Obtaining good quality sperm for in-vitro fertilization, ICSI, or for cryopreservation can be a major problem if a man suffers from medical conditions that preclude normal collection. Major advances in sperm retrieval and preparation techniques have been witnessed in recent years, allowing a better understanding of the contribution of the sperm to a couple's fertility. This Manual is a complete guide to sperm retrieval methods performed for men with azoospermia. Covering all the basic and advanced steps for implementation of these procedures, the Manual includes descriptions of the underlying science along with detailed, practical advice on methods, including tips for optimizing outcomes and trouble-shooting, using an evidence-based approach. This will be an invaluable resource for andrologists, urologists, embryologists, male fertility specialists, gynecologists, and other healthcare workers practising reproductive medicine. It is particularly valuable for reproductive laboratory personnel wishing to refine or develop technique and improve outcomes, and for IVF Quality Managers.

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

If you had a dependable method for determining the healthiest and most viable conceptus from a cohort of growing preembryos, replacing more than a single one in order to achieve good pregnancy rates would be moot. Sometime in the not-so-distant future, this may be a reality. Taking a step towards that future, An Atlas of Human Blastocysts vividly illustrates the typical and atypical morphology of mammalian blastocysts. The atlas demonstrates that extended culture of blastocysts is now achieveable in the laboratory and points us toward the day when it will be possible to choose between a number of healthy hatched blastocysts.

In this volume, two experts on sexual disorders describe the most effective treatment yet developed for male impotence. The authors review both the medical and the psychiatric aspects of injection treatment for men of all ages, with particular attention to older men and those with psychogenic impotence. The authors also discuss ethical considerations.

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

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

A candid assessment of the pros and cons of delayed motherhood.
Biology does not bend to feminist ideals and science does not work miracles. That is the message of this eye-opening discussion of the consequences of delayed motherhood. Part personal account, part manifesto, Selvaratnam recounts her emotional journey through multiple miscarriages after the age of 37. Her doctor told her she still "had time," but Selvaratnam found little reliable and often conflicting information about a mature woman's biological ability (or inability) to conceive.
Beyond her personal story, the author speaks to women in similar situations around the country, as well as fertility doctors, adoption counselors, reproductive health professionals, celebrities, feminists, journalists, and sociologists. Through in-depth reporting and her own experience, Selvaratnam urges more widespread education and open discussion about delayed motherhood in the hope that long-lasting solutions can take effect. The result is a book full of valuable information that will enable women to make smarter choices about their reproductive futures and to strike a more realistic balance between science, society and personal goals.

This practical, extensively illustrated handbook covers the procedures that are undertaken in andrology and ART laboratories to analyse and assess male-factor infertility, and to prepare spermatozoa for use in assisted conception therapy. The content is presented as brief, authoritative overviews of the relevant biological background for each area, plus detailed, step-by-step descriptions of the relevant analytical procedures. Each technical section includes quality control considerations and the optimum presentation of results. In addition to the comprehensive 'basic' semen analysis, incorporating careful analysis of sperm morphology, the handbook provides established techniques for the use of computer-aided sperm analysis and sperm functional assessment. The interpretation of laboratory results in the clinical context is highlighted throughout, and safe laboratory practice is emphasized. Fully revised, incorporating the new ISO TS 23162 on basic human semen analysis throughout, this is an invaluable resource to all scientists and technicians who perform diagnostic testing for male-factor infertility.

Spermatogenesis involves the coordination of a number of signaling pathways, which culminate into production of sperm. Its failure results in male factor infertility, which can be due to hormonal, environmental, genetic or other unknown factors. This book includes chapters on most of the signaling pathways known to contribute to spermatogenesis. Latest research in germ cell signaling like the role of small RNAs in spermatogenesis is also discussed. This book aims to serve as a reference for both clinicians and researchers, explaining possible causes of infertility and exploring various treatment methods for management through the basic understanding of the role of molecular signaling. Key Features Discusses the signaling pathways that contribute to successful spermatogenesis Covers comprehensive information about Spermatogenesis at one place Explores the vital aspects of male fertility and infertility Explains the epigenetic regulation of germ cell development and fertility Highlights the translational opportunities in molecular signaling in testis

