Reproductive medicine Books

Book SynopsisThe potential impact of work being conducted in genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics upon clinical practice for gynecologists is immense but not yet completely appreciated. This groundbreaking text from international experts examines the newest topics on the perinatal agenda and gives clinicians a  real look into the future via the newest methodologies.Table of ContentsI. PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS: SETTING THESCENE. The mother: Adaptation to pregnancy and normal metabolism. Maternal and fetal normal and abnormal nutrition. Great obstetrical syndromes: It’s all in the placenta. Normal and abnormal fetal growth. Preterm labor and birth. Gestational diabetes mellitus. Preeclampsia. Maternal obesity. Maternal health: Immediate, short-, and long-term complications following pregnancy. The fetus and the neonate: Immediate, short-, and long-term impact. Cost of pregnancy complications related to noncommunicable diseases and cost effectiveness of interventions to address them. II. TOWARDS PREDICTIONAND PREVENTION. Integrated system biology approaches to fetal medicine problems. Omics and female reproduction. Maternal genome and pregnancy outcomes. Placental development and omics. Placental metabolomics in obese pregnancies. Methylome and epigenetic markers. Microbiome and pregnancy complications. Small noncoding RNAs as biomarkers for pregnancy complications. Urine metabolomics and proteomics in prenatal health. Metabolomics and perinatal complications. Metabolomics in normal and pathologic pregnancies. Metabolomics in amniotic fluid. Omics and coagulation disorders in pregnancy. Omics and perinatal medicine: Preeclampsia. Single nucleotide polymorphisms and pregnancy complications. Metabolomics and perinatal cardiology. Metabolomics and human breast milk: A unique and inimitable food for infants. Neurodevelopment and placental omics. Early life complications, placental genomics, and risk for neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring. Metabolomics and perinatal asphyxia. Environment, pregnancy complications, and omics. Sleep and pregnancy complications. Maternal plasma cell-free DNA screening: I. Basic science and applications. Maternal plasma cell-free DNA screening: II. Integration into clinical practice. Microarrays. Whole exome and whole genome sequencing

Read more less

Book SynopsisFertility Awareness is key to understanding sexual and reproductive health at all life stages. It can be used to either plan or avoid pregnancy. Fertility Awareness Methods (FAMs) are highly effective when motivated couples are taught by trained practitioners. These methods are in demand for ecological, medical, cultural, religious and moral reasons. The ability to control fertility naturally is a lifestyle choice. The Complete Guide to Fertility Awareness provides the science and methodology suitable for health professionals and a general audience. It covers reproductive physiology and the fertility indicators: temperature, cervical secretions and cycle length calculations. It explores ways to optimise conception and to manage conception delays. Case studies and self-assessment exercises are included throughout. The book addresses the scientific credibility of new technologies including fertility apps, home test kits, monitors and devices.The Complete Guide Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations List of figures List of tables Images and permissions Overview of fertility awareness Male fertility Female fertility Temperature: first indicator Cervical secretions: second indicator Cervix: third indicator Calendar calculations: fourth indicator Minor indicators of fertility Home test kits and monitors Combining indicators Simplified methods Factors affecting the menstrual cycle FAMs for women of normal fertility Contraception and returning fertility FAMs after hormonal contraception Breastfeeding, LAM and returning fertility FAMs during the peri-menopause Planning pregnancy Conception delays and assisted fertility Teaching fertility awareness Appendix A. Normal fertility chart Appendix B. Instructions for use Appendix C. Planning pregnancy chart Appendix D. Chart summary sheet Appendix E. Autonomy checklist Appendix F. Body mass index chart Appendix G. Drugs which affect the menstrual cycle Appendix H. Further reading Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisBased on extensive interviews with women and couples who have undergone IVF unsuccessfully and who have since stopped treatment, and taking an overtly feminist approach, the book explores the ways in which IVF failure is experienced and accounted for.Table of ContentsIntroduction A Feminist Approach to IVF Normalising IVF: Negotiating Nature and Technology Coping with Consumption Managing Visibility Taking Responsibility Seeking Resolution Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisCatherine Waldby trace how the history of the valuing of human oocytes—the reproductive cells specific to women—intersects with the biological and social life of women.Trade Review"What Waldby presents so compellingly is that there is an oocyte economy. Eggs have value and meaning, indeed they have different values and meanings in different contexts." -- Jane Maienschein * Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences *"Waldby has a long and impressive history of publications dealing with the social, political, ethical, and biomedical aspects of changing global markets for stem cells, umbilical cord blood, human eggs, fertilized blastocysts, embryos, and other (by-)products of artificially assisted reproduction." -- A. H. Koblitz * Choice *"The Oocyte Economy is not only a rigorous study but a riveting read." -- Claire Horn * Women's Review of Books *"This book offers a fascinating foray into the changing meaning of human oocytes for Western women and reproductive scientists. As such, it is a must-read for scholars of reproduction, and for related courses in anthropology, sociology, gender studies, and the history of science and medicine." -- Marcia C. Inhorn * Bulletin of the History of Medicine *"A thought-provoking and original examination of the emergence of an economy premised on deep cultural beliefs about the meaning of oocytes.… Likely to become required reading in medicine, gender, and in the interdisciplinary field of reproduction." -- Rosanna Hertz * Society *"The Oocyte Economy ultimately provides unparalleled insights into fertility practices to better conceptualize ethical arguments pertaining to assisted reproductive technologies. This book will appeal to social sciences and humanities scholars of medicine, especially those seeking refined theorizing on tissue donation made possible by the unique features of human eggs." -- Nathalie Egalite * International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics *"A fascinating account of the complex social meanings attached to egg cells and the possibilities and mysteries that technoscience is still unlocking about them. . . . The Oocyte Economy is replete with historical accounts and quotes from a range of different participants, making this book of particular interest to anybody interested in the expanding reproductive markets with a focus on tissue economies, IVF patients, and reproductive labor." -- Anna Molas * Medical Anthropology Quarterly *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction 1 1. Temporal Oocytes: Fertility and Deep Time 23 2. Twentieth-Century Oocytes: Experiment and Experience 41 3. Precious Oocytes: IVF and the Deficit Spiral 64 4. Global Oocytes: Medical Tourism and the Transaction of Fertility 88 5. Cold-Chain Oocytes: Vitrification and the Formation of Corporate Egg Banks 119 6. Private Oocytes: Personal Egg Banking and Generational Time 114 7. Innovation Oocytes: Therapeutic Cloning and Mitochondrial Donation 161 Conclusion 191 Appendix 199 Notes 205 References 211 Index 231

