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.

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.

A proactive and comprehensive resource that answers every question about fertility health and helps women understand and preserve their fertility options. Does stress affect your fertility? Should you avoid materials made with plastic? How does diet affect your chance of conception? Does acupuncture increase your chances? How old is too old? In The Whole Life Fertility Plan, Kyra Phillips and Dr. Jamie Grifo answer all your pressing questions about fertility health-and address things you didn't even know to ask-whether you're planning to wait to have kids or are starting the process now. Phillips spent her 20s and 30s building her career, and wasn't ready to start a family until she turned 40. She met with Dr. Grifo, the director at the renowned NYU Fertility Health Center, and after an uphill (but ultimately successful) battle on the road to conception, she learned that there were a number of things-simple things-she could have been doing differently over the years. For too long, women have believed that when it comes to their fertility, their bodies will cooperate when the time is right. But fertility is not unlike heart health; it's important to be proactive. As women are becoming increasingly aware of their fertility health and waiting longer to have children, they are starting to take control of their fertility long before they are ready to start trying. Whether you're in your 20s, 30s or 40s, and want to start a family now or down the line, don't leave it up to chance-educate yourself about what affects your fertility.

Public concern over high-profile mistakes in IVF clinics and the concomitant increase in governmental regulation, have given rise to widespread recognition of the need for accreditation of IVF clinics. Modern accreditation schemes are largely based on the principles of ISO 9001 and related standards, at the heart of which lies the expectation of a formal quality management system. Risk analysis and risk minimization are also being demanded of IVF clinics, but many only have limited understanding of how to approach these essential management tasks. This book brings together the basics of quality management and risk management, focussing on 'prophylactic management' - prevention rather than cure. Each chapter in this new edition is fully updated and extended to include new material such as, quality and risk management in the ART clinic, and an illustrative example of a 'well-run' clinic. This is the essential guide for clinicians and IVF laboratory staff.

This concise guide to the often overlooked association between erectile dysfunction and hypertension/cardiovascular disease covers a wide range of aspects of importance to the clinician. It examines the impact of antihypertensive drug therapy on erectile function and explains how the management of erectile dysfunction in hypertensive patients depends on a variety of factors. Different treatment approaches are described, including lifestyle modification, PDE-5 inhibitors and other novel agents and behavioral therapy and helpful therapeutic algorithms are presented. A further focus of the book is the potential role of erectile dysfunction as an early diagnostic indicator of asymptomatic coronary artery disease and a prognostic marker for cardiovascular events. In addition, key background information is supplied on epidemiology and pathophysiology, and the significance of erectile dysfunction in different patient groups, such as the elderly and those with chronic kidney disease, is examined. Erectile dysfunction is a major public health problem affecting more than ten percent of the general male population and is now considered to be predominantly of vascular origin. This book will be informative and of practical value for all practitioners responsible for caring for the very many patients who experience erectile dysfunction in the setting of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

There is no clearer testament to the importance and efficacy of in vitro fertilization in the treatmentof the infertilepatient than the fact that over one million babies have been born since its clinical introduction in 1978. The successof this worldwideendeavorhas evolvedto treat some of the formerly most intractable forms of infertility and requires individuals with different skills and insights whose activities are often compartmentalized into clinical, laboratory and research functions. The intent of Essential lVF is to present current issues in clinical IVF that encompass the varied activities of those engaged in this enterprise. By integrating clinical, basic research and laboratory-related aspects of human reproduction, readers with diverse interests should obtain a more complete understanding of the impact, importance and inter-relatedness of each in the progress of infertility treatment, and an appreciation of whether emerging technologies will or should contribute to this progress in the near future. The topics selected for this volume include research that has begun to explain the origins of differential follicular, gamete, embryo and uterine competence, and specific laboratory procedures and protocols that may have important clinical implications forthe generation ofdevelopmentally viable embryos. Human embryoresearchoverthe past 25 years has notonly confirmed that the developmental potential of each embryo is unique, but more importantly, demonstrated how genetic and nongenetic factors for sperm and oocyte determineembryo competencewell before fertilization. Several chapters deal with the origins of normal and compromised gametes and how those with high competence can be identified and isolated for fertilization.

