The 1990s marked a new era in family formation. Increased access to donor sperm enabled single women and lesbian couples to create their families on their own terms, outside the bounds of heterosexual married relationships. However, emerging "alternative" families were not without social and political controversy. Women who chose to have children without male partners faced many challenges in their quest to have children. Despite current wider social acceptance of single people and same sex couples becoming parents, many of these challenges continue. In Romancing the Sperm, Diane Tober explores the intersections between sperm donation and the broader social and political environment in which "modern families" are created and regulated. Through tangible and intimate stories, this book provides a captivating read for anyone interested in family and kinship, genetics and eugenics, and how ever-expanding assisted reproductive technologies continue to redefine what it means to be human.

Bringing together the latest knowledge on the growth and development of children and the most important abnormalities of puberty, this comprehensive text presents the current views on the pathogenesis, diagnostic possibilities and therapeutic options of the main deviations from the normal course of puberty (e.g., precocious and delayed puberty). The chain of physical and hormonal changes in the transitional years is carefully followed, including the regulation of the hypothalamic pulse generator as well as the timing of puberty. Further topics include growth disturbances, adolescent varicocele, adolescent gynecomastia, polycystic ovary syndrome, pubertal acne, and the psychosocial development of adolescents with pubertal abnormalities. Written and edited by internationally noted experts, Puberty will be an excellent resource for pediatricians, endocrinologists, gynecologists, andrologists, urologists, family practitioners, child psychologists and public health specialists - all those who will be challenged in their everyday practice with the problems of puberty.

This book describes the life cycle of a unique endocrine gland that is absolutely essential for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in all mammalian species. The corpus luteum is unique because it is formed and destroyed every (non-fertile) reproductive cycle. When fertilization occurs, the corpus luteum is rescued or maintained. The processes that control corpus luteum formation, demise (luteolysis), or maintenance are just beginning to be unraveled in recent years; they involve diverse cell types and mechanisms. Some of these processes resemble tumor development-angiogenesis, for instance-but interestingly enough, this resemblance is only up to a point. The corpus luteum uses mechanisms that allow its normal, physiological growth and disappearance. Pulling together key research on the corpus luteum, this volume is of interest to both reproductive endocrinologists and comparative physiologists, with clinical relevance spanning comparative animal studies to women's health.

Due to the paucity of reviews on this subject, this volume aims to be timely and promote additional basic and translational research on these proteins in reproductive system development and function within the fields of Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology. The breadth of the work being conducted within Reproduction is exemplified by the contributors to this series who will provide reviews on: Grp78 roles in female reproduction, small heat shock proteins/co-chaperones as players in uterine smooth muscle function, the role of heat shock proteins in sperm function and maternal contribution to oogenesis and early embryogenesis, heat shock factors and testes development, HSP90 in ovarian biology and pathology, and the role of HSP70 in regulation of autophagy in pregnancy and parturition.

An authoritative account of the causes of infertility that fully explores the clinical assessment of patients and covers the decision-making behind treatment options. The content follows the MRCOG syllabus as well as delving deeper into subjects covered by the RCOG Advanced Training Skills Modules (ATSMs), leaving readers well prepared for their examinations. Written by nationally recognised leaders in the field, this volume concisely reviews contemporary clinical practice. Using an aetiology-based approach, chapters discuss ovulatory dysfunction, endometriosis, male infertility, uterine/tubal factors and unexplained infertility. The increasing use of third-party reproduction and surrogacy is explored, along with the psychosocial aspects of this type of treatment. Ethical dilemmas surrounding reproductive medicine and their management are covered in depth. With an emphasis on practical approaches to the delivery and organisation of clinical and laboratory services, readers learn how to ensure the support and care they offer is of the highest quality.

Intended for readers with a background in fertility medicine as well as those less familiar with IVF, this comprehensive work presents an update on preimplantation genetic testing to enable single embryo transfer (SET). An international cast of contributors explains the treatment sequence-from ovulation induction to luteal support-aiming to transfer only one euploid embryo. Applications of molecular techniques for gamete and embryo assessment are fully detailed, with a focus on the strengths and limitations of each. In addition, expert commentary is shared across a range of regulatory challenges associated with embryo screening and cryopreservation. As access to advanced reproductive technology increases against a sharper background of healthcare reform, clinicians, economists, bioethicists and legislators alike will find this new volume relevant and highly accessible.