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

The use of IVM in assisted reproductive technology continues to increase around the world. The major benefit of IVM is that significant numbers of oocytes can be collected from ovaries without recourse to ovarian stimulation. This reduces the costs, time, and risks associated with conventional IVF. Although initially limited to women with polycystic ovary syndrome who were at higher risk of problems following ovarian stimulation, IVM is increasingly used in women with normal ovulatory menstrual cycles. This authoritative text covers the current scientific knowledge of oocyte development and the understanding behind the techniques involved in the clinical application of IVM in assisted reproductive technologies.
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This comprehensive overview of the known literature concerning the physical and psychosocial health of children conceived by ART brings together an international panel of experts in fertility medicine, epidemiology, medical genetics, obstetrics, twin research, psychosocial development and pediatrics. Each chapter gives a concise, readable commentary on the key areas of established knowledge. The book will prove an essential component for clinic library for fertility practitioners throughout the world. It will be useful for counselling families about known risks, and for placing in context what is generally a positive literature. Knowledge in this area has been restricted by the studies performed; however, there is a body of research that is hard for the busy fertility practitioner, counsellor, fertility nurse, or obstetrician to bring together and synthesize for their clients. The book is edited by Dr Alastair Sutcliffe - one of the world experts in this field. This is a revised and expanded edition of IVF Children - The First Generation. It is hoped that this will be a continuing project, in which periodic further updates will be published to maintain the currency of quality information needed to inform practitioners of what is a rapidly changing field.

Wedding up-to-date scientific information to an understanding of the emotional burdens and ethical dilemmas that inhere in reproductive medicine, Frozen Dreams: Psychodynamic Dimensions of Infertility and Assisted Reproduction provides an overview of the psychology of infertility patients and of the evaluative, administrative, and especially psychotherapeutic issues involved in helping them. The contributors to this volume, who include professionals from nationally prestigious reproductive programs and psychotherapists who evaluate and work clinically with infertility patients, explore the complex choices about life and death that are the daily experience of infertility specialists. In voices equally authoritative and intimate, psychotherapists and other health professionals explore the therapeutic process with patients and couples struggling with miscarriage, infertility, childlessness, the possibility of adoption, and the promise of assisted pregnancy. Among the themes that recur throughout this collection are the following: When is a patient's bitterness, anger, and psychopathology extreme enough to disqualify her as a candidate for infertility treatment? the well-being of offspring resulting from an assisted pregnancy? How does the clinician's personal diagnosis of infertility influence an ongoing psychodynamic treatment? How can a therapist help patients overcome the overwhelming grief of miscarriage? And the contributors are equally attentive to the range of issues that challenge physicians and nurses active in reproductive medicine. Intent on providing practical information that will aid decision-making in this demanding area of practice, they examine questions such as: How reproductive medicine programs should handle difficult patients who present with a sense of entitlement. How staff differences within reproductive medicine programs can be constructively addressed and resolved. Why physicians, nurses, and other program personnel experience burnout and what can be done to prevent it. Written for a large audience of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, researchers, nurses, physicians, and general readers, Frozen Dreams is a fascinating introduction to the human face of reproductive medicine. mental health professionals who work with adult patients through their childbearing years. For professionals who work inside the complex world of infertility treatment, Frozen Dreams will quickly become an essential text that is turned to repeatedly for information, guidance, reassurance, and revitalization.

This useful illustrated text summarizes for an audience of clinicians in Reproductive Medicine the practical essentials of what they need to know about diagnosis and management of the infertile male patient, whether they need to instruct or liaise with a colleague or undertake the procedures themselves.

In the late 1990s, Egypt experienced a boom period in in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology and now boasts more IVF clinics than neighboring Israel. In this book, Marcia Inhorn writes of her fieldwork among affluent, elite couples who sought in vitro fertilization in Egypt, a country which is not only at the forefront of IVF technology in the Middle East, but also a center of Islamic education in the region. Inhorn examines the scientific, religious and cultural ramifications of the transfer of IVF technology from Euro-American points of origin to Egypt - showing how cultural ideas reshape the use of this technology and in turn, how the technology is reshaping cultural ideas in Egypt.