This concise, truncated version of Zini and Agarwal's Sperm Chromatin: Biological and Clinical Applications in Male Infertility and Assisted Reproduction offers select, clinical chapters for a handy, more affordable, state-of-the-art resource. Sperm Chromatin for the Clinician addresses such vital issues as: -Male subfertility and sperm chromatin damage -Aging and sperm DNA damage -Cancer and implications for sperm quality -Environmental factors -Cryopreservation and sperm DNA integrity -Postnatal effects of sperm chromatin damage Practical for clinicians and researchers alike, Sperm Chromatin for the Clinician contains all of the need-to-know information about this cutting-edge topic in reproductive medicine. "

This concise, truncated version of Parekattil and Agarwal's" Male Infertility: Contemporary Clinical Approaches, Andrology, ART & Antioxidants" is the first resource dedicated solely to clinicalissues of infertility. With select chapters that will prove invaluable to the reproductive medicine clinician, "Male Infertility for the Clinician"addresses issues like:

- Diagnosis and management of male infertility conditions such as varicocele, ejaculatory duct obstruction and congenital epididymal obstruction

- New approaches to Klinefelter's syndrome

- A concise structured approach to the genetics of male infertility

- Management of cancer patients (oncofertility) and ethical considerations in special male infertility circumstances

-New advances in biomaterials for reconstruction and new robotic-assisted microsurgical techniques

Practical for clinicians and researchers alike, "Male Infertility for the Clinician"contains all of the need-to-know information about these cutting-edge topics in reproductive medicine.

This concise, truncated version of Nagy, Varghese and Agarwal's Practical Manual of In Vitro Fertilization is comprised of select practical chapters for a portable, affordable and up-to-date resource. Building and Managing an IVF Laboratory covers a variety of topics, including: - Setting up and running an IVF laboratory - IVF laboratory equipment and culture systems - Organization of the IVF unit - Licensing and regulation in the ART laboratory - Quality control and troubleshooting Practical for both clinicians and researchers alike, Building and Managing an IVF Laboratory brings together all of the need-to-know information about these important topics in reproductive medicine.

This practical 2003 handbook provides an extremely comprehensive and highly illustrated guide to micromanipulation techniques in assisted conception in a clinical setting. It includes detailed, illustrated descriptions of all the common micromanipulation systems currently in use in IVF laboratories around the world and clearly explains how to optimise their successful use. The volume covers state-of-the-art techniques including intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and procedures such as assisted hatching and the blastomere biopsy (for preimplantation genetic diagnosis PGD). Valuable information on troubleshooting the potential mechanical and technical difficulties that can arise is provided to help all the practitioners of these techniques, including trainee embryologists and consultant obstetricians, and technicians and scientists involved in animal transgenesis and cloning. It will undoubtedly be of immense value to all doctors and scientists working with assisted reproductive technologies.

The definitive week-by-week diet and lifestyle plan to support IVF treatment and help you become pregnant from the one of the UK's foremost experts on fertility and conception, Zita West. 'The IVF process is so out of your control and this was a really helpful tool to bring me back in control and nurture my body' -- ***** Reader review 'Excellent book, a great way to feel like you have some control over this crazy process!' -- ***** Reader review 'Terrific and informative - worth every penny' -- ***** Reader review 'Easy to read and easy to understand' -- ***** Reader review 'Brilliant' -- ***** Reader review **************************************************************************************************** More and more couples are turning to IVF each year to help them conceive, and yet there are still many questions to be answered. "What makes IVF successful?" and "what else can we do to support our treatment?" are two of the most important queries couples can have, and here, Zita West offers solutions. Nutrition and lifestyle advice, psychological and emotional support and a positive mindset all play an important part in helping couples conceive, and can even make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful outcome. This book not only advises how to prepare for IVF, but why it's so important to prepare, and with a step-by-step diet and lifestyle plan and over 60 recipes for meals designed for optimum fertility heath, this is a clear way to actively support your treatment.