Developmental theorists have struggled with defining the relations among biology, psychology, and sociocultural context, often reducing psychological functions of a person to either biological functioning or the role of sociocultural context - nature or nurture - and considering each area of human development separately. New Perspectives on Human Development addresses fundamental questions of development with a unified approach. It encompasses theory and research on cognitive, social and moral, and language and communicative development, in various stages of life, and explores interdisciplinary perspectives. New Perspectives on Human Development revisits old questions and applies original empirical findings, offering new directions for future research in the field.

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

The first IVF conceived birth in 1978 resulted in a significant growth of third party reproductive options which continue to raise ethical, legal, and psychological questions. Third party reproduction procedures can involve as many as five people: sperm donor, egg donor, gestational carrier, and intended parents. Third-Party Reproduction: A Comprehensive Guide utilizes experts in the field to address the medical, psychological, ethical and legal aspects of sperm donation, egg donation, embryo donation, and the use of gestational carriers. In addition, there are chapters on the medical and ethical aspects of posthumous reproduction, religious aspects of third party reproduction, and how to avoid pitfalls of third party reproduction. Aimed at physicians, trainees, psychologists, nurses, and social workers whose practices may include patients considering third party reproduction, the intent of this book is to provide a comprehensive and practical overview of the many aspects of third party reproduction to help all those involved to better understand them. Patients considering third party reproduction may also find value in this book.

The average physician and even cancer care-givers are not knowledgeable about the effects of cancer treatment on sex and reproductive life. They are even less aware of the options available for treatment of such patients. Cancer and Sexual Health fills a great need for a reference work devoted to the link between cancer and human sexuality. The volume is designed to give a comprehensive and state-of-the-art review of the sexual and reproductive consequences of cancer diagnosis and treatment. It will prove an invaluable resource for those clinicians caring for cancer patients as well as acting as a reference text for the sexual medicine clinician who may not see a large number of cancer patients.

This contributed volume regenerates the significance of and respect for natural phenomenon in the background of the risks and complications seen in ART such as ovarian hyperstimulation and multiple pregnancies. Balancing the clinical practice between the beneficial natural physiology and the prolific use of stimulation drugs for ART may help eliminate risks that may prove clinically, financially and psychologically expensive. It underscores the fact that 'greater' is not always synonymous with 'better' with regard to the oocyte yield. While highlighting the risks involved with the use of high-dose gonadotropins, the book presents a stratification of patients who might benefit from the 'soft' minimal and natural cycle IVF stimulation protocols that may be used. Additionally, clinicians can understand the significance of cryopreservation technology, now a useful adjunct to minimal stimulation protocols, with its manifold future advantages. Written by an international team of experts, this handbook emphasizes how minimal stimulation and natural cycle IVF can lead to a milder, safer and more effective approach to ART.

Non-Invasive Sperm Selection for In Vitro Fertilization summarizes and discusses the relevant literature on the various advanced sperm selection methods used in modern Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Chapters review some of the major unresolved issues in the field, the feasibility and success of the various sperm selection methods, their safety and the effects they have on sperm quality and ART outcomes. The book makes recommendations on clinical applications and future research, while helping to elucidate the benefits and promise of non-invasive sperm selection techniques. A distinguished team of scientists, embryologists, and urologists, with expertise in male infertility and ART, contributes to this original and valuable reference guide meant for academics, researchers, and professionals in the field of reproductive medicine who need an update on the current status of the study and practice of non-invasive sperm selection techniques.

This concise and practical book is the first of its kind to examine the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in relation to blood-borne infectious diseases: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV). The book opens with a discussion of the impact of these viruses on male and female fertility, followed by specific chapters of each of them, including ART with HIV and HCV serodiscordant couples (where either the male or female is positive) and the detection and impact of HBV and HCV in human gametes and embryos. An important character on laboratory safety when performing ART with blood-borne viruses follows, and the book concludes with a discussion of ART in austere and resource-poor settings, where these infections are often dominant due to lack of treatment and access to vaccines. Written and edited by an international array of experts in reproductive medicine, Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Infectious Diseases explores questions, techniques, and related issues with the aim of effectively helping clinicians working with serodiscordant couples wishing to have children.