Read more less

Book SynopsisCatherine Waldby trace how the history of the valuing of human oocytes—the reproductive cells specific to women—intersects with the biological and social life of women.Trade Review"What Waldby presents so compellingly is that there is an oocyte economy. Eggs have value and meaning, indeed they have different values and meanings in different contexts." -- Jane Maienschein * Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences *"Waldby has a long and impressive history of publications dealing with the social, political, ethical, and biomedical aspects of changing global markets for stem cells, umbilical cord blood, human eggs, fertilized blastocysts, embryos, and other (by-)products of artificially assisted reproduction." -- A. H. Koblitz * Choice *"The Oocyte Economy is not only a rigorous study but a riveting read." -- Claire Horn * Women's Review of Books *"This book offers a fascinating foray into the changing meaning of human oocytes for Western women and reproductive scientists. As such, it is a must-read for scholars of reproduction, and for related courses in anthropology, sociology, gender studies, and the history of science and medicine." -- Marcia C. Inhorn * Bulletin of the History of Medicine *"A thought-provoking and original examination of the emergence of an economy premised on deep cultural beliefs about the meaning of oocytes.… Likely to become required reading in medicine, gender, and in the interdisciplinary field of reproduction." -- Rosanna Hertz * Society *"The Oocyte Economy ultimately provides unparalleled insights into fertility practices to better conceptualize ethical arguments pertaining to assisted reproductive technologies. This book will appeal to social sciences and humanities scholars of medicine, especially those seeking refined theorizing on tissue donation made possible by the unique features of human eggs." -- Nathalie Egalite * International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics *"A fascinating account of the complex social meanings attached to egg cells and the possibilities and mysteries that technoscience is still unlocking about them. . . . The Oocyte Economy is replete with historical accounts and quotes from a range of different participants, making this book of particular interest to anybody interested in the expanding reproductive markets with a focus on tissue economies, IVF patients, and reproductive labor." -- Anna Molas * Medical Anthropology Quarterly *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction 1 1. Temporal Oocytes: Fertility and Deep Time 23 2. Twentieth-Century Oocytes: Experiment and Experience 41 3. Precious Oocytes: IVF and the Deficit Spiral 64 4. Global Oocytes: Medical Tourism and the Transaction of Fertility 88 5. Cold-Chain Oocytes: Vitrification and the Formation of Corporate Egg Banks 119 6. Private Oocytes: Personal Egg Banking and Generational Time 114 7. Innovation Oocytes: Therapeutic Cloning and Mitochondrial Donation 161 Conclusion 191 Appendix 199 Notes 205 References 211 Index 231

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrançoise Vergès examines the scandal of white doctors forcefully terminating the pregnancies of thousands of poor women of color on the French island of Réunion during the 1960s, showing how they resulted from the legacies of the racialized violence of slavery and colonialism.Trade Review“In her wonderful book, Françoise Vergès creates a methodology for teasing out the various strands within which French Republican thought has sustained gender, class, and racial inequality. In doing so, she conceptualizes a new lexicon for postcolonial critique. From the scandal in Reunion to the forms of sovereignty that work within this logic, feminism needs to reconfigure itself if it is to be a force adequate to the future in the face of its previous ignorance. Vergès’s book takes us there.” -- Ranjana Khanna, author of * Algeria Cuts: Women and Representation, 1830 to the Present *"Verges' book… sets itself as an example of what kind of work is necessary to reveal the coloniality of power which persisted after the formal end of colonization. In other words, this book teaches us the kind of work needed to practice a decolonial feminism, a 'killjoy politics', a counterhegemonic strategy which appears fundamental to understand the genesis of femonationalism. There is a particularly valuable contribution made by the book which promises to become one of the most relevant new acquisitions in decolonial and feminist studies." -- Erika Bernacchi * Ethnic and Racial Studies *“It is precisely the stories that do not get told in the grand narrative of French republicanism—and, more pointedly, the why of their non-telling—that animates Françoise Vergès’s decolonial, antiracist feminist work, The Wombs of Women (seamlessly translated from the French by Kaiama Glover in supremely engrossing prose).” -- Chelsea Stieber * Public Books *"Vergès's ability to make us focus specifically on colonial and post-colonial France is a feat worthy unto itself and makes this an important contribution to French feminist theory and post-colonial historiography.… An important book for any nation unpacking the not quite extinguished remnants of colonial paternalism.… It should be read alongside more so-called traditional histories of France, to act as a corrective to ongoing narratives of French self-identity." -- Robin Mitchell * H-France *"One of the ambitious aims of this book is to spark the development of a decolonial feminism which Vergès asserts requires delving into the past and rescuing ‘entire periods of history’ (p 115) from oblivion. This book achieves this so well, depicting the urgent need to rethink feminism through a decolonial lens and offers a significant contribution to postcolonial studies." -- Natasha Lila Rooney * Postcolonial Studies *"Vergès makes a powerful case for the geography closest in—here, the womb and its capacity for reproductive futures—as the grounds of any decolonial feminist history worthy of the name." -- Antoinette Burton * French Politics, Culture & Society *Table of ContentsPreface ix Translator's Introduction xiii Introduction 1 1. The Island of Doctor Moreau 1 2. The Rhetoric of "Impossible Development": Dependency, Repression, and Anticolonial Struggle 29 3. The Wombs of Black Women, Capitalism, and the International Division of Labor 49 4. "The Future Is Elsewhere" 63 5. French Feminist Blindness: Race, Coloniality, Capitalism 89 Conclusion: Repoliticizing Feminism 115 Notes 125 Index 157