In vitro fertilization and other forms of assisted reproduction are no longer experimental procedures. Indeed, in Denmark in 2004, 4% of all babies born were conceived by IVF. In the near future, every kindergarten classroom will quite possibly have at least one IVF child.
In this fascinating account, two of the world's leading authorities present a detailed and readable account of assisted reproduction, describing how this technique is applied to help infertile couples have a baby. Bart Fauser and Paul Devroey describe the latest technologies, placing them in their scientific and clinical settings, outlining such procedures as IVF, sperm injection techniques, egg donation, fertility preservation, single embryo transfer, and reproductive surgery. Fauser and Devroey also discuss fertility treatments in patients who are not infertile (such as single women or lesbians). One of the great controversies swirling around assisted reproduction is the furor over "designer babies" (manipulating genetic material to produce babies with blue eyes or a high IQ, or of a particular sex), but the authors contend that the only acceptable aim in "designing" a baby is to insure a safe pregnancy and delivery. The book also reveals that a key challenge of fertility research is to perfect a treatment that avoids multiple pregnancy, a trend that has blighted IVF throughout its thirty-year history. Fauser and Devroey also discuss the issue of increasing age-related infertility ("the infertility epidemic") and the possible use of IVF to meet this challenge and improve birth rates. The final chapter looks to the future and proposes that the limits to assisted reproduction will be set more by ethical considerations than by scientific progress.

IVF is now established worldwide as a clinical service. Units are striving to improve their success rates, and many treatments are being advocated as 'yet another breakthrough'. The purpose of this book is to help clinicians to evaluate each of these new treatments. Each chapter is written by a recognized international expert in the field and the chapters are short and succinct, summarizing the latest evidence-based information for each topic and treatment. Sections cover patient selection and preparation, the role of AIH before IVF, stimulation, monitoring, laboratory techniques, embryo transfer, ancillary treatments and assessment of results. How to Improve your ART Success Rates: An Evidence-Based Review of Adjuncts to IVF is essential reading for all clinicians working with infertility and assisted reproduction, and is also a valuable addition to any medical library.

ART treatment is vulnerable to the hazard of potential infection from many different sources: patients, samples, staff and the environment. Culture of gametes and embryos in vitro provides multiple targets for transmission of potential infection, including the developing embryo, neighbouring gametes and embryos, the couple undergoing treatment and other couples being treated during the same period. This unique situation, with multifaceted opportunities for microbial growth and transmission, makes infection and contamination control absolutely crucial in the practice of assisted reproduction, and in the laboratory in particular. Originally published in 2004, this practical book provides a basic overview of microbiology in the context of ART, providing a guide to infections in reproductive medicine. The relevant facets of the complex and vast field of microbiology are condensed and focused, highlighting information that is crucial for safe practice in both clinical and laboratory aspects of ART.

This insightful and thought-provoking 2002 collection of chapters describes the rapid advances that had revolutionised reproductive medicine in the years leading up to its publication. This transformation was the result of converging and overlapping developments in reproductive biology, molecular biology and genetics. These advances allied with remarkable technical developments pushed the boundaries of this discipline ever faster forward. This volume surveys this rapid expansion as it stood in 2002 and looks ahead at exciting prospects for the future that stand at the watershed between basic science and clinical application. From oogeneis and spermatogenesis, through to fertilisation, embryogenesis and cloning, this volume looks at scientific advances. Subsequent chapters focus on infertility and its diagnosis and treatment using the full armory of assisted reproductive technologies. A concluding section surveys the impact of these developments on the provision, regulation and financing of reproductive health care in the global community.

What limits the genetic choices parents make for their children? Is it okay to select the sex of our children, or for deaf parents to select deaf children? In this second edition of Genetic Dilemmas, Davis argues that parental reproductive autonomy should be limited by respect for the future autonomy of the children created by these measures.
Praise for the first edition:
"A thoughtful, timely and comprehensive look at genetics in the modern era by a recognized scholar of both their legal and humanistic implications. An excellent read "
-R. Alta Charo, Professor of Law and Medical Ethics, University of Wisconsin- Madison.
"Dena Davis has been the most consistent and important voice insisting that we take seriously the concept of each child's right to an open future, and what respecting that right would mean for new technologies in genetics and reproduction. This engaging new book is the work of a thoughtful and humane scholar, and deserves a broad readership."
-Thomas H. Murray, President of The Hastings Center
"Dena Davis offers an engaging, informative and provocative argument in Genetic Dilemmas. Her primary accomplishment is to draw much-needed attention to the interests of the child in reproductive decision-making...she has succeeded admirably."
-Mary Terrell White, Medical Humanities Review
"People now face a dizzying array of choices about reproduction-from sex selection to cloning, from prenatal screening to genetic enhancement. In this engaging and path-breaking book, Dena Davis intelligently and compassionately explores the often-ignored impact of these choices on the children that are created and the society in which they will be raised."
-Lori Andrews, Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law

