Lizzie Stark takes readers on a witty, revealing and delightful journey through the natural and cultural history of the egg, exploring its deep symbolism, innumerable uses and metabolic importance in twelve dazzling specimens. From Mali to Finland, Stark looks at cultures that find the world's origins in an egg. Decorated by Ukrainians, an oracle for Greeks, the impetus behind gang wars and flown into space, the egg-whether of chickens, murres or ostriches-has taken on mythic proportions, all the while serving as a humble ingredient in fancy dishes. Stark even writes Jacques Pepin's biography through the lens of the egg dishes he served. Egg is also about Stark's fascination with this delicate ovoid-both her myriad attempts to create a perfect omelette and her fraught relationship to the ova in her body. Filled with colourful characters and fascinating morsels, Egg is a playful, informative and surprising history that guarantees you'll never take the egg for granted again.

Inspired by Carlos Beyer's 50 years of pioneering research and influence on his students and colleagues, Behavioral Neuroendocrinology builds upon Beyer's fundamental discoveries and concepts as well as their widespread implications. It presents original research and reviews on mechanisms - genomic and non-genomic - of steroid and protein hormone action; the role of steroid metabolism, especially aromatization, protein phosphorylation, and neurotransmitter action in mediating reproductive behavior and sexual differentiation; and brain and spinal cord mechanisms in sexual behavior and analgesia. This book presents a rich diversity of topics - lactation, maternal behavior, pheromone action, chronobiology, allodynia, angiogenesis, prostate physiology, sexual motivation, and specific brain systems, including vomeronasal system, cerebellum, preoptic area, hypothalamus, and spinal cord. This book brings together, in one source, an international "family" of researchers whose work has evolved in diverse but related ways from a seminal set of discoveries and concepts in behavioral neuroendocrinology.

The examination for Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG) remains one of the most internationally recognised postgraduate examinations in the specialty. Over the years, the examination has evolved in keeping with changes in medical education; the Part 3 examination now consists of 14 tasks, each covering one of the 14 core modules in the curriculum and assessing specific skills which may include all or some of Information Gathering, Communication with Patients and Families, Communication with Colleagues, Patient Safety, and Applied Clinical Knowledge. This invaluable resource consists of analyses of different aspects of what is being tested, with general advice on how to prepare for the examination and discussion of the reasons why trainees fail the examination. There follow four sample 'papers' of tasks; in each of them, attempts have been made to cover all 14 modules in the core curriculum. There is also an additional paper with random tasks to help with preparation.

As a biological, cultural, and social entity, the human fetus is a multifaceted subject which calls for equally diverse perspectives to fully understand. Anthropology of the Fetus seeks to achieve this by bringing together specialists in biological anthropology, archaeology, and cultural anthropology. Contributors draw on research in prehistoric, historic, and contemporary sites in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America to explore the biological and cultural phenomenon of the fetus, raising methodological and theoretical concerns with the ultimate goal of developing a holistic anthropology of the fetus.

In the past, pregnancy after cancer was largely unheard of. Today, it is increasingly a possibility. Oncofertility has emerged as an interdisciplinary field bridging biomedical and social sciences, and examining issues regarding an individual 's fertility options, choice and goals in light of cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. Written by leaders in this evolving field, the volume covers various aspects: medical, ethical and social.

Regulatory agencies worldwide have issued directives or such requirements for air quality standards in embryology laboratories. This practical guide reviews the application of clean room technology or controlled environments specifically suited for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Units. Its comprehensive coverage includes material on airborne particles and volatile organic compounds, including basic concepts, regulation, construction, materials, certification, clinical results in humans, and more.

aCahn explores the relationships that underpin artificial reproductive technology: parenting, donating, and becoming (those who are the children brought to life through this process). . . . Much about assisted reproduction are the relationships that are fostered and challenged by the use of the technology, whether donor to potential parent, potential parent to state, surrogate to intended mother, or embryo to clinic, and after it is all adone, a child to parent.a
--Michele Goodwin, author of "Black Markets: The Supply and Demand of Body Parts"

The birth of the first test tube baby in 1978 focused attention on the sweeping advances in assisted reproductive technology (ART), which is now a multi-billion-dollar business in the United States. Sperm and eggs are bought and sold in a market that has few barriersto its skyrocketing growth. While ART has been an invaluable gift to thousands of people, creating new families, the use of someone elseas genetic material raises complex legal and public policy issues that touch on technological anxiety, eugenics, reproductive autonomy, identity, and family structure. How should the use of gametic material be regulated? Should recipients be able to choose the abesta sperm and eggs? Should a child ever be able to discover the identity of her gamete donor? Who can claim parental rights?