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the 1960s thousands of poor women of color on the (post)colonial French island of Reunion had their pregnancies forcefully terminated by white doctors; the doctors operated under the pretext of performing benign surgeries, for which they sought government compensation. When the scandal broke in 1970, the doctors claimed to have been encouraged to perform these abortions by French politicians who sought to curtail reproduction on the island, even though abortion was illegal in France. In The Wombs of Women—first published in French and appearing here in English for the first time—Françoise Vergès traces the long history of colonial state intervention in black women’s wombs during the slave trade and postslavery imperialism as well as in current birth control politics. She examines the women’s liberation movement in France in the 1960s and 1970s, showing that by choosing to ignore the history of the racialization of women’s wombs, FreTrade Review“In her wonderful book, Françoise Vergès creates a methodology for teasing out the various strands within which French Republican thought has sustained gender, class, and racial inequality. In doing so, she conceptualizes a new lexicon for postcolonial critique. From the scandal in Reunion to the forms of sovereignty that work within this logic, feminism needs to reconfigure itself if it is to be a force adequate to the future in the face of its previous ignorance. Vergès’s book takes us there.” -- Ranjana Khanna, author of * Algeria Cuts: Women and Representation, 1830 to the Present *"Verges' book… sets itself as an example of what kind of work is necessary to reveal the coloniality of power which persisted after the formal end of colonization. In other words, this book teaches us the kind of work needed to practice a decolonial feminism, a 'killjoy politics', a counterhegemonic strategy which appears fundamental to understand the genesis of femonationalism. There is a particularly valuable contribution made by the book which promises to become one of the most relevant new acquisitions in decolonial and feminist studies." -- Erika Bernacchi * Ethnic and Racial Studies *“It is precisely the stories that do not get told in the grand narrative of French republicanism—and, more pointedly, the why of their non-telling—that animates Françoise Vergès’s decolonial, antiracist feminist work, The Wombs of Women (seamlessly translated from the French by Kaiama Glover in supremely engrossing prose).” -- Chelsea Stieber * Public Books *"Vergès's ability to make us focus specifically on colonial and post-colonial France is a feat worthy unto itself and makes this an important contribution to French feminist theory and post-colonial historiography.… An important book for any nation unpacking the not quite extinguished remnants of colonial paternalism.… It should be read alongside more so-called traditional histories of France, to act as a corrective to ongoing narratives of French self-identity." -- Robin Mitchell * H-France *"One of the ambitious aims of this book is to spark the development of a decolonial feminism which Vergès asserts requires delving into the past and rescuing ‘entire periods of history’ (p 115) from oblivion. This book achieves this so well, depicting the urgent need to rethink feminism through a decolonial lens and offers a significant contribution to postcolonial studies." -- Natasha Lila Rooney * Postcolonial Studies *"Vergès makes a powerful case for the geography closest in—here, the womb and its capacity for reproductive futures—as the grounds of any decolonial feminist history worthy of the name." -- Antoinette Burton * French Politics, Culture & Society *Table of ContentsPreface ix Translator's Introduction xiii Introduction 1 1. The Island of Doctor Moreau 1 2. The Rhetoric of "Impossible Development": Dependency, Repression, and Anticolonial Struggle 29 3. The Wombs of Black Women, Capitalism, and the International Division of Labor 49 4. "The Future Is Elsewhere" 63 5. French Feminist Blindness: Race, Coloniality, Capitalism 89 Conclusion: Repoliticizing Feminism 115 Notes 125 Index 157

