Gender, Identity and Reproduction draws on a variety of perspectives relevant to an understanding of reproduction across the life-course. Through a consideration of the representation of reproductive identities and experiences, the book highlights difference and diversity in relation to contemporary reproductive choices. The book focuses on women's and men's experiences of agency, control and negotiation within the context of cultural, medical, political, theoretical and lay ideologies of the reproductive process in contemporary Western societies.

The development of new reproductive technologies has raised urgent questions and debates about how and by whom these treatments should be controlled. On the one hand individuals and groups have claimed access to assisted reproduction as a right, and some have also claimed that this access should be available free of charge. As well as clinically infertile heterosexual couples, this right has been claimed by single women, gay couples, post-menopausal women, and couples who wish to delay having children for various reasons. Others have argued that a desire to have children does not make it a human right, and, moreover, that there are some people who should not be assisted to become parents, on grounds of age, sexuality, or lifestyle. Mary Warnock steers a clear path through the web of complex issues underlying these views. She begins by analyzing what it means to claim something as a 'right', and goes on to discuss the cases of different groups of people. She also examines the ethical problems faced by particular types of assisted reproduction, including artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization, and surrogacy, and argues that in the future human cloning may well be a viable an

The concept of reproductive health promises to play a crucial role in improving health care provision and legal protection for women around the world. This is an authoritative and much-needed introduction to and defence of the concept of reproductive health, which though internationally endorsed, is still contested. The authors are leading authorities on reproductive medicine, women's health, human rights, medical law, and bioethics. They integrate their disciplines to provide an accessible but comprehensive picture. They analyse 15 cases from different countries and cultures, and explore options for resolution. The aim is to equip readers to fashion solutions in their own health care circumstances, compatibly with ethical, legal and human rights principles.

The method of vitrification of oocytes and embryos is fundamental for the outcome of IVF. This atlas presents data on both closed system and open vitrification techniques, and the consequences of each method for survival rates, aiding the comparison of vitrification methods. Structured on a patient-by-patient basis, the atlas describes 100 clinically documented case studies that follow the evolution of cryopreserved blastocysts between warming and blastocyst transfer. It relates fresh to post-warming blastocyst morphology and to response to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. For each case, pronuclear morphology and synchrony, as well as embryo morphology, are reported and described. Data on indications for treatment, stimulation type and duration, are accompanied by over 400 high-quality images of vitrified blastocysts. Covering the state-of-the-art techniques, this atlas is an essential aid in selecting the vitrification method for clinical embryologists and physicians in reproductive medicine.

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.

With the rigor of a dedicated scholar and the passion of a committed activist, Nancy Lublin offers a fresh perspective on the ethical dimensions of providing and using reproductive technologies, including contraception, assisted conception, and antenatal and childbirth interventions. Combining feminist philosophy and legal theory, Lublin considers these issues under a single category that she calls 'technological intervention in the womb.' She addresses the positions of technophiles (who advocate acceptance of technological intervention in the womb as a source of liberation), technophobic feminists (who reject artificial invasions as anti-natural and anti-women), and other feminists who have argued that technological intervention in the womb should be legal and available to women because freedom of choice should be gender-neutral. Lublin identifies core principles that are common to a kaleidoscope of feminist theories, and she argues that a materialist feminism provides the most effective framework for establishing public policy and creating social change in the name of gender justice.

This introductory textbook examines the issues of human reproduction common to a variety of advanced school and beginning university courses. It covers in detail the physiology of the human reproductive system, the production of gametes, fertilisation, pregnancy, birth, lactation and contraception. Sensitive issues such as infertility, abortion and embryo research are discussed with careful consideration of the moral and ethical issues involved.

This volume, and its companion volume on the oocyte, provide an authoritative and wide-ranging account of the gametes, and their reproductive role and function in humans. Acknowledged authorities from around the world provide a detailed and timely account of the spermatozoon. The volume starts with an evolutionary perspective before focusing on the molecular and cellular biology of the sperm cell, and its structure and function. The development and maturation of sperm are described, as is their movement and transport in the male and female genital tract. Practical issues such as sperm storage and assisted contraception are fully covered. The causes of male infertility are also an important theme. The volume concludes with a thought-provoking chapter on ethical considerations. The volume will be an essential source of information for all clinicians and scientists with an interest in human reproduction.