Naomi R. Cahn explores these issues and many more in Test Tube Families, noting that although such questions are fundamental to the new reproductive technologies, there are few definitive answers provided by the law, ethics, or cultural norms. The regulatory void outside of minimal requirements for gametic testing and limited protection against deceptivemarketing techniques used by fertility clinics creates thorny problems for all involved in the egg and sperm business.

As a new generation of adonor kidsa comes of age, Test Tube Families calls for better regulation of ART. It exhorts legal and policy-making communities to cease applying piecemeal laws and instead create laws that sustain the fertility industry, yet protect the interests of donors, recipients, and the children that result from successful transfers.

Incorporating real-life stories to illustrate her arguments, Cahn provides specific suggestions for legal reforms. The book sets out a series of controversial proposals, including an end to donor anonymity and a plea for states to clarify parentage decisions. She also calls for the federal government to regulate ART processes to ensure that donors are adequately protected against exploitation, that recipients receive the gametes they have been promised, and that the market functions ethically as well as efficiently.

Published in 1998, this book is a collected volume of papers from the first conference of the European Network for Biomedical ethics. The main subject of this conference is the ethical assessment of IVF in view of its concrete application as an infertility treatment and the consideration of possible alternatives for use. Twenty years after the introduction and the establishment of this therapy a more concrete evaluation of its medical indications, social conditions and consequences, the psychological consequences for the women involved and the parent-child relationship becomes possible. The legal and ethical evaluation of the reproduction technology as regards for example the legal and moral status of supernumery embyos in cryo-conservation has also to be considered in a European perspective. The ethical evaluation concentrates today on the new evolution that IVF technology takes in relation to the extension of diagnostics possibilities due to genetic research. Little work has been done on the connection between IVF and genetic diagnostics and therapy, so the medical and ethical evaluation of the connecting lines are also included in the book.

The sites, spaces and subjects of reproduction are distinctly geographical. Reproductive geographies span different scales - body, home, local, national, global - and movements across space. This book expands our understanding of the socio-cultural and spatial aspects of fertility, pregnancy and birth. The chapters directly address global perspectives, the future of reproductive politics and state-focused approaches to the politicisation of fertility, pregnancy and birth. The book provides up-to-date explorations on the changing landscapes of reproduction, including the expansion of reproductive technologies, such as surrogacy and intrauterine insemination. Contributions in this book focus on phenomenologically-inspired accounts of women's lived experience of pregnancy and birth, the biopolitics of birth and citizenship, the material histories of reproductive tissues as "scientific objects" and engagements with public health and development policy. This is an essential resource for upper-level undergraduates and graduates studying topics such as Sociology, Geographies of Gender, Women's Studies and Anthropology of Health and Medicine.

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

Now in its fourth 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 evolving controversies in reproductive medicine. An impressive panel of contributors presents cutting-edge information in a clear and well-balanced manner. Volume 4 discusses hot topics in contemporary reproductive medicine, including stem cell technologies for male infertility, the current state of ovarian tissue cryopreservation and time-lapse video microscopy of embryos. The expanded section on controversies allows for point/counterpoint discussion between experts with differing opinions on topics like eSET and the use and role of dietary supplements in IVF cycles. Created to provide an ongoing appraisal of current knowledge, the Biennial Review of Infertility stimulates communication amongst all clinicians and researchers working to help couples resolve their infertility.

The examination for Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG) remains one of the most internationally recognised postgraduate examinations in the specialty. Over the years, the examination has evolved in keeping with changes in medical education; the Part 2 examination now consists of two papers made up of Single Best Answer (SBA) questions and Extended Matching Questions (EMQ). This invaluable resource consists of 400 SBA questions (200 in Obstetrics and 200 in Gynaecology), followed by 400 EMQs (200 in Obstetrics and 200 in Gynaecology), grouped into papers, to provide enough material to guide preparations and to give some practice experience of the examination formats. All the questions have answers with explanations and sources of evidence. In preparing for the examination, candidates should make repeated references to these sources of evidence. There is also general advice on how to prepare for the examination and discussion of the reasons why trainees fail the examination.

Current knowledge concerning both morphological and functional cryptorchid-related alterations in the various testicular compartments is summarized in this valuable new publication. Damage to the germinal epithelium and resulting infertility in both humans and experimental animals as well as the degree of damage to the different stages of germ cell development is discussed. In addition, information concerning hormonal therapy and orchidopexy to reverse cryptorchid-related damage is provided. Morphological alterations in Sertoli and Leydig cells is discussed in terms of cellular hypertrophy and hyperplasia, alterations in organelle number and characteristics as well as changes in cell-cell junctional complexes. Changes in Sertoli cell and Leydig cell function, including gonadotropin binding, steroidogenesis and other metabolic alterations is also outlined,as well as the influence of altered testicular function on subsequent hypothalamic-pituitary changes. Vascular disruption, the potential role of paracrine substances and direct thermal damage, all of which may be responsible for the resulting detrimental changes in one or more testicular compartments, are considered.