Read more less

Book SynopsisBrown 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 potentialTrade Review[A] refreshingly new take...add[ing] complexity to the well-trod feminist discussion... * Signs *Brown Bodies, White Babies reveals fresh insights on the politics of reproduction in the United States and globally by investigating the racialized and gendered meanings of kinship in the context of cross-racial gestational surrogacy when a surrogate is not the same race as the intended parents. Despite surrogacys seemingly radical potential, Harrison brilliantly shows how these arrangements reinforce genetic determinism, white privilege, and the biological concept of race. An important and provocative contribution to critical analyses of assisted reproduction. -- Dorothy Roberts,author of Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and The Meaning of LibertyAn indispensable contribution, this book historicizes the ideologies of race and racial transmission that cut through the heart of reproductive labor right from wet nursing in the emergent American colonies to present-day cross-racial surrogacy. A must-read for any student of reproductive justice. -- Sharmila Rudrappa,author of Discounted Life: The Price of Global Surrogacy in IndiaIn a refreshingly clear, engaging, jargon-free voice, Harrison introduces readers to the role of race in the discourse surrounding surrogacy in the United States. Her interdisciplinary, qualitative analysis of cross-racial surrogacy in popular media, legal cases and on websites provides an important addition to the sociology and anthropology of reproduction. -- Elly Teman,author of Birthing a Mother: The Surrogate Body and the Pregnant SelfLaura Harrisons bookBrown Bodies, White Babies: The Politics of Cross-Racial Surrogacyprovides readers with a comprehensive and insightful analysis of surrogacy using both intersectional theory and discourse analysis, before concluding with a call for activism and engagement. * Hypatia Reviews *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWelcomed as liberation and dismissed as exploitation, egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) has rapidly become one of the most widely-discussed and influential new reproductive technologies of this century. In Freezing Fertility, Lucy van de Wiel takes us inside the world of fertility preservationwith its egg freezing parties, contested age limits, proactive anticipations and equity investmentsand shows how the popularization of egg freezing has profound consequences for the way in which female fertility and reproductive aging are understood, commercialized and politicized.Beyond an individual reproductive choice for people who may want to have children later in life, Freezing Fertility explores how the rise of egg freezing also reveals broader cultural, political and economic negotiations about reproductive politics, gender inequities, age normativities and the financialization of healthcare. Van de Wiel investigates these issues by analyzing a wide range of sourcesvaTrade ReviewA timely and powerful book … a jam-packed guide to the politics of reproductive ageing in a world of rapid social and technological change … will be of interest to a wide audience, from general readership to students, policymakers and social scientists working on reproduction and family politics. * BioNews *Lucy van de Wiel’s Freezing Fertility brilliantly investigates fertile embodiment through a transnational exploration of human fertility preservation practices. Egg freezing, a recent biotechnological innovation, enhances corporeal capacities and transforms the temporality of everyday life. Her germinal analysis offers powerful interpretations of emerging cultural anxieties when we interrupt the imperative of ‘a biological clock’. -- Lisa Jean Moore, author of Catch and Release: The Enduring Yet Vulnerable Horseshoe CrabIn this beautifully-written and thought-provoking book, Lucy van de Wiel follows the egg from ovary to freezer and beyond. Grappling with the social, ethical, and economic complexities of egg freezing, she offers a vital contribution to debates about gender, reproduction, and aging. -- Rene Almeling, author of Sex Cells: The Medical Market for Eggs and SpermThis volume is a brilliant foray into the contested world of egg freezing, taking readers on a journey with the human egg from its in vivo existence in ovaries and wombs to ex vivo sites of cryostorage, finance, and experimentation. Offering the single best analysis of the precarious relationship between fertility, reproductive technology, and women’s aging, Freezing Fertility is a must-read for gender, STS, and cultural studies scholars, as well as anyone interested in the future of assisted reproduction. -- Marcia C. Inhorn, author of Cosmopolitan Conceptions: IVF Sojourns in Global Dubaian important contribution to medical anthropology and feminist technoscience and will be an excellent addition to the academic literature on this recently expanding practice, allowing us to prepare for what might come. The book is beautifully written, the main arguments are carefully elaborated and thought-provoking, and the key message is unsettling. * Medical Anthropology Quarterly *Lucy van de Wiel’s Freezing Fertility is a beautifully written exploration of the cultural discourse of frozen eggs and their related technologies. -- Lauren Jade Martin of Penn State University, Berks * American Journal of Sociology *

Read more less

Book SynopsisBrown 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 potentialTrade Review[A] refreshingly new take...add[ing] complexity to the well-trod feminist discussion... * Signs *Brown Bodies, White Babies reveals fresh insights on the politics of reproduction in the United States and globally by investigating the racialized and gendered meanings of kinship in the context of cross-racial gestational surrogacy when a surrogate is not the same race as the intended parents. Despite surrogacys seemingly radical potential, Harrison brilliantly shows how these arrangements reinforce genetic determinism, white privilege, and the biological concept of race. An important and provocative contribution to critical analyses of assisted reproduction. -- Dorothy Roberts,author of Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and The Meaning of LibertyAn indispensable contribution, this book historicizes the ideologies of race and racial transmission that cut through the heart of reproductive labor right from wet nursing in the emergent American colonies to present-day cross-racial surrogacy. A must-read for any student of reproductive justice. -- Sharmila Rudrappa,author of Discounted Life: The Price of Global Surrogacy in IndiaIn a refreshingly clear, engaging, jargon-free voice, Harrison introduces readers to the role of race in the discourse surrounding surrogacy in the United States. Her interdisciplinary, qualitative analysis of cross-racial surrogacy in popular media, legal cases and on websites provides an important addition to the sociology and anthropology of reproduction. -- Elly Teman,author of Birthing a Mother: The Surrogate Body and the Pregnant SelfLaura Harrisons bookBrown Bodies, White Babies: The Politics of Cross-Racial Surrogacyprovides readers with a comprehensive and insightful analysis of surrogacy using both intersectional theory and discourse analysis, before concluding with a call for activism and engagement. * Hypatia Reviews *

Read more less

Book SynopsisRegulatory 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.Trade Review"Clean Room Technology in ART Clinics: A Practical Guide provides a wealth of knowledge on this important subject and is indispensable for anyone planning or running a successful ART laboratory."— Julius Hreinsson, IVF-Sweden"This book is the first of its kind and exceptionally valuable in the current regulatory environment; it provides practical know-how on implementing and improving air cleanroom systems in ART clinics; it’s richly illustrated with examples and sample forms easily adapted for the individual clinics; and written by experts from around the world that share their experiences and provided practical information about how they implemented cleanroom technology into their IVF Clinics."— Ashok Agarwal, American Center for Reproductive Medicine, USATable of ContentsThe Basics. Construction. Operation and Monitoring. Quality Management in Clean Room ART Units. Clean Room/Controlled Environment Technology in IVF: Clinical Results and New Developments. International Experience: Case-Studies.

