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.

Worldwide, approximately 500,000 in vitro fertilization cycles are performed every year. Although the best possible result is a healthy child, the technology carries a number of varying risks and complications leading to a trade-off between the efficacy of these treatments and their quality and safety. Drawing on contributions from international experts with academic and clinical backgrounds, Assisted Reproductive Technologies: Quality and Safety presents an analysis of the medical risks and complications involved in reproductive medicine. Putting the intricacies of reproductive health in the spotlight, the book describes side-effects, risks, and complications related to ART treatments. It discusses ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, demonstrates the impact of judicious elective single embryo transfer, and focuses heavily on multiple pregnancy as the major risk factor of ART. The editors highlight the relatively less likely, but important risks of oncogenic complications, bleeding at the time of ovum retrieval, and the even smaller but still existing risk for maternal mortality. They include discussions of non-medical factors that can have a major impact on people's lives such as psychological, sexual, financial, moral, ethical, and philosophical dilemmas. In today's litigious climate, modern management of any clinic is all about minimizing risks and complications. Thoroughly addressing quality and safety issues in ART, this book provides succinct, up-to-date information on quality care in reproductive medicine.

Sperm morphology evaluation by strict criteria is the gold-standard used by IVF and andrology units around the world. It is based on an approach to sperm morphology evaluation that utilizes optimal preparation methods, evaluation procedures, and criteria for a morphological normal spermatozoon based on biological evidence. Featuring fresh perspectives from the founders of the Tygerberg strict criteria, Atlas of Human Sperm Morphology Evaluation provides state-of-the-art information on crucial aspects of male factor infertility. The atlas consists of an introductory teaching manual that gives readers the ability to train and test their diagnostic capabilities and enables laboratories to implement quality control measures. Together with a team of internationally renowned experts in the field of human reproduction, the editors explore every avenue you need to know to successfully evaluate and manage male factor infertility. An accompanying interactive CD-ROM training program, STRICT 1-2-3(R) is available from the editors. STRICT 1-2-3(R) has been developed alongside the atlas to provide not only a complete theoretical background on sperm morphology, but also self-training facilities. Laboratory directors and technicians will now be able to set up their own internal quality control program for sperm morphology evaluation.

Erectile dysfunction is a common problem that may result from a number of medical conditions. With increasing public awareness, men with ED are seeking medical help. This pocketbook will assist the physician in treating and managing ED effectively with either drugs or devices.

It is over two decades since the first test-tube baby was born. During this period a new belief that all infertile women can now have babies has become widely accepted; indeed, infertile couples may feel great pressure to seek a medical solution. However, the psychological and social effects of the changing experiences of infertility remain confusing, both for those who experience infertility and for wider society. In this book, a distinguished range of contributors, including novelist Hilary Mantel and Germaine Greer, examine the experience of infertility from both male and female perspectives, the psychological aspects of infertility diagnosis and treatment, and the often radical and unexpected effects on kinship.
Drawing from a wide range of theoretical backgrounds including Jungian, analytical, and compelling personal reflections, this book aims to unravel the implications of advancing reproductive technology for our understanding of ourselves and our families.

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Reproductive biologists, evolutionary biologists, demographers and social scientists all have a common interest in the business of human reproduction. Their perspectives, however, are very different and have traditionally prevented them from having much to do with each other. The conference on which this book is based brought together contributors from each of these disciplines in an attempt to explore the common ground that they share and so generate a better understanding of the factors that influence human fertility.

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.

SEE THE ENTIRE RANGE OF STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT

A volume in the Atlas of Human Central Nervous System Development series, The Spinal Cord from Gestational Week 4 to the 4th Postnatal Month presents unique illustrations of structural development. With its clearly labeled photographs and extensive quantitative comparisons, you'll gain new insights into the steps involved in the morphogenesis of the mature spinal cord.

YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO NORMAL DEVELOPMENT

The first comprehensive study of its kind, the five-volume Atlas of Human Central Nervous System Development Series allows you to:

· Observe the complex structural processes that normally occur during human development
· Better evaluate neural developmental disorders
· Design experiments that more efficiently target the root causes of neural disorders

This book provides andrologists and other practitioners with reliable, up-to-date information on all aspects of male infertility and is designed to assist in the clinical management of patients. Clear guidance is offered on classification of infertility, sperm analysis interpretation and diagnosis. The full range of types and causes of male infertility are then discussed in depth. Particular attention is devoted to poorly understood conditions such as unexplained couple infertility and idiopathic male infertility, but the roles of diverse disorders, health and lifestyle factors and environmental pollution are also fully explored. Research considered stimulating for the reader is highlighted, reflecting the fascinating and controversial nature of the field. International treatment guidelines are presented and the role of diet and dietary supplements is discussed in view of their increasingimportance. Clinicians will find that the book s straightforward approach ensures that it can be easily and rapidly consulted."

A wide-ranging history of assisted reproductive technologies and their ethical implications. Finalist of the PROSE Award for Best Book in History of Science, Medicine and Technology by the Association of American Publishers Since the 1978 birth of the first IVF baby, Louise Brown, in England, more than eight million children have been born with the help of assisted reproductive technologies. From the start, they have stirred controversy and raised profound questions: Should there be limits to the lengths to which people can go to make their idea of family a reality? Who should pay for treatment? How can we ensure the ethical use of these technologies? And what can be done to address the racial and economic disparities in access to care that enable some to have children while others go without? In The Pursuit of Parenthood, historian Margaret Marsh and gynecologist Wanda Ronner seek to answer these challenging questions. Bringing their unique expertise in gender history and women's health to the subject, Marsh and Ronner examine the unprecedented means-liberating for some and deeply unsettling for others-by which families can now be created. Beginning with the early efforts to create embryos outside a woman's body and ending with such new developments as mitochondrial replacement techniques and uterus transplants, the authors assess the impact of contemporary reproductive technology in the United States. In this volume, we meet the scientists and physicians who have developed these technologies and the women and men who have used them. Along the way, the book dispels a number of fertility myths, offers policy recommendations that are intended to bring clarity and judgment to this complicated medical history, and reveals why the United States is still known as the "Wild West" of reproductive medicine.

Documenting the latest statistical data on current problems related to reproductive health issues in Central and Eastern Europe, this book explores the reasons for these problems and recommends action based on the scientific evidence for improving reproductive health.

The main issues covered in the book are: declining standards of reproductive health care; rising trends in the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases; low rates of use of modern contraceptives; high rates of induced abortion; high prevalence of infertility; and the needs of adolescents with regard to reproductive health.

The Cassell Hospital Monograph Series, No. 1. The first in a series of monographs, intended to present accessible teaching material concerned with the practice of residential care.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a major cause of cervical cancer. Human Papillomavirus Infections in Dermatovenereology pulls together the diverse disciplines of clinical, molecular biological, socio epidemiological, and immunological research to bridge the gap between the clinical aspects and basic biology of HPV. This volume provides a much-needed overview of the scientific and clinical data of HPV and HPV-associated diseases, exploring opinions on current therapies and diagnostic methods. It critically reviews the most frequently used molecular biologic methods, evaluating their potential in HPV detection. Specialists in dermatology, genitourinary medicine, gynecology, urology, as well as pathologists, microbiologists, epidemiologists, and virologists will appreciate this timely examination of the ubiquitous pathogen, HPV.

Doctors increasingly recognize that sexual unhappiness has serious effects on the health of individuals and families. Sexual function depends on our bodies and our minds and sexual problems may present with physical symptoms. Using case histories the book describes the practice of psychosexual medicine and explores the skills used by doctors therapists and counsellors. A systematic and comprehensive examination of this field for the first time this book places psychosexual medicine in context with other therapies. For those working at all levels throughout primary care including doctors and nurses in general practice and in family planning clinics therapists and counsellors and for specialists in the fields of genito-urinary medicine gynaecology andrology and urology Blocks and Freedoms in Sexual Life is an essential reference and a tool for increasing the scope and effectiveness of their work.

With technological advances in reproduction no longer confined to the laboratory or involving only the isolated individual, women and men are increasingly resorting to a variety of technologies unheard of a few decades ago to assist them in becoming parents. The public at large, and feminists as a group, are confused and divided over how to view these technologies and over what positions to take on the moral and legal dilemmas. The Other Machine provides a rigorous analysis of contemporary feminist debates.