Reproductive tract infections and other gynaecological disorders among women represent an enormous global health burden. This significant book will help focus research on this important though neglected area. The primary aims of the book are to provide an overview of reproductive tract infections and other gynaecological disorders, to highlight the conceptual and methodological challenges associated with undertaking research on this subject, and to serve as a reference for future research in this area. The book focuses on developing country settings, and recognizes that gathering this sort of information requires a multidisciplinary and culturally sensitive approach. Findings from the research described in this book will undoubtedly assist physicians, social scientists, epidemiologists and public health practitioners in evaluating the magnitude of this problem within the community at large and in identifying potentially effective medical and behavioural interventions to address this problem.

Infertility Counseling: A Comprehensive Handbook for Clinicians, 2nd edition, is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary textbook for all health professionals providing care for individuals facing reproductive health issues. It is the most thorough and extensive book currently available for clinicians in the field of infertility counseling, providing an exhaustive and comprehensive review of topics. It addresses both the medical and psychological aspects of infertility, reviewing assessment approaches, treatment strategies, counseling for medical conditions impacting fertility, third-party reproduction, alternative family building and post infertility counseling issues. Each chapter follows the same format: introduction, historical overview, literature review, theoretical framework, identification of clinical issues, suggestions for therapeutic interventions, and future implication. This edition also includes extensive appendixes of clinical tools useful to the clinician, including an Internet database of resources and an extensive glossary of terminology.

This volume provides a comprehensive account of the evaluation and treatment of the infertile male. It is suitable for all physicians who encounter this common medical problem. Despite the prevalance of male infertility as a common underlying cause of infertility, its evaluation and treatment remains a difficult and misunderstood area for many doctors - a problem this volume aims to overcome. It includes chapters which review the full range of modern techniques now available for analysing semen and identifying the underlying cause of infertility, and then goes on to consider the various treatment options. The volume also discusses endocrine assessment and treatment, psychological aspects of male infertility, and includes a chapter on female infertility. This will be a valuable source of reference for general practitioners and physicians, urologists and gynaecologists.

Despite incredible and previously undreamed-of advances in modern medicine, for many women the issue of infertility remains a heart-breaking reality. Using a combination of traditional and modern astrological techniques, the author has delved deeply into the charts of hundreds of infertile women, and in many cases has unravelled what might be at the root of the problem. Sometimes it's a matter of location or timing, or it could be psychological issues in the relationship that are causing the block; whatever the reason, the author works closely with the couple - and often the medical profession - to produce results that are frequently positive where there has been no hope before. Although this is an advanced textbook for astrologers, the human element of the case histories is nothing short of inspiring, and from that perspective can be enjoyed by readers with no knowledge of astrology.

As we enter the twenty-first century, a number of medical, environmental, and social changes have profoundly affected human reproduction. This book discusses some of the more dramatic changes in an accessible manner, illustrating the ways in which human biology and culture can affect fertility. It provides a unique interdisciplinary perspective on the subject. Topics of discussion include medical technological advances that equip us with potential cures for many causes of infertility; diseases, such as AIDS, that have a devastating impact on the reproductive and social lives of humans; increasing industrialization and the development of fabricated materials that pollute our environment in unforeseen ways with possibly devastating effects on human health and fertility; and social revolutions that profoundly alter human relationships, such as nonmarital unions between heterosexual couples, same-sex relationships, and adoption and surrogacy.

