their complicated consequences for the bodies of individuals, the family, cultures, and our planet. This book will be relevant to clinicians, medical and psychological personnel working in assisted reproductive technologies and infertility, as well as academics working in the fields of sociology, literature, queer and feminist theories and at the intersections of cultural, critical and psychoanalytic theories.

The transnational industry surrounding assisted reproductive technology and regenerative medicine is based on the unacknowledged labour of gamete providers, surrogates and research subjects, and benefits from low labour costs in 'enabling' sectors such as logistics and transport. This finding calls for a comprehensive analysis of how the contemporary intersection of neoliberal capitalism and the life sciences - in short, the bioeconomy - capitalises on the body and its (re)productive capacities. The Reproductive Body at Work uptakes this challenge as it explores the relations between value production, labour and the body in one particular realm of the global bioeconomy: the South African bioeconomy of 'egg donation'. It highlights different forms and dimensions of unacknowledged or precarious human labour that are constitutive for the procurement, brokering and circulation of oocytes as valuable resources. The analysis illustrates that the respective organisation of value and labour renegotiate what 'the' (re)productive body can do, which status and roles it is ascribed, which cultural and economic values it signifies and how it is experienced and enacted within a matrix of intersectional power relations. A theoretically profound contribution to the interdisciplinary debate on 'New materialism', The Reproductive Body at Work will appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as gender studies, medical anthropology, cultural studies, sociology, political economy and science and technology studies.

One in six couples around the world experience infertility. Before undertaking expensive and intrusive assisted reproductive treatment such as in vitro fertilization, many seek advice from their physicians or dietitians on what foods and supplements might enhance their fertility. But health practitioners are often ill equipped to provide dietary recommendations in a scientifically based manner. Nutrition, Fertility, and Human Reproductive Function provides a comprehensive guide to clinicians on how they can best advise their patients to optimise fertility and reproductive function through optimal nutrition. Taking a holistic or "whole-of-life" approach, the book reviews the role of nutrition in human fertility and explores its effect on male and female reproductive physiology. Problem-orientated topics are arranged in chapters that each cover a specific clinical topic of interest, allowing easy reference by the practicing clinician. From the female perspective, the book covers the role of nutrition on essential reproductive processes such as ovulation, early embryo development, implantation, and sexual function, together with nutrition's influence on the duration of the reproductive life span. In the male context, it examines the effect of nutrition on hormone and sperm production as well as sexual function. The book also includes information on evidence-based complementary health approaches such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and naturopathy. This book draws on the wide experience of several respected leaders in clinical nutrition who combine research expertise with clinical insight. The information contained herein will enable clinicians to make the best recommendations for their patients for optimising fertility.

This book explores the cultural history of embryology in Tibet, in culture, religion, art and literature, and what this reveals about its medicine and religion. Filling a significant gap in the literature this is the first in-depth exploration of Tibetan medical history in the English language. It reveals the prevalence of descriptions of the development of the human body - from conception to birth - found in all forms of Tibetan religious literature, as well as in medical texts and in art. By analysing stories of embryology, Frances Garrett explores questions of cultural transmission and adaptation: How did Tibetan writers adapt ideas inherited from India and China for their own purposes? What original views did they develop on the body, on gender, on creation, and on life itself? The transformations of embryological narratives over several centuries illuminate key turning points in Tibetan medical history, and its relationship with religious doctrine and practice. Embryology was a site for both religious and medical theorists to contemplate profound questions of being and becoming, where topics such as pharmacology and nosology were left to shape secular medicine. The author argues that, in terms of religion, stories of human development comment on embodiment, gender, socio-political hierarchy, religious ontology, and spiritual progress. Through the lens of embryology, this book examines how these concerns shift as Tibetan history moves through the formative 'renaissance' period of the twelfth through to the seventeenth centuries.

Lax federal oversight, high technology resources, privatized health care, a pluralist population, and a commitment to professional autonomy make the United States an ideal host for reproductive tourists. Those who are in possession of enough material resources and political savvy can subvert their countries' norms and laws regarding reproductive technologies, in effect becoming procreative outlaws. This book examines the United States as a destination for international consumers of assisted fertility services, including egg donation, surrogacy, and sex selection. It is based on interviews conducted with fertility industry insiders who market their services to an international clientele in three of the largest American hubs of the global fertility marketplace - New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. By focusing on the providers rather than the consumers of assisted fertility services, the book shines a light on how professional ethics and norms, in addition to personal moralities, shape the practice of reproductive tourism.

The Last Years of Long Lives is a unique account of that period of old age which precedes death. Based on 400 complete individual histories and covering a twenty-year period, it looks at the experiences of people over eighty years old in three important areas: disability, family life and health care. Using the life-course approach to research, it reveals rich data about the contributions of formal and informal care and how life expectancy and experiences of disability interact with experiences of care. The reader is invited to conceptualise these phenomena as processes in continuous time - processes that are sometimes long and complex, sometimes short and simple - and learns about the four types of disability career before death. At the same time, the author presents a three-stage model of informal care and examines the main patterns of formal service use. The Last Years of Long Lives presents a new way of looking at old age for students, researchers, practitioners and policy makers and gives a comprehensive picture of what has been called 'the fourth age'.

