This volume is the proceedings of the International Symposium on Male Sterility for Motility Disorders, held in Paris, January 30-31, 1998. The internationally recognized faculty present the latest research on etiologic factors and treatment of male sterility for motility disorders, including the etiology of immobile sperm; therapeutic possibilities for immotile sperm; ICSI option; testicular sperm, physiological and pathological aspects and retrieval; and conceptus quality in ICSI and ethical problems with ART.

Major advances have recently been made in our understanding of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS): improving classification, recognizing primary and secondary risk-factors, manipulating and monitoring ovarian stimulation, handling risky situations, and elucidating the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms of the syndrome. As such, all health care professionals working in reproductive medicine should be acquainted with the theoretical and practical aspects of how to deal with this syndrome, both from a prophylactic point of view and once it has developed. Focusing on the clinically relevant aspects of the syndrome, this text is built on acquired knowledge but minimizes speculative considerations in order to leave room for some 'intelligent ignorance' and contention. Well illustrated with appropriate diagrams showing biologic mechanisms, procedural algorithms, sonographs and radiological images, at the end of each clinical chapters there is also a list of frequently asked questions, with appropriate answers, to help expand and elaborate difficult practice problems. With its definitions, classifications and treatment algorithms, Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome will be highly useful to general gynecologists, both in practice and training. Moreover, as there is a consistent view of OHSS in different parts of the world, the book will also have global appeal to all reproductive physicians and support personnel working in IVF/ICSI units. .

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.

This conference, dedicated to the etiology and treatment of motility disor ders in spermatozoa and male sterility, attracted some of the finest investiga tors in the field. Standards were immensely high throughout, and discussions were meaningful and detailed. Analyses on disorders in sperm motility de mand a broad-based approach, involving cytologists, geneticists, andrologists, and embryologists, because the topic has many clinical and scientific over tones. Human spermatozoa are at the mercy of so many factors as they form and mature in the testis and epididymis. Their survival and fundamental char acteristics are essential for fertilization, and the male genome imposes its influence on the embryo as it becomes active in male pronuclei very soon after sperm entry into the oocyte. All of these fundamental aspects of sperm biology demanded a broad breadth of topics in the symposium. The opening session quickly got down to fundamentals with contributions from J.-L. Gatti, J.G. Alvarez, C. Gagnon, and H. Breitbart. They discussed the mechanism and regulation of motility, the metabolic strategy of human spermatozoa, the effects of exogenous fac tors such as antibodies, infections, and toxins, and finally the role of intracel lular calcium on sperm motility. To these topics, the postcoffee session on the first morning described the genetics of motility disorders and the etiology and management of necrozoospermia. The excellent presentation provided the background detail of the symposium and opened the way for the discus sion of various clinical aspects of the topic.