There are several types of damage that can be found in the male gamete. Genetic damage in spermatozoa can originate during spermatogenesis, or it can originate during transit in both male and female genital tracts. Damage can also be due to ageing, environmental or iatrogenic conditions, as well as to the protocols to cryopreserve and to select spermatozoa in assisted reproduction techniques. The purpose of this book is to provide a comprehensive resource for all possible DNA damages in sperm, the relation to fertility and infertility, and possible transgenerational heritable effects.

Reproductive medicine is a growing field with new technology emerging faster than we can assess consumer's perceptions of -the number of cancer survivors are growing and there is a great need to attend to their quality of life-this book addresses the needs of males and females, identifies effective communication strategies and proactive measures for health care professionals and researchers to use as well as identifying gaps in the literature where more research is needed.

This book is a concise guide to the diagnosis and management of reproductive health issues in adolescents that may lead to future fertility problems. Beginning with an overview of female adolescence and reproductive development, the following chapters cover different disorders including PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), endometriosis, anaemia, menstrual abnormalities, teenage pregnancy and abortion, STIs and more. Each section provides step by step guidance from history taking, signs and symptoms, and clinical examination, to diagnosis and therapy. A complete chapter covers the 2012 POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. Key points Concise guide to reproductive health issues in adolescents, subsequently leading to fertility problems Discusses investigation, diagnosis and management of numerous disorders Covers POCSO Act 2012 Includes clinical images and figures to assist learning

This book combines the most recent knowledge on the maternal, i.e. oocyte/egg-specific, molecules and processes. The volume covers the most recent advances in a plethora of subjects such as: maternal transfer of immunity, localized RNAs functions and mechanisms of RNA localization, transcriptional repression of maternal messages, maternal inheritance and maternal role of CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing, chromatin remodeling and epigenetic modifications, maternal function of nucleosomes, maternal mitochondria and energy supply, role of bacterial symbionts and their maternal transmission, acquisition of oocyte polarity and evolution of maternal effect genes, germ plasm and oosome origin and functions, mechanisms of oocyte activation and soma germ cells communication. Currently, no other book on the market combines such a comprehensive list of subjects in one volume. Moreover, the information provided is a cross-section through oocytes from various invertebrate and vertebrate species, which is another unique feature of this book. The readers, therefore, get a completely new and invaluable perspective on all covered subjects.

Fertility specialists are constantly looking for ways to improve the chances of pregnancy through IVF or other assisted reproductive techniques (ART). 'Adjuvant' or 'add-on' therapies are procedures or medications which are added to IVF treatment to try and improve the chances of success. This book is a practical guide to the use of adjuvants in infertility for clinicians and trainees. Divided into ten sections, the text begins with an overview of the rational for additional therapy in IVF. The next section examines different types of adjuvant therapy and their pros and cons. Topics include medical nutrition therapy, neutraceuticals, antioxidants, micronutrients, and reactive oxygen species. Each of the following sections covers adjuvant use for improving a specific fertility issue - PCOS, ovarian reserve, uterine blood flow, endometrial receptivity, embryo implantation, and male subfertility. The final sections discuss the impact of thyroid autoimmunity on the outcome of ART, and the use of surgery as an adjuvant in infertility. Key points Practical guide to the use of adjuvants in infertility Covers various types of adjuvant and their use for different fertility issues Includes discussion on surgery as an adjuvant Highly illustrated with clinical photographs and diagrams

Few topics in women's medicine today are as fraught with confusion and controversy as the question of appropriate treatment for menopausal symptoms and the prevention of negative long term health outcomes common to post-menopausal women. Cardiovascular disease (CVD), osteoporosis, and cancer - the most common causes of death, disability and impaired quality of life for women - can potentially be prevented or forestalled by dietary, behavioural and drug interventions. A better understanding of the natural history of the menopause is critical to providing better care. If women and their physicians have a better understanding of predictors of risk, they could make more informed decisions about interventions related to menopausal symptoms, CVD, osteoporosis and gynaecologic and breast cancer. Few other recently introduced medical interventions have as great a potential of affecting morbidity and mortality as does hormone replacement therapy (HRT). HRT has produced effect on health risk: some are reduced, some are raised, and some uncertain, and these data are interpreted differently by various scientific, medical and consumer groups.