Read more less

Book SynopsisLong regarded as biological waste, the placenta is gaining momentum as a viable product for clinical use. Due to their unique properties, placental cells and derivatives show great promise in curing various diseases. Utilizing contributions from world-renowned experts, Placenta: The Tree of Life considers the therapeutic potential of these cells. It examines new stem cellbased strategies and highlights recent studies that advance the range of treatment for a number of illnesses. Emphasizing the potential research and therapeutic use of stem cells, the book discusses the development, structure, and functions of the human placenta. It introduces overall aspects of the immune system, explains some of the immune mechanisms during pregnancy, and shows the role of the placenta in these mechanisms. Current scientific research is presented that focuses on the mechanisms of action underlying the therapeutic benefit of cells isolated from different placental regionTable of ContentsStructure and Development of the Human Placenta. The Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Functions and Pathologies of the Human Placenta. The Roles of the Human Placenta in Fetal-Maternal Tolerance. The Human Placenta in Wound Healing: Historical and Current Approaches. Cell Populations Isolated from Amnion, Chorion, and Wharton’s Jelly of Human Placenta. The Immunomodulatory Features of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Derived from Wharton’s Jelly, Amniotic Membrane, and Chorionic Villi: In Vitro and In Vivo Data. Use of Placenta-Derived Cells in Neurological Disorders. Use of Amnion Epithelial Cells in Metabolic Liver Disorders. The Use of Placenta-Derived Cells in Autoimmune Disorders. The Use of Placenta-Derived Cells in Inflammatory and Fibrotic Disorders. From Bench to Bedside: Strategy, Regulations, and Good Manufacturing Practice Procedures. Applications of Placenta-Derived Cells in Veterinary Medicine.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe latest edition of An Atlas of Gynecologic Oncology continues its coverage of the innovative techniques in investigation and surgery on the brink of becoming established as part of the gynecologic surgeon's repertoire, now including the exciting developments in uterine transplantation. The text is illustrated throughout in full color and contains the contributions of leading international experts.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Preparing a patient for surgery. Preoperative work up. Complications. Anatomy. Cross sectional and molecular imaging. Sigmoidoscopy, cystoscopy and stenting. Tumor markers. Cone biopsy. Radical abdominal hysterectomy. Laparoscopically assisted vaginal radical hysterectomy. Radical vaginal trachelectomy. Radical abdominal trachelectomy. Central recurrent cervical cancer: the role of exenterative surgery. Total mesometrial resection. Laterally extended endopelvic resection. Vaginectomy. Radical vulvar surgery. Sentinel lymph node biopsy. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation techniques. Uterine transplantation and lessons from transplant surgery. Epithelial ovarian cancer. Upper abdominal cytoreduction for advanced ovarian cancers. Extraperitoneal approach to infrarenal, inframesenteric and pelvic lymphadenectomies. Vascular access and implantable vascular and peritoneal access devices. Surgical management of trophoblastic disease. Laparoscopy. Humidification during surgery: Benefits of using humidified gas during laparoscopic and open surgery. Robotic surgery. Gastrointestinal surgery in gynecologic oncology. Urologic procedures. Fistula repair. Treatment of vascular defects and injuries. Plastic reconstructive procedures. Additional plastic surgery procedures. Fat transfer: Applications in gynaecology. Surgical management of postpartum hemorrhage. Brachytherapy. Innovative methods to teach and train minimally invasive surgery. Meta-analysis of survival data. Evaluating survival data in the context of clinical decision making. Pain management. Palliative care. Doctor–patient communication.

Read more less

Book SynopsisUterine fibroids are a painful condition that may also create serious limitations on a patient''s reproductive options. This new text from an acknowledged expert at a major regional referral center fully reviews the relevant diagnostic factors as well as the potential new medical treatments and current thinking about the various - sometimes controversial - surgical options available for management.Print versions of this book also include access to the eBook version with links to procedural videos.Table of ContentsContributors. The Health Care Costs of Uterine Fibroids. Environmental Chemicals and Risk of Uterine Leiomyomata. Dietary Factors and Uterine Fibroids. Types of Fibroids. Genetics of Uterine Leiomyomata. Growth Patterns and Endometrial Changes. Causes of Bleeding. Ultrasound. Leiomyomata and Reproduction. Hormonal Regulation in the Treatment of Fibroids. The Role of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Agonists in the Treatment of Uterine Fibroids. GnRH Antagonists in the Treatment of Uterine Fibroids. Role of Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs) and Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs) in the Treatment of Uterine Leiomyoma. Tranexamic Acid (TA). Alternative Therapies in the Treatment of Uterine Leiomyoma. Laparotomy for Surgical Treatment of Uterine Fibroids. Laparoscopic Myomectomy. Computer-Assisted Laparoscopic Myomectomy. Hysteroscopic Vaporization of Uterine Myoma. Hysteroscopic Myomectomy. Fibroids: Location is (Almost) Everything. Manual or Hand Morcellation in Minimally Invasive Surgery. Uterine Leiomyosarcoma. Minimizing Blood Loss. Fibroid Adhesions. How Long Does it Take Uterine Scar(s) to Heal? When to Recommend a Cesarean Section. Uterine Artery Embolization. Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS). Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisBased 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.Table of ContentsContentsList of ContributorsPrefaceAcknowledgments About Boston IVF Overview of infertility Alan S Penzias Factors affecting fertility Steven R Bayer and Merle Berger The infertility workup Jesse Hade Preconceptional care Steven R Bayer Clinical algorithms Michael M Alper Treatment options I. Ovulation induction Selwyn P Oskowitz and Alan Penzias Treatment options II. Intrauterine insemination Sonia Elguero and Marsha Forman Treatment options III. In vitro fertilization Michael M Alper Treatment options IV. Third party reproduction Brian M Berger Fertility care for the LGBT community Samuel Pang Evaluation and management of male infertility Steven Lazarou Preimplantation genetic testing Kim L Thornton Endometriosis and infertility Dan Griffin Polycystic ovary syndrome Rita M Sneeringer and Kristin Wright Recurrent pregnancy loss Benjamin Lannon and Alison E Zimon Fertility preservation for cancer patients David A Ryley Elective egg freezing Kerri Luzzo and Samuel Pauli The IVF laboratory Denny Sakaas, Brent Barret, Kathy Go Tools for effective nursing in the care of the infertile patient Sharon Edwards, Susan Gordon-Pennell, Kristin McCutcheon The mind and body connection Alice D Domar Infertility Counseling and The Role of the Infertility Counselor Jeanie Ungerleider, Terry Chen Rothchild and Lynn Nichols Medical ethics in reproductive medicine Steven R Bayer and Kim L Thornton Integrating quality management into a fertility practice Michael Alper The True ART: How to deliver the best patient care Derek Larkin