The purpose of sexual and reproductive healthcare should be the enhancement of personal relationships and a healthy sex life and not merely counselling and care related to procreation or sexually transmitted infections. Providing practical and evidence-based guidance, this handbook follows the curriculum of the joint EBCOG and ESCRH Certificate and Diploma Examination in Sexual and Reproductive Health. Short, clearly structured text focuses on the essential knowledge of each topic, allowing readers to quickly access key information. Written by trusted experts in the field, topics covered include contraception, infertility and sexual dysfunction, sexual violence and STIs. The text provides advice and practical tips for how to practice patient-centred counselling and shared decision-making. Improving the relationship between the patient and healthcare-provider leads to increased trust, adherence of advice and more satisfactory treatment for the patient.

The numbers of women undergoing Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) treatments have risen steadily, yet they remain largely outside the scope of equality and employment law protection while undergoing treatment. Assisted Reproduction, Discrimination, and the Law examines this gap in UK law, with reference to EU law as appropriate, and argues that new conceptions of equality are necessary. Drawing from the literature on multidimensional and intersectional discrimination, it is argued that an intersectionality approach offers a more useful analytical framework to extend protection to those engaged in ART treatments. Drawing from Schiek's intersectional nodes model, the book critically examines two alternative interpretations of existing protected characteristics, namely infertility as a disability, with reference to the social model of disability and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2006, and redefining the boundaries of pregnancy and/or sex discrimination, with reference to attempts to extend associative discrimination to pregnancy. Comparisons are drawn with the US, where infertility has been recognised as a disability under the American's with Disabilities Act 1990 and as a pregnancy-related condition under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act 1978. A specific right to paid time off work to undergo treatment is also proposed, drawing comparisons with the US Family and Medical Leave Act 1993 and the existing UK work-family rights framework. It is argued that the reinterpretations of equality law and the rights proposed here are not only conceptually possible, but could practically be achieved with minor, but significant, amendments to existing legislation.

Providing a comprehensive review of the interactions between exercise and human reproduction, this unique text focuses on both the positive and negative consequences of sport and physical activity on male and female fertility and infertility and the biological mechanisms and processes behind them. Beginning with a review of the structure and function of the male and female reproductive systems as well as fertilization and gestation, the discussion then turns to the physiology and endocrinology of sport and exercise, which is further elaborated in subsequent chapters on the impact of physical activity, hormonal changes, pathologies, and consequences of drug use for active men and women. Additional chapters address related topics, such as the impact of sport on young athletes and developing reproductive potential, physical activity and pregnancy, the use of oral contraceptives in athletes, oxidative stress, and the impact of nutritional deficiencies on athletes' fertility, with a final chapter providing recommendations and therapeutic guidelines for exercise-related reproductive disorders. Covering everything from the fundamental principles of sports physiology and human reproductive potential to the interaction between physical exercise and the endocrinology of the reproductive system, Exercise and Human Reproduction is an authoritative resource for helping clinicians understand how the reproductive system adapts to activity and exercise and offers strategies to avoid potential harm to human reproduction.

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.

Reproductive health care professionals in fields such as Obstetrics and Gynecology, Family Medicine, and Pediatrics face difficult ethical issues because they work at the crossroads of patient decision-making, scientific advancement, political controversy, legal regulation, and profound moral considerations. The dilemmas these professionals face expose big-picture bioethics questions of interest to everyone. Yet for clinicians striving to deliver excellent patient care, the ethical questions that make daily practice challenging can be just as nuanced. This volume presents a carefully curated compilation of essays written by leading experts in the fields of medicine, ethics, and law, who address key issues at the forefront of reproductive ethics. It is organized into three main sections: I. Contraception and Abortion Ethics - Preventing Pregnancy and Birth, II. Assisted Reproduction Ethics - Initiating Pregnancy, and III. Obstetric Ethics - Managing Pregnancy and Delivery. Each section begins with a short introduction by the editors providing an overview of the area and contextualizing the essays that follow. This volume's primary aim is to be useful to practicing clinicians, students, and trainees by providing short and practical essays covering urgent topics-from race, religion and abortion, to legal liability, violations of confidentiality and maternal choices that risk future children's health. This collection provides clinicians at all levels of training with frameworks they need to approach the intimate and high-stakes encounters central to their profession.

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