Rheumatic (or systemic autoimmune) diseases disproportionately affect young women: the female-to-male ratio for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus during the reproductive years is approximately 9:1. In the mid- to late-twentieth century, women with rheumatic disease diagnoses were often advised to avoid pregnancy due to fear of disease exacerbation and adverse outcome. In more recent years, many women with rheumatic disease have deferred childbearing until a later age due to active disease or unsafe therapies. However, with advances in rheumatology therapies, obstetric monitoring, and reproductive medicine technologies, increasing numbers of women with rheumatic diseases are pursuing pregnancy. As a result, obstetricians and rheumatologists need to be aware of the current state of knowledge and the recommendations for management of pregnancy in these patients. Contraception and Pregnancy in Patients with Rheumatic Disease explains the basics of contraception, fertility treatment, and pregnancy in rheumatic disease patients and serves as a guide and reference tool for both rheumatologists and OB/GYNs. Most general rheumatologists and OB/GYNs have limited experience in caring for rheumatic disease patients during pregnancy, and many do not have ready access to expert colleagues in this area. This book summarizes the current state of knowledge and presents a general approach for assessment of the rheumatic disease patient considering pregnancy, hormonal contraception or infertility treatment.

World-wide migration has an unsettling effect on social structures, especially on aging populations and eldercare. This volume investigates how taken-for-granted roles are challenged, intergenerational relationships transformed, economic ties recalibrated, technological innovations utilized, and spiritual relations pursued and desired, and asks what it means to care at a distance and to age abroad. What it does show is that trans-nationalization of care produces unprecedented convergences of people, objects and spaces that challenge our assumptions about the who, how, and where of care.

This textbook considers the medical, surgical, legal and ethical aspects of establishing and maintaining an office-based egg donation programme. Chapters discuss: indications and success rates; screening and demographics of recipients and donors; preparation of the endometrium; synchronization of cycles; obstetrical outcomes; risks and complications; gestational carriers; consents and contracts; and ethics.

In the contemporary world, the unborn - human embryos and foetuses - are highly public and contested figures. Their visual images appear across a wide range of forums, from YouTube videos to pregnancy handbooks. They have become commercial commodities as part of the IVF industry, reproductive tourism and stem cell research and regenerative medicine. The unborn are the focus of intense debates concerning concepts of personhood and humanness, especially in relation to abortion politics and the use and disposal of embryos created outside the human body. The Social Worlds of the Unborn is the first book-length work to discuss all of these issues and more, drawing on social and cultural theory and research and empirical research to do so. It will be of interest to academics and students in a multitude of disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, philosophy, bioethics, gender studies, media and cultural studies and science and technology studies.

Sperm DNA damage is common and has been associated with reduced rates of conception, impaired embryonic development and increased risk of miscarriage. Although the exact causes of sperm DNA damage are unknown, it is clear that infertile men possess substantially higher levels of sperm DNA damage than do fertile men. Written by leading, internationally renowned clinicians and basic scientists with expertise in sperm DNA, Sperm Chromatin: Biological and Clinical Applications in Male Infertility and Assisted Reproduction provides readers with a thoughtful and comprehensive review of the biological and clinical significance of sperm DNA damage. The work covers the fundamental principles of sperm chromatin architecture and function, the proposed modes of DNA damage and repair, the tests of sperm DNA damage, the clinical aspects of DNA damage and the impact of DNA damage on reproductive outcome. Unlike any other title on the topic, Sperm Chromatin: Biological and Clinical Applications in Male Infertility and Assisted Reproduction is an invaluable addition to the literature and will serve as an indispensable resource for basic scientists with an interest in sperm biology and for urologists, gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, and embryologists working in the field of infertility.

The sociological, medical, and historical aspects of birth control in the twentieth century have been compiled in this unique, easy-to-use, and comprehensive resource. Objectively written and international in scope, this encyclopedia covers a variety of topics: biology and anatomy, birth control methods and devices, influential people and organizations, issues and debates, religious perspectives, legal issues, perspectives from other countries. The Encyclopedia is an excellent source for students and other researchers, educators, health care professionals, and perennially high-interest topic. For students, expecially, the book will be invaluable for reports and term papers, speeches, and debates. The Encyclopedia contains more than 200 entries, a bibliography, and more than 50 photographs and charts. Entries end with a list of sources for further reading. Entries include BLAbortion BLAbstience BLBiological Methods of Contraception BLAnthony Comstock BLDalkon Shield BLMary Ware Dennett BLDepo-Provera BLFamily Planning BLGynecology BLInfanticide BLInternational Planned Parenthood Federation BLAletta Jacobs BLJudaism BLMale Contraceptives BLMenopause BLNorplant BLOral Contraceptives BLGregory Pincus BLPopulation Growth BLPoverty BLReproductive Rights BLJohn Rock BLRoe v. Wade BLRoman Catholic Church BLMargaret Higgins Sanger BLSex Education BLSexually Transmitted Diseases BLTubel Sterilization BLUnited Nations fund for Population Activities BLWorld Health Organization