Read more less

Book SynopsisSubstantial Relations examines global reproductive medicine in India, focusing on in vitro fertilization. Since the 1970s, India has played a central but shifting role in shaping global reproductive medicinefrom a provider of raw material, to a producer of knowledge and technology, to a creator of a thriving medical market that attracts patients from all over the world. Relying on archival material and oral history, Substantial Relations traces the path of this transnational historical trajectory. This book also examines the contemporary making of IVF in Delhi. Drawing on ethnographic research in homes, hospitals, and laboratories, Sandra Bärnreuther provides deep insights into the intricacies of clinical life and everyday experience by depicting IVF users'' quest for offspring and their fears of establishing unwanted ties, as well as the minute engagements of clinicians and laboratory staff with reproductive substances.Thinking through substancesmTrade ReviewBärnreuther (Univ. of Lucerne, Switzerland) skillfully uses anthropological fieldwork (conducted from 2010 to 2017) and archival research to describe and analyze this growing IVF medical system. * Choice *The book is a recommended read for all scholars working in the area of infertility/fertility and kinship studies. * Medical Anthropology Quarterly *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. From Urine to Ampoule: The Commodity Chain of a Hormone 2. From Dismissal to Recognition: A Contested Claim 3. From Hobby to Industry: How IVF Diversified 4. The Clinic and Beyond: Reproductive Temporalities 5. When Cells Circulate: Unwanted Ties 6. Inside the Laboratory: Embryo Ethics Epilogue

Read more less

Book SynopsisBirth controlled analyses the world of selective reproduction – the politics of who gets to legitimately reproduce the future – through a cross-cultural analysis of three modes of ‘controlling’ birth: contraception, reproductive violence and repro-genetic technologies. It argues that as fertility rates decline worldwide, the fervour to control fertility, and fertile bodies, does not dissipate; what evolves is the preferred mode of control. Although new technologies like those that assist conception or allow genetic selection may appear to be an antithesis of other violent versions of population control, this book demonstrates that both are part of the same continuum. All population control policies target and vilify women (Black women in particular), and coerce them into subjecting their bodies to state and medical surveillance; Birth controlled argues that assisted reproductive technologies and repro-genetic technologies employ a similar and stratified burden of blame and responsibility based on gender, race, class and caste. To empirically and historically ground the analysis, the book includes contributions from two postcolonial nations, South Africa and India, examining interactions between the history of colonialism and the economics of neoliberal markets and their influence on the technologies and politics of selective reproduction.The book provides a critical, interdisciplinary and cutting-edge dialogue around the interconnected issues that shape reproductive politics in an ostensibly ‘post-population control’ era. The contributions draw on a breadth of disciplines ranging from gender studies, sociology, medical anthropology, politics and science and technology studies to theology, public health and epidemiology, facilitating an interdisciplinary dialogue around the interconnected modes of controlling birth and practices of neo-eugenics.Table of ContentsForeword - Betsy HartmannIntroduction – Amrita PandePrologue: Malika Ndlovu Part I: Birth projects1 Birth Projects, Selective reproduction and neoliberal eugenics – Amrita Pande 2 Spectres of biological politics: conversations within and across South Asia – Sushmita Chatterjee, Deboleena Roy, Banu Subramaniam 3 Ved Garbh Vihar: Hindutva’s latest neo-eugenic repronational project – Vasudha Mohanka 4 Racialising ancient skeletons: how haplotypes are mobilised in the re-writing of origin stories in the Indian media – Devika Prakash5 Bio-power and assisted reproductive technologies in the global south: An ethical response from South Africa – Manitza KotzePart II: Birth violated6 Injectable contraceptives: technologies of power and language of rights – C. Sathyamala 7 Stratified and violent: young women’s experiences of access to reproductive health in southern Africa – Kezia Batisai8 The politics of naming: contested vocabularies of birth violence – Rachelle Chadwick9 Individuals, institutions, and the global political economy: unpacking intentionality in obstetric violence – Sreeparna ChattopadhyayPart III: Birth assisted10 ‘The first thing is to…survive’: Dalit feminist voices on reproductive rights in India – Johanna Gondouin, Suruchi Thapar-Björkert and Mohan Rao 11 Hamstrung by hardship: protecting egg donors’ reproductive labour in Kolkata, India – Meghna Mukherjee 12 The egg donation economy in South Africa: different levels of biopolitics – Verena Namberger 13 Subjects of scarcity: making white egg providers in the repro-hub of South Africa – Tessa Moll 14 The resurgence of eugenics through egg donation in South Africa: race as a central and ‘obvious’ choice – Rufaro Moyo Epilogue: Malika Ndlovu