There are common midlife events that account for the special narcissistic vulnerabilities of this period of life, and Eda Goldstein ably reviews these events and the theoretical perspectives commonly brought to bear on them. In When the Bubble Bursts, however, Goldstein's special concern is those individuals who come to midlife with heightened narcissistic vulnerabilities that make the navigation of this stage of life more difficult still. In understanding the latter such patients and devising a treatment approach appropriate to their "self" issues, Goldstein adopts a broadly self-psychological frame of reference. It is a matter, she finds again and again, of understanding how current stressors frustrate healthy self needs and trigger narcissistic vulnerabilities. Self-psychologically informed treatment, which, in Goldstein's pragmatic purview, embraces modalities that are, to varying degrees, supportive, psychodynamic, and psychoanalytic, reworks and strengthens self structures in helping patients find new ways of affirming their sense of self. Her substantive case studies, which accompany the reader through all the chapters in her study, draw on personal and supervisory experiences to illustrate crucial foci of the treatment process with a range of midlife patients in psychotherapy. Eda Goldstein presents a study that comprises an admirable blend of theoretical astuteness, clinical wisdom, and personal honesty. Her clinical study of midlife narcissistic pathology is bracketed by her balanced discussion of theoretical perspectives on adult development and her concluding consideration of the countertransference issues elicited by midlife patients in midlife therapists. When the Bubble Bursts is an edifying contribution to the literatures of psychodynamic psychotherapy, self psychology, and adult development.

There has been an increasing interest in the application of dynamical systems to the study of development over the last decade. The explosion of the dynamical systems framework in the physical and biological sciences has opened the door to a new Zeitgeist for studying development. This appeal to dynamical systems by developmentalists is natural given the intuitive links between the established fundamental problems of development and the conceptual and operational scope of nonlinear dynamical systems. This promise of a new approach and framework within which to study development has led to some progress in recent years but also a growing appreciation of the difficulty of both fully examining the new metaphor and realizing its potential. Divided into 4 parts, this book is a result of a recent conference on dynamical systems and development held at Pennsylvania State University. The first 3 parts focus on the content domains of development that have given most theoretical and empirical attention to the potential applications of dynamical systems--physical growth and movement, cognition, and communication. These parts show that a range of nonlinear models have been applied to a host of developmental phenomena. Part 4 highlights two particular methodological issues that hold important implications for the modeling of developmental phenomena with dynamical systems techniques.

This comprehensive volume focuses on recent trends and new technologies used in the management of reproduction in major farm animals, focusing on both males and females of bovine, equine, and porcine species. With chapters written by scientists who specialize in their respective topics, the volume presents a selection of different technologies that have been developed to assure reproductive success by improving reproductive efficiency, generating germplasm banks, and maintaining genetic diversity in cattle, horses, and pigs. In the last decade, reproductive technologies in veterinary medicine have progressed considerably, providing high profitability to livestock farms. This book provides basic and applied information on the most used reproductive technologies in bovine, equine, and porcine species for academics, scientists, and veterinarians. The volume discusses reproductive and postpartum management, reproductive ultrasound, sperm management, egg retrieval, artificial insemination, embryo transfer, nutrition, genetics, and certain clinical aspects, such as endocrinology and robustness of reproductive systems.

Each patient seeking assisted reproduction has a unique set of circumstances that affects the outcome of treatment. Particularly challenging are those patients with pre-existing medical conditions or those receiving medical therapies that may impact the safety and success of their IVF treatments. Prior identification and preparation of the patient at increased risk of complications will enable the clinician to avoid problems in advance, anticipate the necessary management, and optimize outcomes. A new expanded edition of the prize-winning text IVF in the Medically Complicated Patient: A Guide to Management, Second Edition provides a readily accessible, authoritative, and didactic source of information to aid clinicians in this important field.

One out of every six patients in the United States is treated in a Catholic hospital that follows the policies of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. These policies prohibit abortion, sterilization, contraception, some treatments for miscarriage and gender confirmation, and other reproductive care, undermining hard-won patients’ rights to bodily autonomy and informed decision-making. Drawing on rich interviews with patients and providers, this book reveals both how the bishops’ directives operate and how people inside Catholic hospitals navigate the resulting restrictions on medical practice. In doing so, Bishops and Bodies fleshes out a vivid picture of how The Church’s stance on sex, reproduction, and “life� itself manifests in institutions that affect us all.

In this classic work on early childhood development, Karl König explores the first three years of a child's life by examining the three major achievements that occur during this stage: learning to walk, speak and think. These are three core faculties and their acquisition, König argues, is 'an act of grace' in every child. He goes on to provide a detailed analysis of this extraordinarily complex process. This Karl König Archive edition now includes extensive notes and a new introduction by Dr Jan Goeschel, founding President of the Camphill Academy in North America, which puts this well-known text in the context of modern-day research. The First Three Years of the Child provides fascinating insights into early years' development and will be of great value to educators, medical professionals and carers.