Analyzes various reproductive and gynecological disorders encountered in the care of women who do not wish to conceive, as well as those who have difficulty with conception, early pregnancy, and menopause. Discusses the latest strategies in the treatment of infertility, pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy, and osteoporosis.

Office-Based Infertility Practice is an invaluable resource to all physicians treating infertile couples. The text emphasizes the practice of infertility in the office setting, reflecting the current trend away from the hospital into the outpatient environment. The most current and advanced therapies available are discussed by recognized experts in the field. The first half of the book is devoted to the evaluation and work-up of the infertile couple, including evaluation of the male, female, age-related infertility factors, and the roles of ultrasound, endometrium saline sonography, falloposcopy and diagnostic laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. The second half of the book presents the treatment and operative procedures for the infertile couple, including ovulation induction, IUI, tubal cannulation, treatment of cervical stenosis, the use of office laparoscopy and therapeutic hysteroscopy, male treatment as support for IVF, vas reversals, and testicular biopsy, as well as routine IVF, intratubal gamete transfer, and micromanipulation. With over 60 illustrations, this book is a must for all infertility specialists, obstetrician-gynecologists, fellows, and residents. Its practical, comprehensive approach will be of daily use to the office practitioner treating women of reproductive age.

With the advent of Assisted Reproductive Technologies, our understanding of the reproductive system in both men and women has progressed in an exponential manner. Along with this increase in knowledge has emerged new and advanced laboratories performing unique techniques aimed at diagnosing and treating infertility problems. And as these laboratories expand, the need for properly trained technicians has also emerged. But while many ART labs are staffed with biologists well trained in reproductive research techniques, they lack the necessary skills to effectively manage these labs. The Handbook of the Assisted Reproduction Laboratory addresses many of the management issues and basic background information on reproductive biology and medicine needed by the technicians staffing and directing these ART labs. Internationally recognized experts in the field discuss various topics in this handbook, which: Reviews male and female reproductive systems and processes Discusses the clinical diagnosis and management of male and female infertility Provides new information on the state-of-the-art techniques of egg and embryo culture, micromanipulation, and biopsy Presents various aspects of quality control, quality assurance, and clinical laboratory management With its in-depth analysis of management issues, as well as basic background information on reproductive biology and medicine, the Handbook of the Assisted Reproduction Laboratory serves as an ideal guide for current investigation and as a stimulus for future developments in the field.

This book is the second collection of essays on reproductive ethics from Drs. Campo-Engelstein and Burcher. This volume is unique in that it is both timely and includes several essays on new technologies, while also being a comprehensive review of most of the major questions in the field, from racial disparities in reproductive healthcare to gene editing and the possibility of the creation of a transhuman species. The scholars writing these essays are pre-eminent in their fields, and their backgrounds are quite varied, including philosophers, anthropologists, physicians, and professors of law. Reproductive ethics remains an underdeveloped area of bioethics despite the recent technological breakthroughs that carry both great promise and potential threats. Building on the first volume of work from a conference held just over one year ago, this new collection of essays from a conference held April 2017 continues this discussion as well as provides ethical insights and reviews of these emerging technologies. The ethical questions swirling around human reproduction are both old and new, but the conference presentations, and the essays derived from them, focus on new ways of appreciating old arguments such as the ethics of abortion, as well as new ways of seeing new technologies such as CRISPR and mitochondrial transfer.

This thoroughly revised second edition is an up-to-date overview of the current knowledge of Notch and Notch signaling in embryology and cancer. It summarizes the newest achievements on this topic from Notch's flag-ship function in the development of the embryo and for various inherited diseases to the Notch signaling pathway's role in the development of leukemia and in a number of cancers, including skin cancer, intestinal cancer and others. Additionally, the emerging new role of the Notch signaling pathway as a promising target for prevention and therapy of various diseases, including cancer, is discussed. In the years since the previous edition, there have been numerous developments and insights within this rapidly moving field, making this new edition urgently needed. This volume also features discussions of current insights on Notch's role for embryologic tissue patterning, for stem cells, in senescence, and on the regulation of Notch signaling by epigenetic and other factors including microRNAs, long non-codingRNAs, and more. Taken as a whole, with its companion books - Notch Signaling in Embryology and Notch Signaling in Cancer - this is a definitive discussion of the topic, presented by internationally-recognized contributors. Presented in a coherent and accessible structure, this revised and updated second edition is an essential and up-to-date guide for oncologists, embryologists, researchers and advanced students.