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Amy''s book is everything I should have learned at school. It is a reminder to empower ourselves, in a world that still sadly lacks so much knowledge around women''s health, by getting to know our own bodies more intimately - with the help of technology built by women'' Emma Gannon''Moody is a fascinating and friendly guide for you to understand you better.'' Melissa Hemsley''Knowledge is power and this book equips you with the power to unlock potential and happiness.'' Poppy Jamie, author of Happy Not PerfectThere is a secret inside you which, once you understand it fully, has the capacity to unlock untold potential. Once you learn the science of your hormones, you will be able to harness it forever.Hormones were something Amy Thomson, founder and CEO of leading women''s health app and tech service Moody, never paid attention to, until one day her periods stopped and what had been an inconvenience each

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Informative, powerful' VOGUE'A fascinating and friendly guide for you to understand you better' MELISSA HEMSLEY'Amy's book is everything I should have learned at school' EMMA GANNONHormones were something Amy Thomson, founder and CEO of leading women's health app and tech service Moody, never paid attention to, until one day her periods stopped.When she discovered that her hormonal burnout was driven by stress, she quit her job and focused on trying to understand how our hormones can work for twenty-first-century survival. In this eye-opening guide, Thomson draws upon leading research from nutritionists, gynaecologists, endocrinologists, personal trainers and others to explain how understanding our systems and cycles can help you avoid burnouts, build better and healthier routines and optimise your life.Trade ReviewKnowledge is power and this book equips you with the power to unlock potential and happiness -- Poppy Jamie, author of Happy Not PerfectAs a woman, medical doctor and scientist I found Moody hugely illuminating -- Dr Tara SwartAn indispensable guide to reconnecting with your body -- Sharmadean ReidA holistic, practical guide... There is a wealth of insight from experts...to help you get to know your own body more intimately and feel empowered * Hello! *Amy Thomson is on a mission to make the conversation about hormones accessible * Waitrose Health *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Essential reading' Professor Kypros Nicolaides'Fills an important gap in understanding' Professor Robert WinstonHow well do you really know your body? How easy do you think it will be for you to get pregnant - or NOT to get pregnant? You've probably never really been educated about your reproductive years - perhaps you learnt everything you know from friends, or from the media, or online. You might be ready for a baby now; or, like so many other women, you might want to delay the birth of your first child while you establish your career. Perhaps you're thinking about freezing your eggs. Professor Joyce Harper is an internationally recognized expert on female fertility and fertility education, and in 12 chapters she covers the full scope of your reproductive years, from your first period to menopausal symptoms. Her straightforward, scientifically based advice will give you all the information you need to make informed decisions about your reproductive choices. Only when you really understand your menstrual cycle works can you optimise your lifestyle to get pregnant successfully - while being properly aware of how and when your fertility will decline. Your Fertile Years answers all your questions about things like egg freezing and IVF, and debunks not only the myths surrounding fertility treatment, but also the misinformation and scare stories that surround conception and pregnancy, including the bottom line on supplements, diet and holistic therapies. A shining beacon in the murky fertility landscape, this book will accompany you through your fertile years, giving you the guidance you need to make decisions that work for you, your family, your career and your body.Trade ReviewEssential reading. * Professor Kypros Nicolaides *Joyce Harper's book fills an important gap to help understanding. * Professor Robert Winston *"If you want to know anything about female fertility and women's health, just ask Joyce Harper! A force of nature, role model to women everywhere and a complete inspiration to me." * Jessica Hepburn, Founder of Fertility Fest, author of '21 Miles' and 'The Pursuit of Motherhood', first woman to complete the Pond to Peak challenge *"Professor Harper is a shining light in a murky fertility landscape. Her [scientific] knowledge makes her best placed to offer clarity for any woman struggling with the hormonal balance that we all endure. Had this book been available to me in my 30s I would have lapped it up." * Hannah Vaughan-Jones, CNN newsreader *A superbly crafted and up-to-date 'must read' * Catherine Racowsky, PhD, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School *A woman with an authentic voice, never afraid to tell people how it is, Joyce has all the ingredients to make this a much needed read in 2021 and beyond... There have been plenty of books written about women and reproduction, but none will be as informative as this one. * Shelley Silas, Playwright *This work is so important, and I can think of no-one better suited to ensure that we are all equipped to make more informed choices about our fertility than Joyce. I only wish that I had met her years ago! * Sarah Esdaile, Theatre and TV Director ('Eastenders') *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book provides comprehensive information on Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), its clinical considerations, outcomes and potential health effects. Male and female infertility is increasing all over the world. The basic techniques of assisted reproduction like ovulation control and intrauterine insemination are ineffective if the sperm quality or number is inadequate. The advanced fertilization techniques are in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and ICSI. In 15% cases of infertility, IVF results in total failed fertilization; therefore, ICSI must be used. Some clinics exclusively use ICSI for all infertility patients due to its reliability of fertilization outcome or to avoid total fertilization failure. ICSI was first used in humans in 1992. Since then, tremendous advances have been made in assisted reproductive technology. ICSI has enabled even those men who have rare sperm in their testes to father a biological child. If no sperm are observed in the ejaculate, in almost all cases, they can be recovered from the testicles. Such retrieved sperm can only be used by ICSI. Therefore, its understanding is essential not only for medical staff but also for patients suffering from infertility. This book is highly recommended for patients suffering from infertility or currently undergoing infertility treatment. It explains the factors affecting ICSI success rate. In ICSI, the embryologist picks a sperm for injection to fertilize oocytes whereas in intrauterine insemination and IVF, one sperm penetrates naturally. This manual selection of sperm has raised concerns especially in those patients suffering from severe male factor infertility. The nature of sperm defects varies and could be congenital, acquired or genetic. Children born through ICSI are, therefore, considered at higher risk of carrying the defect. Many investigations have been carried out to compare incidence of the defects between children conceived naturally and conceived through ICSI. Additional technologies have been developed to ensure the birth of a normal child. These include pre-implantation genetic testing and non-invasive prenatal testing. This book addresses these concerns and explains the health effects on children born through ICSI. This book is very useful for medical students, andrologists, embryologists, nurses or anyone else interested in learning basic or advanced knowledge of assisted reproductive technology, especially ICSI. The authors of the chapters of this book are highly experienced and from different parts of the world. Many of them are directing very busy ART laboratories at leading infertility clinics in the United States of America, Canada and the Middle East.Table of ContentsFor more information visit: https://novapublishers.com/shop/intracytoplasmic-sperm-injection-icsi-clinical-considerations-outcomes-and-potential-health-effects/