This volume, and its companion volume on the spermatozoon, provide an authoritative and wide ranging account of the gametes and their reproductive role and function in humans. Acknowledged authorities from around the world contribute a detailed and timely account of the oocyte. The volume starts with an evolutionary perspective before focusing on the molecular and cellular biology of the oocyte and its structure and function. The development and maturation of the oocyte is fully dealt with to include the endocrine and paracrine regulation of ovarian function. Practical issues such as oocyte storage and ovarian stimulation are also fully covered. The causes of female infertility are also an important theme. The volume concludes with a thought provoking chapter on ethical considerations. The volume will be an essential source of information for all clinicians and scientists with an interest in human reproduction.

Period positivity starts with asking questions. This informative, irreverent, and absorbing book covers all your period-related questions - why they're taboo (and needn't be) and how to navigate the whole bleeding thing, from first periods to fertility, euphemisms to uteruses, menstrual products to menopause. Let's get period positive. It's about bloody time. Feel your best at any time of the month! This science-backed menstruation book is full of good advice and friendly tips to give you the tools to re-frame your thinking and learn to love your cycle. This frank, funny, and fascinating menstruation guide from Period Positive movement founder and menstrual researcher, Chella Quint's offers: - A practical, science-backed guide to your period with arresting infographics, and anatomical diagrams - Answers to all your period-related questions, exploring topics like the functions and effects of hormones, when periods "normal" or "abnormal," hormonal birth control, sex, fertility, pregnancy - Explanations of common female health conditions such as PCOS and endometriosis Light or heavy, early or late, painful or painfully bad timing - periods can be a nightmare. With its beautiful visuals and question and answer format, Be Period Positive provides practical advice on managing the common symptoms most women have during their period - from easing cramps to using a menstrual cup, coming off the pill and managing PMS. Find answers to the common period myths like whether your menstrual cycle is linked to the moon or if period syncing is a thing. Explore how periods evolved and what is going on in your body to deepen your understanding of your cycle. This period positive book includes sections that will help you "hack your period". Learn how adapting your diet, exercise, and other strategies can help you manage hormonal fluctuations' physical and emotional effects. Learn how to recognise when you're at your most receptive, creative, and vulnerable so that you can get the best out of every stage of your cycle.

This important new volume in the series Cambridge Reviews in Human Reproduction provides a wide-ranging and authoritative account of the uterus and its physiological role in fertility, normal pregnancy and delivery. Acknowledged authorities from around the world provide a detailed and timely account of uterine physiology. The volume encompasses a wealth of material including cell and developmental biology, structure, function, anatomy and endocrinology, and then goes on to cover clinically important issues such as the cervix during pregnancy, measurement of uterine contractions and initiation of labour. It will prove of particular value to those involved in the management of women with pre-term labour, as well as those concerned with the development of new procedures for the prevention or amelioration of this condition.

This concise 1993 volume proposes a standardized approach to the investigation of infertility. The volume provides clear guidelines and a logical sequence of steps which will quickly lead the clinician or physician to an accurate diagnosis of the underlying cause of infertility. This standardized approach to the management of infertility will lead to more efficient, systematic and economic care for the infertile couple. The diagnostic charts, which may be photocopied, provide an unambiguous route to diagnosis of the underlying cause of infertility, whilst the text fully explains and describes the essential clinical tests. The volume summarizes the results gained from the study of more than 10,000 infertile couples, who were investigated as part of the WHO's programme to counter the widespread personal distress caused by infertility. It is hoped that the standardized approach presented here will go some way towards countering this major problem.

In their desperate quest for conception, thousands of infertile couples from around the world travel to the global in vitro fertilization (IVF) hub of Dubai. In Cosmopolitan Conceptions Marcia C. Inhorn highlights the stories of 220 "reprotravelers" from fifty countries who sought treatment at a "cosmopolitan" IVF clinic in Dubai. These couples cannot find safe, affordable, legal, and effective IVF services in their home countries, and their stories offer a window into the world of infertility-a world that is replete with pain, fear, danger, frustration, and financial burden. These hardships dispel any notion that traveling for IVF treatment is reproductive tourism. The magnitude of reprotravel to Dubai, Inhorn contends, reflects the failure of countries to meet their citizens' reproductive needs, which suggests the necessity of creating new forms of activism that advocate for developing alternate pathways to parenthood, reducing preventable forms of infertility, supporting the infertile, and making safe and low-cost IVF available worldwide.