Management of the modern reproductive endocrinology and infertility clinic has become very complex. In addition to the medical and scientific aspects, it is crucial that the modern director be aware of of incongruent fields such as marketing, accounting, management, and regulatory issues. Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility: Integrating Modern Clinical and Laboratory Practice was developed to assist the practicing reproductive endocrinologist and/or laboratory director by providing an overview of relevant scientific, medical, and management issues in a single volume. Experts in all pertinent areas present concise, practical, evidence-based summaries of relevant topics, producing a key resource for physicians and scientists engaged in this exciting field of medicine. As novel technologies continue to amplify, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility: Integrating Modern Clinical and Laboratory Practice offers insight into development, and imparts extra confidence to practitioners in handling the many demands presented by their work.

Male Infertility: Problems and Solutions provides a summary of state of the art developments in male infertility for both new and experienced practitioners. Written in a clear, concise and readable style, this volume allows the reader to obtain rapid answers to this challenging medical issue. Special emphasis is placed on diagnostic and treatment algorithms. Topics covered include interpretation of semen analysis and advanced testing, endocrine and genetic evaluation, diagnosis of azoospermia as well as an up-to-date interpretation and analysis of the many new therapies available for the treatment of male factor infertility. Male Infertility: Problems and Solutions provides rapid acquisition of pertinent background and development of management plans through the use of concise discussion and treatment algorithms and thus will be of great value to general urologists, gynecologists, primary care providers and allied health providers who manage infertility in both men as well as women.

This atlas provides sequential pictures for most existing reconstructive urology procedures. Though the use of technology is described, the book has been constructed in such a way that urologists from all countries will be able to pickup the technical tips to perform the laparoscopic procedures using simplified devices.

The oocyte is the largest and most mysterious cell in the body of mammalian organisms. Through its growth and maturation, it reaches extreme levels of specialization, while maintaining at the same time a condition of totipotency. Its unique ability, in co-operation with the spermatozoon, to give rise to a fully developed organism formed from hundreds of different tissues and myriads of individual cells has inspired intellectuals of all ages. Oogenesis finds impetus and purpose in casting scientific perspective towards this unique cell for the benefit of scientists and assisted reproductive technology (ART) specialists. The authors of the chapters are distinguished authorities in their respective areas of competence. From the opening of the book the reader is lead on a fantastic voyage from the formation of the primordial oocyte to the development of the early embryo, passing through crucial processes of oogenesis, such as co-ordination of oocyte and follicle growth, gene expression and organelle reorganization during growth and maturation, epigenetic mechanisms, regulation of meiosis, totipotency, cell polarity, oogenesis in vitro and maternal regulation of early development.

The decade that has passed since publication of the second edition of this textbook has not only witnessed a tremendous increase in knowledge within the ? eld of and- logy, but also seen the ? eld itself achieve a newfound status within the medical p- fession. Knowledge and status have been of mutual bene? t to the ? eld and the growing critical mass of diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities have caused andrology to be recognized as a medical subspecialty in some countries such as Germany, Poland, and Estonia. The European Academy of Andrology (EAA) served as a pacemaker for this development and continues to strive for establishment of andrology as a clinical ? eld. Well-designed curricula and qualifying examinations have contributed to the of? cial recognition of andrology as a speciality. This recognition of the ? eld helps patients with andrological problems to ? nd the specialist they seek. This textbook summarizes the current state of knowledge in the ? eld of andrology. It is a source of knowledge to all those who are or want to become andrologists. In addition, as andrology is clearly an interdisciplinary ? eld, this book may serve as a compendium and source of reference for all those physicians and biologists active in neighboring areas, who want to obtain an overview of andrology and who require information on special problems. The extensive references are timely and up to date.

Chronic vulvar pain, or 'vulvodynia', is a common problem that can have a considerable impact on the wellbeing of patients. Despite being seen routinely in everyday clinical practice, it remains a neglected disorder that may take many years to diagnose. This book eases the way for physicians, including General Practitioners and Gynecologists, who are motivated to improve the lives of women suffering from vulvodynia. By offering a concise overview of the latest information on the diagnosis and management of vulvodynia, and its numerous comorbidities, in an easy to read, 'tips and tricks' format, the book empowers physicians to rapidly and effectively address the complex and sensitive issues surrounding the disorder.