A critical analysis of white, working class North Americans' motivations and experiences when traveling to Central Europe for donor egg IVF Each year, more and more Americans travel out of the country seeking low cost medical treatments abroad, including fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). As the lower middle classes of the United States have been priced out of an expensive privatized "baby business," the Czech Republic has emerged as a central hub of fertility tourism, offering a plentitude of blonde-haired, blue-eyed egg donors at a fraction of the price. Fertility Holidays presents a critical analysis of white, working class North Americans' motivations and experiences when traveling to Central Europe for donor egg IVF. Within this diaspora, patients become consumers, urged on by the representation of a white Europe and an empathetic health care system, which seems nonexistent at home. As the volume traces these American fertility journeys halfway around the world, it uncovers layers of contradiction embedded in global reproductive medicine. Speier reveals the extent to which reproductive travel heightens the hope ingrained in reproductive technologies, especially when the procedures are framed as "holidays." The pitch of combining a vacation with their treatment promises couples a stress-free IVF cycle; yet, in truth, they may become tangled in fraught situations as they endure an emotionally wrought cycle of IVF in a strange place. Offering an intimate, first-hand account of North Americans' journeys to the Czech Republic for IVF, Fertility Holidays exposes reproductive travel as a form of consumption which is motivated by complex layers of desire for white babies, a European vacation, better health care, and technological success.

This handbook is a guide to infertility and ultrasound for gynaecologists and infertility specialists. The second edition has been fully revised and includes many new topics, providing the latest information in the field. Divided into two sections, the first half of the book covers infertility. Beginning with discussion on assessment of an infertile couple, the following chapters examine different hormone treatments, sperm preparation, and ovulation induction, including in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. The remaining chapters cover male infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, and practical tips for infertility management. The second part of the book covers ultrasound. Beginning with discussion on transvaginal sonography and ultrasound in different uterine diseases, the following chapters cover ultrasound in infertility treatment, as well as in the different trimesters of pregnancy. Screening for foetal abnormalities is also discussed in depth. The comprehensive text is highly illustrated with more than 700 ultrasound images, diagrams and photographs. Key points Practical guide to infertility and ultrasound for specialists in gynaecology and infertility Fully revised, second edition featuring many new topics Highly illustrated with more than 700 ultrasound images and diagrams Previous edition (9789351528562) published in 2015

"Introducing the only clinically proven program--steeped in ancient Chinese healing traditions--that has enabled hundreds of infertile couples to conceive.
"At Wu's Healing Center in San Francisco, miracles are happening. Women and their partners come to the clinic--often from across the country-- to fulfill a passionately held yet fragile dream: to conceive and deliver the healthy baby that mainstream doctors have told them they cannot have. Using traditional Chinese medical techniques, sometimes integrated with Western fertility treatments, Dr. Angela Wu is helping these couples experience the miracle of birth.
In this book,"" Dr. Wu details a proven 6-part self-care regimen that helps create the internal harmony and balance vital to conception. Her techniques not only enhance the results and reduce the side effects of in vitro and other Western fertility treatments, they also shorten labor and speed postpartum recovery. Babies benefit too, adopting regular sleep patterns more quickly and getting sick less frequently.
At a time when one in five U.S. couples is struggling with fertility problems, this practical and uplifting volume, filled with the inspirational stories of Dr. Wu's grateful patients, will be a godsend.

A powerful, personal reflection on miscarriage from an acclaimed health and science journalist, drawing on original interviews and ground-breaking research to offer fresh insight into this underacknowledged subject. After losing four pregnancies with no obvious cause, Jennie Agg set out to understand why miscarriage remains such a profoundly misunderstood, under-researched and under-acknowledged experience. Part-memoir, part-scientific investigation, Life, Almost documents Agg's path to motherhood and her search for answers. Tracing each tentative step of her fifth pregnancy - as her body becomes a creature she does not wish to spook - Agg dismantles the myths that we unquestioningly accept about our reproductive lives- Why are we told miscarriage can't be prevented when half of all miscarriages are of perfectly healthy embryos? Why is it normal not to tell anyone you're pregnant for the first three months? Why don't we know why labour starts? Drawing on pioneering research and interviews with world-leading experts, Life, Almost is a ground-breaking book that will change how you think about miscarriage, and a moving reflection on grief and love at the edge of life as we understand it.