'Dr Anna Dixon has written a must-read for anyone interested in the future of ageing. Learn from one of the best informed about an issue, and opportunity, that is facing us all.' Andy Briggs, Head of FTSE 100 life insurer Phoenix Group 'A very important book' Sir Muir Gray The Age of Ageing Better? takes a radically different view of what our ageing society means. Dr Anna Dixon turns the misleading and depressing narrative of burden and massive extra cost of people living longer on its head and shows how our society could thrive if we started thinking differently. This book shines a spotlight on how as a society we're currently failing to respond to the shifting age profile - and what needs to change. Examining key areas of society including health, financial security, where and how people live, and social connections, Anna Dixon presents a refreshingly optimistic vision for the future that could change the way we value later life in every sense.

The scientific study of aging is a relatively nascent field of inquiry. Although philosophic and literary reflections on what it means to grow older appear in the earliest historical records, the systematic study of aging began in earnest about a century ago. Scholarly interest in the topic has accelerated in recent decades, due in part to rapid population aging in developed nations. As a result, the study of aging has been incorporated into many disciplines, emphasizing concepts, theories, and methods to elucidate the antecedents and consequences of growing older. Although each discipline has key concepts and empirical generalizations about aging, there is little agreement across disciplines about the intellectual core of gerontology. Each discipline brings its own intellectual heritage and perspective to the study of aging, but the question posed by author Ken Ferraro is whether there is an emergent perspective or way of thinking about aging that transcends the disciplines. Biologists, psychologists, and sociologists may claim an interest in gerontology, but do they have a common image of aging or a set of principles to guide their research? Do they share a paradigm-a fundamental image of aging-that incorporates concepts and empirical generalizations from multiple disciplines? And when disciplinary approaches to gerontology clash, which approach or conceptualization of aging is likely to emerge as part of the paradigm? Although biologists, psychologists, and social scientists share an interest in the study of aging, they are distinctive in how they conduct their research. The Gerontological Imagination provides an integrative paradigm of aging that makes it the first book to identify intellectual common ground among scholars studying aging. Ferraro identifies an underlying set of principles that constitute a paradigm for the study of aging: causality, life course analysis, multifaceted change, heterogeneity, accumulation processes, and ageism. The proposed paradigm provides an efficient way to identify and interpret essential ideas, findings, models, and theories across multiple disciplines that study aging.

An account from the frontline of fertility treatment, giving a unique insight into not only the medical and scientific advances involved but the human cost and rewards behind this life-changing technology. Simon Fishel worked with Robert Edwards during his pioneering early IVF research and was part of the team in the world's first IVF clinic, with all the trials and tribulations that involved at the time, including a writ for murder! As the science developed over the decades so did his career, as he sought to do more for patients and taught the new technologies to doctors all over the world. He came up against regulatory and establishment barriers, including fighting a 3-year legal case in the High Court of Justice and a death threat from a doctor if he refused to work with him. The clinic he founded has grown into the largest IVF group in the UK, developing exciting new procedures, and he has helped establish clinics throughout the world, even being invited to introduce IVF to China.

ONE OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S BEST SUMMER READS 2022 5* 'A jaw-dropping memoir' - THE TELEGRAPH 'One of the maddest memoirs you'll read this year... a beautiful, warm, funny book.' -The Times 'A wholly absorbing page-turner that everyone will want to read. You should probably buy two.' -Kirkus Starred Review 'A riveting debut.' -People Magazine 'By turns hilarious, wrenching, and achingly tender.' -Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author 'A remarkable and wise book, two memoirs braided together with such tendresse that readers will come to believe the ironic title in earnest' -LA TIMES 'Riveting and hilariously funny' - The Times For most of her life, Chrysta Bilton was one member of a small, if dysfunctional, family of four. There was her sister, Kaitlyn, her hedonistic, glamorous, gay mum Debra, and Jeffrey, who Debra hand-picked, in an LA hairdressers, to be the father of her children. During Chrysta's unstable childhood, Debra struggled to keep the family afloat and Jeffrey wandered in and out of their lives. Then, in her twenties, Chrysta discovered that her father had secretly donated his sperm over 500 times - and that she had at least 35 other siblings. A Normal Family is a captivating coming-of-age memoir about Chrysta's reckoning with the secrets both parents had carefully kept from her. Heartfelt, warm and funny, it's a story of embracing the family we have, in all the forms we find it.