This book presents an ethnographic study on gestational surrogacy in India. It frames the ethnography of the surrogacy clinic in conversation with concerns raised in the arenas of law, policy, medical ethics, and global structural inequality about the ethics of transnational assisted reproductive technology (ART) practices. Engaging ethical discourses that both advocate for and trouble the subject of reproductive rights that remains of interest in feminist studies, the volume takes up the work of critical feminist, anthropological and science studies scholarship in India, the United States, and Europe concerned with reproductive technologies. Based on fieldwork and archival sources, the volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of ethnography, gender, social and public policy, South Asian studies, and global public health, especially reproductive health.

This textbook presents essential and accessible information about human embryology including practical information on human health issues and recent advances in human reproductive technology. Starting with biological basics of cell anatomy and fertilization, the author moves through the development of specific organs and systems, before addressing social issues associated with embryology. Each chapter includes specific objectives, general background, study questions, and questions to inspire critical thinking. Human Life Before Birth also contains two appendices and a full glossary of terms covered in the text. Clinicians and researchers in this field will find this volume indispensable. Key selling features: Explores all the developmental and embryological events that occur in human emryonic and fetal life Reviews basic cell biology, genetics, and reproduction focusing entirely on humans Summarizes the development of various anatomical systems Examines common birth defects and sexually transmitted diseases including emerging concerns such as Zika Documents assisted fertilization technologies and various cultural aspects of reproduction

Over the past 10 years, studies have shown that the rates of fertility vary in different ethnic groups. Ethnic differences also play a significant role in the outcome of assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles. In the United States, minority groups--African Americans, Hispanics (mainly Mexicans and Central Americans), East Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Philippinos) and South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, and Bengalis)--have significantly lower chances of live births compared to Caucasian women. Birth outcome data collected by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology shows a worsening trend in conception rates between the years 1999-2000 and 2004-2006, raising more concern that the disparity in fertility rates between minority groups and white women is widening over time. This comprehensive book serves to answer the questions that arise when managing infertility in a multi-ethnic population. An expert assembly of key leaders in the field of reproductive medicine imparts insight and clinical experience in order to identify and analyze the possible causes of racial disparities in fertility outcome. Some of the reviewed causes include higher Body Mass Index (BMI), tubal diseases, metabolic syndrome, and fibroids in African Americans; tubal disease and higher early pregnancy loss in Hispanics; higher incidence of diminished ovarian reserve and lower BMI in East Asians; and higher incidence of polycystic ovarian disease (PCOS) in South Asians. The book also provides a review of data on access to care and ART services in developing countries. A thoughtful combination of evidence-based medicine and advanced treatment options, this book is sure to distinguish itself as the definitive reference on ethnic differences in assisted reproduction.

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.

First published in 1991. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related, nonmalignant condition that may lead to bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms. The standard treatment of BPH has been ordinary loop transurethral prostatectomy, but new therapies have been developed as a combined result of research, technological advances, and the cumulative experience of urological surgeons. Among the most promising therapeutic alternatives to ordinary loop resection are those that deliver topical or interstitial heat to prostatic tissue. Transurethral microwave thermotherapy, visual laser ablation with the Nd:YAG laser, high-intensity focused ultrasound, and transurethral electrovaporization are some of the techniques described in this book. These innovative procedures, employed by skilled urologists using state-of-the-art instruments, hold forth the promise of improved quality of life for BPH patients and represent significant advances in the field of urology.

"In Vitro Fertilization: A Comprehensive Guide" represents the next frontier in the integrated clinical and laboratory practice of ART. Uniquely balanced, the book provides the necessary understanding of the key laboratory techniques involved in ART and the complex aspects of clinical care. Featuring the contributions of world leaders in the field, the guide begins with the evaluation of the infertile woman and man. It then moves on to discuss treatment protocols and adjunctive treatments. Techniques for oocyte retrieval, insemination, and culture, and embryo transfer and cryopreservation are explored in detail. This comprehensive book covers all aspects of IVF and includes special sections on oocyte and embryo donation as well as gestational carriers, making it ideal for practicing clinicians. Advances such as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and screening, in vitro maturation, and means of fertility preservation, including oocyte and ovarian tissue cryopreservation, are also covered. The book concludes with dedicated chapters on quality assessment and improvement, regulation and legal concerns, and stress and ART. Readers will gain complete in-depth knowledge of the most current therapies and techniques, enabling optimal care and counsel of their infertile patients."