In this second volume, the Biennial Review of Infertility brings together the most up-to-date research and clinical information on male and female infertility, emerging assisted reproductive techniques, and controversial issues in reproductive medicine. This volume includes discussion of cutting-edge topics such as epigenetics, proteomics, and the role of the environment in fertility, as well as insightful evidence-based discussion of common clinical procedures. It is the cumulative effort of a preeminent panel of experts presenting each chapter in a clear and well-balanced manner. Created to provide an ongoing appraisal of current knowledge, the Biennial Review of Infertility stimulates communication amongst all those working to help couples resolve their infertility.

In this third volume, the Biennial Review of Infertility brings together the most up-to-date research and clinical information on male and female infertility, emerging assisted reproductive techniques, and controversial issues in reproductive medicine. An impressive panel of contributors presents cutting-edge information in a clear and well-balanced manner. This volume includes hot topics in reproductive medicine including age and its impact on fertility, lifestyle factors and reproductive health, fertility preservation for cancer patients, reproductive tourism and a discussion of clinical research design. The expanded section on controversies allows for point/counterpoint discussion between experts with differing opinions on topics like safety of the ICSI procedure and the role of IUI in modern reproductive medicine. Created to provide an ongoing appraisal of current knowledge, the Biennial Review of Infertility stimulates communication amongst all those working to help couples resolve their infertility.

Humans and flies look nothing alike, yet their genetic circuits are remarkably similar. Here, Lewis I. Held, Jr compares the genetics and development of the two to review the evidence for deep homology, the biggest discovery from the emerging field of evolutionary developmental biology. Remnants of the operating system of our hypothetical common ancestor 600 million years ago are compared in chapters arranged by region of the body, from the nervous system, limbs and heart, to vision, hearing and smell. Concept maps provide a clear understanding of the complex subjects addressed, while encyclopaedic tables offer comprehensive inventories of genetic information. Written in an engaging style with a reference section listing thousands of relevant publications, this is a vital resource for scientific researchers, and graduate and undergraduate students.

Presenting an overview of the current understanding of the pathophysiology of PCOS and a paradigm for the clinical evaluation and management of the disorder, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is written in an easy to digest, concise format that, with bulleted key points introducing each chapter, is suitable for the trainee and the busy clinician. The breadth and depth of coverage of today's queries and controversies will be of particular interest to the specialist and researcher. An international group of leading experts addresses the varied etiologies of PCOS, comprehensively covering the contemporary treatment approaches and long-term implications of PCOS, a common yet poorly understood disorder. Chapters on treatment will be of particular relevance to the clinician and the trainee as they cover conventional therapies, lifestyle, and diet, as well as address emerging strategies such as the use of statins and surgery in PCOS management. Spanning the breadth of clinical presentations and morbidities related to the diagnosis of PCOS, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is an exceptional resource for primary care providers, gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, and others involved in the care of these patients, and provides the essential tools to aid clinicians in initiating a timely diagnostic workup and appropriate interventions to address both the immediate and long-term sequelae related to PCOS.

Humans and flies look nothing alike, yet their genetic circuits are remarkably similar. Here, Lewis I. Held, Jr compares the genetics and development of the two to review the evidence for deep homology, the biggest discovery from the emerging field of evolutionary developmental biology. Remnants of the operating system of our hypothetical common ancestor 600 million years ago are compared in chapters arranged by region of the body, from the nervous system, limbs and heart, to vision, hearing and smell. Concept maps provide a clear understanding of the complex subjects addressed, while encyclopaedic tables offer comprehensive inventories of genetic information. Written in an engaging style with a reference section listing thousands of relevant publications, this is a vital resource for scientific researchers, and graduate and undergraduate students.

From its crude and uneasy beginnings thirty years ago, Chinese sperm banking has become a routine part of China's pervasive and restrictive reproductive complex. Today, there are sperm banks in each of China's twenty-two provinces, the biggest of which screen some three thousand to four thousand potential donors each year. Given the estimated one to two million azoospermic men--those who are unable to produce their own sperm--the demand remains insatiable. China's twenty-two sperm banks cannot keep up, spurring sperm bank directors to publicly lament chronic shortages and even warn of a national 'sperm crisis' (jingzi weiji). Good Quality explores the issues behind the crisis, including declining sperm quality in the country due to environmental pollution, as well as a chronic national shortage of donors. In doing so, Wahlberg outlines the specific style of Chinese sperm banking that has emerged, shaped by the particular cultural, juridical, economic and social configurations that make up China's restrictive reproductive complex. Good Quality shows how this high-throughput style shapes the ways in which men experience donation and how sperm is made available to couples who can afford it.