'Thoughtful, tense and affecting' Ashley Audrain This tense and emotional novel follows the fallout after two women's eggs are switched during IVF. ___________ TWO WOMEN. ONE BABY. A FIGHT LIKE NO OTHER. Katherine has everything under control. After years of struggling to conceive with her partner, Patrick, she finally gives birth to Rose, her IVF miracle child. But she's afraid that Rose may not be her daughter, her pale skin not matching Katherine's own. Tess never got her happy ending. Just like Katherine, she was also a hopeful IVF mother, but her daughter, Hanna, was stillborn. Now divorced, broke and stuck in a dead-end job, she's beginning to lose all hope. But when Rose is ten months old, both women get a call from the fertility clinic. There was a mistake: their eggs were switched. It will take a custody battle like no other to decide who will get to be Rose's mother - a battle that will push them both to the brink... This is a story about what it means to be a mother, and the lengths we go to for the people we love. ___________ 'Thoughtful, tense and affecting' Ashley Audrain, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Push 'An absorbing and engaging novel that twists the heart' Rachel Hore, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Beautiful Spy 'Breathtakingly taut, unflinching and poignant' Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of LUCKY 'Compelling and thought-provoking ... A page-turner' Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake 'A tender exploration of secrets, loss, and motherhood' Lola Akinmade Akerstroem, international bestselling author of In Every Mirror She's Black 'A future classic' Leah Hazard, Sunday Times bestselling author of Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story 'Will break your heart' Julie Ma, author of Richard and Judy selected debut Happy Families

In recent decades there has been an explosion in work in the social and physical sciences describing the similarities between human and nonhuman as well as human and non-animal thinking. This work has explicitly decentered the brain as the sole, self-contained space of thought, and it has found thinking to be an activity that operates not only across bodies but also across bodily or cellular membranes, as well as multifaceted organic and inorganic environments. For example, researchers have looked at the replication and spread of slime molds (playfully asking what would happen if they colonized the earth) to suggest that they exhibit 'smart behavior' in the way they move as a potential way of considering the spread of disease across the globe. Other scholars have applied this model of non-human thought to the reach of data mining and global surveillance. In The Biopolitics of Alphabets and Embryos, Ruth Miller argues that these types of phenomena are also useful models for thinking about the growth, reproduction, and spread of political thought and democratic processes. Giving slime, data and unbounded entities their political dues, Miller stresses their thinking power and political significance and thus challenges the anthropocentrism of mainstream democratic theories. Miller emphasizes the non-human as highly organized, systemic and productive of democratic growth and replication. She examines developments such as global surveillance, embryonic stem cell research, and cloning, which have been characterized as threats to the privacy, dignity, and integrity of the rational, maximizing and freedom-loving democratic citizen. By shifting her level of analysis from the politics of self-determining subjects to the realm of material environments and information systems, Miller asks what might happen if these alternative, nonhuman thought processes become the normative thought processes of democratic engagement.

Shortlisted for the Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness Book Prize 2021 The ebook edition of this title is Open Access, thanks to Knowledge Unlatched funding, and freely available to read online. Growing numbers of women around the world are now accessing social egg freezing: a fertility extension technology which is enabling some women to extend their fertility and reproductive timelines when faced with age-related fertility decline. This book explores the accounts and experiences of some of the pioneering users of this technology in the UK and the USA. Drawing on theories and concepts across medical sociology and parenting culture studies, as well as literature from demography, anthropology, law, and bioethics, this book examines women's motivations and experiences of social egg freezing in the context of debates surrounding reproductive choice and delayed motherhood. The book also delves into the broader sociological questions raised by this technology in relation to the gendered burden of appropriately timed parenthood, the medicalisation of women's bodies in the reproductive domain and the further entrenchment of the geneticisation of society. It also considers the sexual politics underpinning the timing of parenthood, relationship formation and progression, and the way in which reproductive and parenting ideals, values and expectations can come in to conflict with the biological and relational realities of women's lives.