Essays cover varying viewpoints that cover varying opinions about reproductive technologies.

Sexual problems are approached from a psychological and educational perspective with stress placed on the importance of the enhancement of individual relationships in this new text for clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse therapists, social workers and other professional groups.;Of special interest is the book's academic basis as it includes a review of the literature regarding the aetiology of psychosexual dysfunction and in the treatment that is provided.;Assessment of problems is comprehensive and the need for a tailored programme of treatment is supported by clinical examples. Problems encountered by the physically or intellectually handicapped, homosexuals and older people are addressed with sensitivity.;This cognitive-behavioural approach to the subject brings together the main therapies in a unique sythesis combined with the author's individual emphases, based on her clinical experience in Great Britain and Australia.

Brown Bodies, White Babies focuses on the practice of cross-racial gestational surrogacy, in which a woman - through in-vitro fertilization using the sperm and egg of intended parents or donors - carries a pregnancy for intended parents of a different race. Focusing on the racial differences between parents and surrogates, this book is interested in how reproductive technologies intersect with race, particularly when brown bodies produce white babies. While the potential of reproductive technologies is far from pre-determined, the ways in which these technologies are currently deployed often serve the interests of dominant groups, through the creation of white, middle-class, heteronormative families. Laura Harrison, providing an important understanding of the work of women of color as surrogates, connects this labor to the history of racialized reproduction in the United States. Cross-racial surrogacy is one end of a continuum in which dominant groups rely on the reproductive potential of nonwhite women, whose own reproductive desires have been historically thwarted and even demonized. Brown Bodies, White Babies provides am interdisciplinary analysis that includes legal cases of contested surrogacy, historical examples of surrogacy as a form of racialized reproductive labor, the role of genetics in the assisted reproduction industry, and the recent turn toward reproductive tourism. Joining the ongoing feminist debates surrounding reproduction, motherhood, race, and the body, Brown Bodies, White Babies ultimately critiques the new potentials for parenthood that put the very contours of kinship into question.

The increasing understanding of individual differences in response to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, resulting from genetic and ethnical differences, has increased the potential for individualized treatment for patients, resulting in improved pregnancy and live-birth outcomes. This illustrated book summarizes, and provides updates on, the most recent developments in individualized infertility treatment and embryo selection techniques. Individualization is not only confined to the different steps in the ovarian stimulation process and the luteal phase support, but also to embryo selection techniques, which include, among others, the analysis of embryo development pattern and genetic testing. Chapters cover a multitude of topics, ranging from oocyte maturation and immunological testing to fertilization technique in the IVF laboratory and preparation for optimal endometrial receptivity in cryo cycles. Essential reading for IVF specialists and embryologists in IVF Clinics and also an important text for medical consultants specializing in reproductive medicine, gynecology and embryology.

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 book is on ovulation induction and controlled ovarian stimulation which is an integral part of most infertility therapies like intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization. It would deal with causes of anovulation and indications for ovarian stimulation. This book deals with basics as well as current and advanced practices. It provides a step by step protocol for ovarian stimulation. It gives a clear understanding of the science of reproductive endocrinology behind these stimulation protocols and roadmaps the latest therapies, defining their current relevance to treatment. Besides the practical guidance it also covers latest research work done in this field. In this day of information overload it is an attempt to integrate relevant information in a manner which can be applied in infertility practice in evidence based manner, making it rational, logical and rewarding for the reader.

Has the college experience of women been an influence on the number of children desired and the number and spacing of their children? Do women come to college with their attitudes and values in this regard already formed? This study of 15,000 women, freshmen and seniors in 45 American colleges and universities, both secular and nonsecular, attempts to answer this question and to determine how such characteristics as religious preference, career intentions, and the number of children in her own family influence a woman's fertility values. Attention is paid to an earlier finding that Catholic college graduates have higher fertility than Catholic high school graduates, although higher education is usually associated with lower fertility. Originally published in 1967. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

For people experiencing infertility, wanting a baby is a craving unlike any other. The intensity of their longing is matched only by the complexity of the emotional maze they must navigate.
With insight and compassion, Drs. Janet Jaffe, Martha Diamond, and David Diamond-specialists in the field of Reproductive Psychology who have each experienced their own struggle with infertility-give couples the tools to:
*Reduce their sense of helplessness and isolation
*Identify their mates' coping styles to erase unfair expectations
*Listen to their "unsung lullabies"--their conscious and unconscious dreams about having a family--to mourn the losses of infertility and move on.
Ground-breaking, wise, and compassionate, Unsung Lullabies is a necessary companion for anyone coping with infertility.