Andrology is the fastest growing subspecialty in urology and has recently achieved remarkable advances in the understanding of the erectile mechanism and in reproductive medicine. Male Infertility and Sexual Dysfunction presents all the current avenues of treatment with emphasis on multidisciplinary considerations. Chapters are written by select international authorities presenting indepth coverage of their areas of expertise. Each topic will cover the background, anatomy, physiology, diagnosis, classification, and treatment (medical and/or surgical). Part I focuses on the study of male infertility and includes discussions of the basic sciences, office evaluation, laboratory and imaging techniques, and the use of testicular biopsy. This is followed by specialized chapters dealing with immunologic infertility, genital inflammation, reactive oxygen species, medical management, sperm processing and preventive adolescent andrology. Part II reflects a more diverse format in the coverage of sexual dysfunction and includes discussions of androgen insufficiency, nocturnal penile tumescence studies, neurotransmission, penile neurology, premature ejaculation, psychogenic impotence and the latest medical, noninvasive and surgical treatments.

Different technologies have been introduced to improve management of labor. To date there is no single text that aims at covering all these technologies that address different problems and issues in labor management. The book reviews new technologies and devices aimed to improve labor management and outcomes. These diverge between looking at a better way to use fetal heart rate monitors (that are used in 90% of labours); using new monitors to detect the <1% of babies that are damaged in labor and account for 99% of the medico-legal costs in labor; and early detection of non-progressive labors that complicate 30-50% of labors. This is the only book about all these technologies from the perspectives of new devices and technologies in labor.

This volume discusses the current state of research findings related to healthy brain aging by integrating human clinical studies and translational research in animal models. Several chapters offer a unique overview of successful aging, age-related cognitive decline and its associated structural and functional brain changes, as well as how these changes are influenced by reproductive aging. Insights provided by preclinical studies in mouse models and advanced neuroimaging techniques in humans are also presented.

In 1998, approximately 30 million people worldwide were living with HIV/AIDS, about 5 million of whom became infected that year. The epidemic continues to expand, with an estimated doubling time of 10 years, making AIDS the leading infectious cause of death ahead of tuberculosis and malaria. Even in the U.S.A. where the death rate from AIDS is declining as a result of effective drug therapies, HIV infection rates continue to climb in several population groups. The prevalence of AIDS among people over the age of 50 is steadily increasing, and most older people are unprepared to address it for a number of reasons, including the widespread discomfort with matters sexual and homosexual and the belief that elderly people are not sexually active and therefore not at risk.
This guide for care providers seeks to educate and inform readers about the difficulties and complications that accompany the disease in older people. Thus, while the appendix includes technical descriptions of methodology, data, and results, the narratives in the chapters describing the findings and their practical implications are written in layman's language. Topics covered include biomedical aspects, demographics, sexuality, stressors, mental health, older women, and patient care, all of which are supported by case studies.

What does it mean to have a child born through donor conception? Does it mean different things for heterosexual parents and lesbian parents? What is it like for the 'non-genetic' parent? How do grandparents feel about having a grandchild who is conceived with the help of an egg, sperm or embryo donor? Since 1991 more than 35,000 children have been born in the UK as a result of donor conception. This means that more and more families are facing the issue of incorporating 'relative strangers' into their families.
In this path breaking book, the authors explore the lived reality of donor conception in families by using in-depth interviews with parents and grandparents of donor conceived children. With reproductive medical technologies becoming more accessible, assisted donor conception is raising new and important questions about family life. This book will provide compelling reading for all those interested in the family, kinship, gender and sexuality, new reproductive technologies, and genetics.