The second edition of this popular text systematically addresses all aspects of treatment of infertility using Chinese medicine. Clinically focused and with a new easy-to-navigate design, the book begins by covering all the essential fundamentals you will need to understand and treat infertility, before going on to look at what Chinese medicine offers in the way of treatment for functional infertility in men and women, gynecological disorders which contribute to infertility and relevant lifestyle factors. Jane Lyttleton importantly devotes a large part of the book to discussing ways in which Chinese medicine and Western medicine might work together to overcome infertility, and details the increased experience over the past decade in working with IVF patients and their specialists. Leaps forward have also been made in the understanding of conditions such as Polycystic ovarian syndrome and immune infertility.  New Features ·      Greatly expanded section on the place of Chinese medicine and IVF in treatment of infertility ·      New information on Polycystic ovarian disease and immune infertility and how Chinese medicine approaches their treatment ·      Updated and balanced advice on pre-conception care ·      Clinically focused, with easy-to-navigate design

The most common abnormal growth of the female reproductive system, fibroids, are thought to affect the majority of women at some point during their reproductive years. This text from leading fibroid experts looks at the latest evidence on how the problem impinges on reproduction and the most up-to-date management and treatment options available to help patients with fibroids hoping to conceive. Print versions of this book also include access to the eBook version with links to procedural videos.

Fertility Awareness is key to understanding sexual and reproductive health at all life stages. It can be used to either plan or avoid pregnancy. Fertility Awareness Methods (FAMs) are highly effective when motivated couples are taught by trained practitioners. These methods are in demand for ecological, medical, cultural, religious and moral reasons. The ability to control fertility naturally is a lifestyle choice. The Complete Guide to Fertility Awareness provides the science and methodology suitable for health professionals and a general audience. It covers reproductive physiology and the fertility indicators: temperature, cervical secretions and cycle length calculations. It explores ways to optimise conception and to manage conception delays. Case studies and self-assessment exercises are included throughout. The book addresses the scientific credibility of new technologies including fertility apps, home test kits, monitors and devices. The Complete Guide to Fertility Awareness offers: evidence-based information for general practitioners, practice nurses, school nurses, midwives, sexual health doctors and nurses a unique perspective on subfertility for gynaecologists and fertility nurses an authoritative source of reference for medical, nursing and midwifery students a straightforward and practical reference for new and experienced FAM users the core text for the FertilityUK Advanced Skills Course in Fertility Awareness

The comprehensive and authoritative guide to clinical reproductive science The field of clinical reproductive science continues to evolve; this important resource offers the basics of reproductive biology as well as the most recent advance in clinical embryology. The author - a noted expert in the field - focuses on the discipline and covers all aspects of this field. The text explores causes of male and female infertility and includes information on patient consultation and assessment, gamete retrieval and preparation, embryo culture, embryo transfer and cryopreservation. Comprehensive in scope, the text contains an introduction to the field of clinical reproductive science and a review of assisted reproductive technology. The author includes information on a wide range of topics such as gonadal development, the regulation of meiotic cell cycle, the biology of sperm and spermatogenesis, in vitro culture, embryo transfer techniques, fundamentals of fertilisation, oocyte activation and much more. This important resource: Offers an accessible guide to the most current research and techniques to the science of clinical reproduction Covers the fundamental elements of reproductive science Includes information on male and the female reproductive basics - everything from sexual differentiation to foetal development and parturition Explores the long-term health of children conceived through IVF Contains the newest developments in assisted reproductive technology Clinical Reproductive Science is a valuable reference written for professionals in academia, research and clinical professionals working in the field of reproductive science, clinical embryology and reproductive medicine.

"Will the future confront us with human GMOs? Greely provocatively declares yes, and, while clearly explaining the science, spells out the ethical, political, and practical ramifications."-Paul Berg, Nobel Laureate and recipient of the National Medal of Science Within twenty, maybe forty, years most people in developed countries will stop having sex for the purpose of reproduction. Instead, prospective parents will be told as much as they wish to know about the genetic makeup of dozens of embryos, and they will pick one or two for implantation, gestation, and birth. And it will be safe, lawful, and free. In this work of prophetic scholarship, Henry T. Greely explains the revolutionary biological technologies that make this future a seeming inevitability and sets out the deep ethical and legal challenges humanity faces as a result. "Readers looking for a more in-depth analysis of human genome modifications and reproductive technologies and their legal and ethical implications should strongly consider picking up Greely's The End of Sex and the Future of Human Reproduction... [It has] the potential to empower readers to make informed decisions about the implementation of advancements in genetics technologies." -Dov Greenbaum, Science "[Greely] provides an extraordinarily sophisticated analysis of the practical, political, legal, and ethical implications of the new world of human reproduction. His book is a model of highly informed, rigorous, thought-provoking speculation about an immensely important topic." -Glenn C. Altschuler, Psychology Today