Why do American couples differ in the number of children they have? To answer this question the first major longitudinal study in American fertility was begun in 1957 with a series of interviews with parents of two children. Family Growth in Metropolitan America (1961) and The Third Child (1963) reported the results of the first two phases of this research project. In this book, in addition to evaluating the longitudinal design of the study, the authors report the results of the third and final interviews, a decade after the first, and attempt to answer such questions as: How well are couples able to predict their own fertility over the years? To what extent does the number of children desired affect the spacing of births? How is fertility affected by peer group relations, by the wife's participation in the labor force, by religion? Originally published in 1971. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

"Selected by" Choice" magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title for 1996""[Marsh and Ronner make for] a highly successful combination in which faultless clinical detail and a broad social and cultural approach are seamlessly woven to produce a very impressive and beautifully written historical work of the first importance." -- Irvine Louden, "Journal of the Social History of Medicine"

In "The Empty Cradle," Margaret Marsh and Wanda Ronner delve into the origins of the many misconceptions surrounding infertility as they explore how medical and cultural beliefs emerged throughout its controversial history. Drawing on a wide variety of sources -- including intimate diaries and letters, patient records, memoirs, medical literature, and popular magazines -- "The Empty Cradle" investigates the social, cultural, scientific, and medical dimensions of infertility over the past three hundred years.

Marsh and Ronner explore reactions -- among both physicians and husbands -- to the emerging scientific evidence that infertility was a condition for which men and women bear equal responsibility. The book concludes that infertility is still a subject affected by myth and misunderstanding. A lively and compelling history of a complex medical and cultural phenomenon, "The Empty Cradle" brings a valuable perspective to current debates about how we should think about and address the experience of infertility in our own time.

"Marsh and Ronner have sought to go beyond the published medical literature to disclose the voices of those most affected by the physiological and cultural condition of infertility... they have restored to the historical record the anguish and the hopes of women whoexperienced infertility." -- Rima D. Apple, "American Historical Review"

"The book's lucid explanations of medical terms and procedures will allow me to recommend it to my infertility patients. I plan to do so, trusting that it will give them a new perspective on their predicament. Knowing that it provided me a new perspective on both infertility and the practice of gynecology, I will also assign it an honored place in my medical library." -- Janet E. Shepherd, M.D., "Journal of the American Medical Association"

" "The Empty Cradle" demonstrates the profound impact of politics as well as culture on the development of medical practice. It is an excellent model for future scholarship on the complex relationship between science and society." -- Elaine Tyler May, "Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences"

In US security culture, motherhood is a site of intense contestation--both a powerful form of cultural currency and a target of unprecedented assault. Linked by an atmosphere of crisis and perceived vulnerability, motherhood and nation have become intimately entwined, dangerously positioning national security as reliant on the control of women's bodies. Drawing on feminist scholarship and critical studies of security culture, Natalie Fixmer-Oraiz explores homeland maternity by calling our attention to the ways that authorities see both non-reproductive and "overly" reproductive women's bodies as threats to social norms--and thus to security. Homeland maternity culture intensifies motherhood's requirements and works to discipline those who refuse to adhere. Analyzing the opt-out revolution, public debates over emergency contraception, and other controversies, Fixmer-Oraiz compellingly demonstrates how policing maternal bodies serves the political function of securing the nation in a time of supposed danger--with profound and troubling implications for women's lives and agency.

Approximately five million children have been born worldwide as a result of assisted reproductive technology (ART). These techniques are now practised independently in most of the world's nations. Although the vast majority of ART parents and children are healthy following the procedures involved, there is an imperative to maintain a high standard of practice and monitor outcomes carefully. Interpretation of outcome data is difficult for a variety of reasons. As ART technologies evolve and new variants are established, the need for robust assessment of outcomes increases. This book gives a thorough review of potential complications of ART, with detailed analysis of outcome data for the various conditions described. A worldwide perspective is given throughout, with an international team of chapter authors.