For around half of the couples who have trouble conceiving the cause of infertility is sperm-related. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is the most common and successful treatment for male infertility. Here, the pioneers for the technique, along with authorities in the field, describe the underlying science of ICSI and other micromanipulation techniques. Practical advice for performing the techniques is covered in depth, including sperm selection, laser-assisted ICSI, and the use of piezo in ICSI. Examining the safety of ICSI in animal models as well as the impact of ICSI on the health and well-being of the children conceived through the procedure is discussed. This manual is an essential resource for clinical embryologists and laboratory personnel wishing to refine or develop techniques and improve outcomes.

In this work the eminent Dutch physician offers for the intelligent layman as well as for doctors, psychologists, teachers and social workers a guide to the causes and effects of fertility and sterility. This book is the third and last volume in Dr Theodoor Hendrik van de Velde's trilogy on the problems of marriage and this book completes his internationally authoritative work on eugenics and volitional sex behavior. Following his other book Ideal Marriage and Sexual Tensions in Marriage, this book considers such problems as sexual abstinence and excess, family limitation, the achievement of desired pregnancy, the causes and consequences, physically and emotionally, and sterility in women and impotence in men, artificial insemination, and the delicate personal and social aspects of undesired conception. Scientific in its approach and simple in its presentation, this book is for doctors and laymen. It offers information that contributes to a healthier understanding of voluntary and planned conception and helps safeguard happiness in marriage.

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.

A new model for treating infertility

This new book offers a revolutionary clinical model for treating individuals and couples who are infertile. The authors reveal how infertility profoundly affects a sense of identity and colors the most intimate relationships with family and friAnds. Step by step, this vital resource, shows clinicians how they can learn to support clients in overcoming their inevitable sense of loss and help them to regain their power.

The authors' advocacy of acceptance of infertility is a liberating approach for families who have been struggling to `resolve' these life long issues. This original book . . . .Can change your life.

--Linda Perilstein, executive director, Cradle of Hope Adoption Center, Washington, DC

Based on the gold standard procedures and protocols developed at Boston IVF, this new edition of a bestselling text continues to provide a structured approach to treating the infertile couple that can be of benefit to the gynecologist, reproductive endocrinologist, and reproductive medicine nurse alike. Both clinical and laboratory techniques are included, with material on preconception care. New to this edition are chapters on fertility care for the LGBT community, endometriosis, elective egg freezing, and effective nursing.

The new edition of this text admirably fills the need for a primer on the central topics involved in Human In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Supplying a comprehensive and hands-on approach to IVF, this source presents established state-of-the-art procedures and techniques, as well as the most current research in the field. Expert contributors also discuss the history of IVF and the potential of future research. Offering essential information for reproductive endocrinologists, IVF practitioners and embryologists, this book guides readers though every step of human assisted conception, from patient pre-treatment to monitoring of outcomes.

The new edition of this text admirably fills the need for a primer on the central topics involved in Human In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Supplying a comprehensive and hands-on approach to IVF, this source presents established state-of-the-art procedures and techniques, as well as the most current research in the field. Expert contributors also discuss the history of IVF and the potential of future research. Offering essential information for reproductive endocrinologists, IVF practitioners and embryologists, this book guides readers though every step of human assisted conception, from patient pre-treatment to monitoring of outcomes.

Selecting good-quality sperm for use in in-vitro fertilization is a key step in assisted reproduction. For many years purely morphological attributes have been used to assess suitability, but increasingly biochemical and molecular biological techniques are now identifying sperm with the best chances of producing viable and healthy embryos. Focusing on modern sperm function testing, this manual provides technical details of commonly used tests and gives an overview of the laboratory techniques used to evaluate sperm samples. Covering a variety of testing methods in detail, from manual and computer-assisted semen analysis to zona pellucida binding assays, and tests assessing sperm DNA damage such as the TUNEL assay. Describing the underlying science, practical advice for performing the tests is given, including tips for optimizing outcomes and trouble-shooting. This is an essential guide for reproductive medicine specialists, clinical andrologists, urologists and gynecologists working with sub-fertile men.