Although there are far more opportunities for LGBTQ people to become parents than there were before the 1990s, attention to the reproductive challenges LGBTQ families face has not kept pace. Reproductive Losses considers LGBTQ people's experiences with miscarriage, stillbirth, failed adoptions, infertility, and sterility. Drawing on Craven's training as a feminist anthropologist and her experiences as a queer parent who has experienced loss, Reproductive Losses includes detailed stories drawn from over fifty interviews with LGBTQ people (including those who carried pregnancies, non-gestational and adoptive parents, and families from a broad range of racial/ethnic, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds) to consider how they experience loss, grief, and mourning. The book includes productive suggestions and personal narratives of resiliency, commemorative strategies, and communal support, while also acknowledging the adversity many LGBTQ people face as they attempt to form families and the heteronormativity of support resources for those who have experienced reproductive loss. This is essential reading for scholars and professionals interested in LGBTQ health and family, and for individuals in LGBTQ communities who have experienced loss and those who support them. See additional material on the companion website: www.lgbtqreproductiveloss.org/

The effects of the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) family on bone formation are well documented, but the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta ( ) isoforms are much less studied. The product of 20 years of study, Induction of Bone Formation in Primates: The Transforming Growth Factor- 3 sums up editor Ugo Ripamonti's research into the osteogenic activity of the three mammalian TGF- isoforms, particularly in primates. It explores how the mammalian TGF- isoforms have the potential to shed light on the apparent redundancy of bone induction signaling. The book unearths the profound and important bone inductive activity of the TGF- 3 isoform. It includes accounts of extensive research in non-human primates from craniofacial tissue regeneration, heterotopic tissue induction, and chapters on periodontal tissue regeneration and synergistic induction of bone formation. It also discusses the future clinical role of the TGF- isoform, including in human studies. This book contributes to the fascinating history of BMP and TGF- research at the intersection of molecular biology, tissue induction, bone regeneration, and craniofacial surgery. It provides a revolutionary awakening to new possibilities in skeletal reconstruction, tissue engineering, and molecular and cellular biology.

Mammalian Endocrinology and Male Reproductive Biology provides comprehensive and current coverage of the area of endocrinology and male reproductive biology, covering not just humans, but mammals in general. Written by international experts in their respective fields, this multi-author book also covers the latest developments in genomics of androgen action and male infertility. The book begins by covering sexual dimorphism in the central nervous system; structure, control of secretion and function of GnRH; and gonadotropins of pituitary origin and their role in gonadal functions. This is followed by an account of hormonal regulation of spermatogenesis, and the role of apoptosis in this process. Subsequent chapters center around epididymis, regulation of growth and function, and sperm motility regulation. The last chapters in the book discuss the structure and function of male accessory sex glands with associated pathologies as well as recent updates in male contraception, mechanism of androgen action, and genomics of male infertility. Wherever necessary, tables and figures have been added for a better understanding. Each chapter is appropriately referenced and contains current information on the latest developments in the field.

Covering the essentials of normal and abnormal human development for students in a variety of health science disciplines, Before We Are Born: Essentials of Embryology and Birth Defects, 10th Edition, reflects new research findings and current clinical practice through concise text and abundant illustrations. This edition has been fully updated by the world's foremost embryologists and is based on the popular text, The Developing Human, written by the same author team. It provides an easily accessible understanding of all of the latest advances in embryology, including normal and abnormal embryogenesis, causes of birth defects, and the role of genes in human development. Features streamlined content throughout, numerous photographs of common clinical cases and embryological explanations, didactic illustrations, and nearly 700 USMLE-style questions with full answers and explanations to help prepare for professional exams. Includes interactive clinical cases in every chapter that make important connections between human development and clinical practice-ideal for preparing for USMLE Step 1. Features access to 18 full-color, expertly narrated animations that guide students through key concepts in learning the complexities of embryologic development. Includes many new color photographs, new diagnostic images (3D ultrasound, CT scans, and MR images), an updated teratology section, revised and highlighted information on molecular aspects of developmental biology, and new information on the cellular and molecular basis of embryonic development. Follows the official international list of embryological terms (Terminologia Embryonica, 2013). Enhanced eBook version included with purchase. Your enhanced eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