The use of IVM in assisted reproductive technology continues to increase around the world. The major benefit of IVM is that significant numbers of oocytes can be collected from ovaries without recourse to ovarian stimulation. This reduces the costs, time, and risks associated with conventional IVF. Although initially limited to women with polycystic ovary syndrome who were at higher risk of problems following ovarian stimulation, IVM is increasingly used in women with normal ovulatory menstrual cycles. This authoritative text covers the current scientific knowledge of oocyte development and the understanding behind the techniques involved in the clinical application of IVM in assisted reproductive technologies. Short Contents

Statistical Analysis of Human Growth and Development is an accessible and practical guide to a wide range of basic and advanced statistical methods that are useful for studying human growth and development. Designed for nonstatisticians and statisticians new to the analysis of growth and development data, the book collects methods scattered throughout the literature and explains how to use them to solve common research problems. It also discusses how well a method addresses a specific scientific question and how to interpret and present the analytic results. Stata is used to implement the analyses, with Stata codes and macros for generating example data sets, a detrended Q-Q plot, and weighted maximum likelihood estimation of binary items available on the book's CRC Press web page. After reviewing research designs and basic statistical tools, the author discusses the use of existing tools to transform raw data into analyzable variables and back-transform them to raw data. He covers regression analysis of quantitative, binary, and censored data as well as the analysis of repeated measurements and clustered data. He also describes the development of new growth references and developmental indices, the generation of key variables based on longitudinal data, and the processes to verify the validity and reliability of measurement tools. Looking at the larger picture of research practice, the book concludes with coverage of missing values, multiplicity problems, and multivariable regression. Along with two simulated data sets, numerous examples from real experimental and observational studies illustrate the concepts and methods. Although the book focuses on examples of anthropometric measurements and changes in cognitive, social-emotional, locomotor, and other abilities, the ideas are applicable to many other physical and psychosocial phenomena, such as lung function and depressive symptoms.

This book examines the United States as a destination for international consumers of assisted fertility services, including egg donation, surrogacy, and sex selection. Based on interviews conducted with fertility industry insiders who market their services to an international clientele in three of the largest American hubs of the global fertility marketplace - New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco - and focusing on the providers rather than the consumers of assisted fertility services, the book shines a light on how professional ethics and norms, in addition to personal moralities, shape the practice of reproductive tourism.

Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) is now well established as a valuable treatment option for patients wishing to start or continue a family, for a range of indications from advanced maternal age to high risk of transmitting inherited disease. This text brings together contemporary thinking from international opinion leaders and will be an invaluable guide for practitioners in Reproductive Medicine wishing to keep pace with the latest developments and clinical data.

Statistical Analysis of Human Growth and Development is an accessible and practical guide to a wide range of basic and advanced statistical methods that are useful for studying human growth and development. Designed for nonstatisticians and statisticians new to the analysis of growth and development data, the book collects methods scattered throughout the literature and explains how to use them to solve common research problems. It also discusses how well a method addresses a specific scientific question and how to interpret and present the analytic results. Stata is used to implement the analyses, with Stata codes and macros for generating example data sets, a detrended Q-Q plot, and weighted maximum likelihood estimation of binary items available on the book's CRC Press web page. After reviewing research designs and basic statistical tools, the author discusses the use of existing tools to transform raw data into analyzable variables and back-transform them to raw data. He covers regression analysis of quantitative, binary, and censored data as well as the analysis of repeated measurements and clustered data. He also describes the development of new growth references and developmental indices, the generation of key variables based on longitudinal data, and the processes to verify the validity and reliability of measurement tools. Looking at the larger picture of research practice, the book concludes with coverage of missing values, multiplicity problems, and multivariable regression. Along with two simulated data sets, numerous examples from real experimental and observational studies illustrate the concepts and methods. Although the book focuses on examples of anthropometric measurements and changes in cognitive, social-emotional, locomotor, and other abilities, the ideas are applicable to many other physical and psychosocial phenomena, such as lung function and depressive symptoms.

This book presents the contemporary history and dynamics of Mexican midwifery - professional, (post)modern or autonomous, traditional and Indigenous - as profoundly political and embedded in differing societal stratifications. By situated politics, the authors refer to various networks, spaces and territories, which are also constructed by the midwives. By politically situated, the authors refer to various intersections, unsettled relations and contexts in which Mexican midwives are positioned. Examining Mexican midwiferies in depth, the volume sharpens the focus on the worlds in which midwives are profoundly immersed as agents in generating and participating in movements, alliances, health professions, communities, homes, territories and knowledges. The chapters provide a complex panorama of midwives in Mexico with an array of insights into their professional and political autonomy, (post)coloniality, body-territoriality, the challenges of defining midwifery, and above all, into the ways in which contemporary Mexican midwiferies relate to a complex set of human rights. The book will be of interest to a range of scholars from anthropology, sociology, politics, global health, gender studies, development studies, and Latin American studies, as well as to midwives and other professionals involved in childbirth policy and practice.