This book provides the first clinically comprehensive and practical approach to ethical challenges in perinatal medicine.The first chapter introduces and explains the professional responsibility model of perinatal ethics.The professional responsibility model is based on the medical ethics of two major physician-ethics in the history of Western medical ethics, Dr. John Gregory (1724-1773) of Scotland and Dr. Thomas Percival (1740-1804) of England.The professional responsibility model is used to articulate the ethical concept of the fetus as a patient and to operationalize the ethical principles of beneficence and respect for autonomy.The book provides practical guidance for clinical judgment and decision making with patients about the responsible clinical management of the wide range of issues encountered by perinatologists in clinical practice and research.Topics included: periviability; feticide; intrapartum management; maternal-fetal conflict; innovation for fetal benefit; research for fetal benefit; non-aggressive obstetric management; managing the transition from pregnancy to birth; destructive procedures such as cephalocentesis; critical care for the pregnant patient; home birth; patient-choice cesarean delivery; neonatal care as a trial of management; and setting limits on neonatal care on the basis of clinical judgments of futility.

In the last forty years anthropologists have made major contributions to understanding the heterogeneity of reproductive trends and processes underlying them. Fertility transition, rather than the story of the triumphant spread of Western birth control rationality, reveals a diversity of reproductive means and ends continuing before, during, and after transition. This collection brings together anthropological case studies, placing them in a comparative framework of compositional demography and conjunctural action. The volume addresses major issues of inequality and distribution which shape population and social structures, and in which fertility trends and the formation and size of families are not decided solely or primarily by reproduction.

Prostate biopsy is now one of the most common procedures performed by urologists. This book presents all topics related to the diagnosis of prostate cancer, including risk factor assessment, indications for biopsy, techniques, complications, and emerging technologies in the science. It also covers such important topics in prostate biopsy as PSA, pain prevention, prediction models, and biopsy techniques. The book's contributors include those who have defined the science of prostate cancer diagnosis and continue to improve upon it. These internationally acclaimed specialists provide their expert opinions on all topics related to prostate cancer diagnosis.

Ever wondered why your life and health can sometimes be so hard to control? Or why it seems so easy for other people? Mark Hanson and Lucy Green draw on their years of experience as scientists and educators to cut through the usual information on genetics and lifestyle to reveal the secrets of early development which start to make each of us unique, during our first 1,000 days from the moment of conception. Some surprising discoveries, based on little-known new research, show how events during our first 1,000 days make each of us who we are and explain how we control our bodies, processes that go way beyond just the genes which we inherited. Provoking new ways of thinking about being parents, this book empowers individuals and society to give the next generation the gift of a good start to life and future health.

Assisted reproductive technologies have had a profound impact on biomedical research through transgenic animals, food supply and production, as wells as genetic gain of domestic species, and treatment of human infertility. While significant advances in embryo culture have occurred over the last few decades. In Embryo Culture: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail many of the methods which are now commonly used to study human embryo culture. These include emerging methods and the impact of embryo culture on epigenetics and offspring health is presented to set the stage for future research and laboratory application involving embryo culture. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Embryo Culture: Methods and Protocols seeks to aid scientists in the further study of this crucially important field of embryology and assisted reproductive technologies.

This second edition emphasizes the environmental impact on reproduction, with updated chapters throughout as well as complete new chapters on species such as sharks and rays. This is a wide-ranging book that will be of relevance to anyone involved in species conservation, and provides critical perspectives on the real utility of current and emerging reproductive sciences.Understanding reproductive biology is centrally important to the way many of the world's conservation problems should be tackled. Currently the extinction problem is huge, with up to 30% of the world's fauna being expected to disappear in the next 50 years. Nevertheless, it has been estimated that the global population of animals in zoos encompasses 12,000 - 15,000 species, and we anticipate that every effort will be made to preserve these species for as long as possible, minimizing inbreeding effects and providing the best welfare standards available. Even if the reproductive biology community cannot solve the global biodiversity crisis for all wild species, we should do our best to maintain important captive populations. Reproductive biology in this context is much more than the development of techniques for helping with too little or too much breeding. While some of the relevant techniques are useful for individual species that society might target for a variety of reasons, whether nationalistic, cultural or practical, technical developments have to be backed up by thorough biological understanding of the background behind the problems.

Across the life course, new forms of community, ways of keeping in contact, and practices for engaging in work, healthcare, retail, learning and leisure are evolving rapidly. Breaking new ground in the study of technology and aging, this book examines how developments in smart phones, the internet, cloud computing, and online social networking are redefining experiences and expectations around growing older in the twenty-first century. Drawing on contributions from leading commentators and researchers across the world, this book explores key themes such as caregiving, the use of social media, robotics, chronic disease and dementia management, gaming, migration, and data inheritance, to name a few.