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

In Neurosis and Human Growth, Dr. Horney discusses the neurotic process as a special form of the human development, the antithesis of healthy growth. She unfolds the different stages of this situation, describing neurotic claims, the tyranny or inner dictates and the neurotic's solutions for relieving the tensions of conflict in such emotional attitudes as domination, self-effacement, dependency, or resignation. Throughout, she outlines with penetrating insight the forces that work for and against the person's realization of his or her potentialities. First Published in 1950. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

'Informative, powerful' VOGUE 'A fascinating and friendly guide for you to understand you better' MELISSA HEMSLEY 'Amy's book is everything I should have learned at school' EMMA GANNON Hormones were something Amy Thomson, founder and CEO of leading women's health app and tech service Moody, never paid attention to, until one day her periods stopped. When she discovered that her hormonal burnout was driven by stress, she quit her job and focused on trying to understand how our hormones can work for twenty-first-century survival. In this eye-opening guide, Thomson draws upon leading research from nutritionists, gynaecologists, endocrinologists, personal trainers and others to explain how understanding our systems and cycles can help you avoid burnouts, build better and healthier routines and optimise your life.

Since the late nineteenth century, medicine has sought to foster the birth of healthy children by attending to the bodies of pregnant women, through what we have come to call prenatal care. Women, and not their unborn children, were the initial focus of that medical attention, but prenatal diagnosis in its present form, which couples scrutiny of the fetus with the option to terminate pregnancy, came into being in the early 1970s. Tangled Diagnoses examines the multiple consequences of the widespread diffusion of this medical innovation. Prenatal testing, Ilana Löwy argues, has become mainly a risk-management technology—the goal of which is to prevent inborn impairments, ideally through the development of efficient therapies but in practice mainly through the prevention of the birth of children with such impairments. Using scholarship, interviews, and direct observation in France and Brazil of two groups of professionals who play an especially important role in the production of knowledge about fetal development—fetopathologists and clinical geneticists—to expose the real-life dilemmas prenatal testing creates, this book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the sociopolitical conditions of biomedical innovation, the politics of women’s bodies, disability, and the ethics of modern medicine.

‘A vital, heartfelt read for anyone navigating the rough seas of infertility and pregnancy loss’ – Leah Hazard, author of Hard Pushed An insightful, moving memoir, capturing life working as a midwife in a busy NHS hospital at the same time as dealing with experiences of infertility, IVF and loss. As a young married couple, Sophie Martin and her husband spent years trying to conceive. They went through several rounds of IVF, at great expense, and even travelled overseas for treatment, never quite knowing whether they would one day have a family. Alongside this, Sophie was working hard at a job she loved: looking after expectant mothers and newborn babies as a midwife in a busy hospital, where the patients’ daily new additions were a constant reminder of Sophie’s own setbacks in pursuit of motherhood. The Infertile Midwife is a deeply personal, moving account of chasing something that you want so desperately. It also offers a much-needed look at how society treats infertility – from the language we use to the small talk we make – and the ways in which we can all do more to make things better for hopeful parents. With great warmth and honesty, Sophie shares her experiences of the bursts of hope and moments of great loss, but also the humour, love and joy that can be found in even the darkest places.

WHEN LIFE ON THE BRINK IS ALL YOU KNOW…

Substance-fuelled partying, endless women and a slew of smash records are music hotshot Adam Fairhead’s lifeblood. But when an avoidable accident occurs under his drug-addled watch, he is forced to re-evaluate the life he has created. Increasingly disillusioned with what once seemed so pulsatingly cool, Adam begins to question everything.

What is expected of 21st Century egg and sperm donors, and how does being a donor impact on men and women's own personal lives and relationships? How do donors navigate connections and relationships created by donation? What do these connections mean to them, and to the people around them -their partners, parents, siblings and children? Donor conception is becoming increasingly widespread and since the new millennium, we have witnessed a dramatic shift in the way that donor conception is regulated and practiced in many jurisdictions around the world. In the past, donor conception has often been a family secret and donors were, almost by definition, anonymous. Now, 'openness' is seen as the ideal and donors can expect to be traced or contacted by those born from their donations. But what does this shift mean for donors, and their families? This path-breaking book draws on in-depth interviews with donors, their kin and fertility counsellors, and addresses these questions by analysing how understandings of donation are shaped by the regulatory, cultural and relational contexts in which they are formed. The authors also discuss what donation stories can tell us about contemporary understandings of connectedness, time and morality in the context of reproduction and family life, and consider how reproductive 'openness' might be done differently.

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.