Read more less

Book SynopsisA judgment free explanation of men’s sexual health issues that will help men live a longer and more virile life.Breaking the barriers of silence and embarrassment, The Ultimate Guide to Male Sexual Health speaks candidly to straight men, gay men, lovers, partners, and wives. Drawing on fascinating case histories, board certified urologist Dr. Dudley Seth Danoff uses straightforward, easy-to-understand terms to offer a meticulous examination of the essentials of male sexual health, arousal, and anatomy. Written for men of all ages, this book dispels common male myths and provides nonjudgmental, practical, safe advice for banishing stress from the bedroom and making sex fun again. Whether readers are looking to improve their genital health, last longer, or overcome erectile dysfunction (ED), this guide will help them determine the fundamental causes of male problems using methods that fit their lifestyle and health profile. Readers will discover The facts about BPH and prostate cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, male menopause, steroid use, testosterone replacement, and penile enhancement The psychological and physical causes of ED The truth about "blue pills" and other medical and nonmedical options for treating ED Exercises and lifestyle changes for improving sexual control and confidence Instructions on how to achieve a healthy and active sex life Options for addressing physical problems and health-related issues If you are bored in the bedroom, struggling with the challenges of getting older, or even overcoming cancer or a heart condition, there is a solution. The first step is learning more about how the penis works—including the impact a man’s mind can have on his performance. This revolutionary guide will give men the confidence and ability to perform sexually in any situation at any age.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn The Garden of Fertility, certified fertility educator Katie Singer explains how easy it is to chart your fertility signals to determine when you are fertile and when you are not. Her Fertility Awareness method can be used to safely and effectively prevent or help achieve pregnancy, as well as monitor gynecological health. Singer offers practical information, illuminated with insightful personal stories, for every woman who wants to learn to live in concert with her body and to take care of her reproductive health naturally.The Garden of Fertility provides: Directions (and blank charts) for charting your fertility signals Instructions for preventing pregnancy naturally – a method virtually as effective as the Pill, with none of its side effects. Guidelines for timing intercourse to enhance your chances of conceiving without drugs or hormones Information to help you use your charts to gauge your reproductive health – to determine whether you’re ovulating; if you have a thyroid problem, low progesterone levels, or a propensity for PCOS or miscarriage; or if you’re pregnant Nutritional and nonmedical strategies for strengthening your gynecological health Clear descriptions of reproductive anatomy, hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle, and how conception occurs

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive book that offers invaluable step-by-step advice for families with donor-conceived children.Wendy Kramer, founder and director of the Donor Sibling Registry, and Naomi Cahn, family and reproductive law professor, have compiled a comprehensive and thorough guide for the growing community of families with donor-conceived children. Kramer and Cahn believe that all donor-conceived children?s desire to know their genetic family must be honored, and inFinding Our Families, they offer advice on how to foster healthy relationships within immediate families and their larger donor family networks based on openness and acceptance. With honesty and compassion, the authors offer thoughtful strategies and inspirational stories to help parents answer their own, and their children?s,questions and concerns that will surely arise, including: How to support your children?s curiosity and desire to know about their ancestry and genetic and medical background. How to help children integrate their birth story into a healthy self-image. How to help your children search for their donor or half siblings if and when they express interest in doing so. Finding Our Familiesopens up the lives of donor-conceived people who may be coping with uncertainty, thriving despite it, and finding novel ways to connect in this uncharted territory as they navigate the challenges and rewards of the world of donor conception.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book presents important and recent research on testosterone which is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. Testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females although small amounts are secreted by the adrenal glands. It is the principal male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid. In both males and females, it plays key roles in health and well-being. Examples include enhanced libido, energy, immune function, and protection against osteoporosis. On average, the adult male body produces about twenty times the amount of testosterone that an adult female''s body does.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPediatric Collections offers what you need to know - original, focused research in a snapshot approach. The teen pregnancy and birth rates have decreased in the US in the past 30 years due to factors such as the availability of more hormonal contraceptive options and delayed initiation of sexual intercourse. However, the US still has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates of industrialized countries. Moreover, disparities in teen pregnancy and birthrates still exist due mostly to social determinants of health. This all points to the increased need of pediatric providers to provide comprehensive reproductive health to all adolescents they care for. Now, more than ever, pediatric providers are counted on to provide evidence-based, comprehensive reproductive and sexual healthcare to the adolescents and young adults they care for. A pediatrician’s goal is to ensure all children grow to be the healthy, successful, and productive adults they were meant to be. Guiding them through the challenge of adolescence and providing comprehensive reproductive health care can help make that goal a reality.Table of ContentsIntroduction by Elizabeth Alderman, MD, FAAP 1 After “The Talk”: Adolescents’ Perspectives Reveal Need for Improvement in Hospital Sexual Health Care Delivery Original Article Original Publication February 1, 20232 Adolescent and Young Adult Menstrual Poverty: A Barrier to Contraceptive Choice Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice Original Publication January 1, 20233 Geographic Distribution of Clinical Care for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth Original Article Original Publication December 1, 20224 Improving HPV Vaccination Rates in a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Pediatric Population Quality Report Original Publication October 1, 20225 Dobbs v. Jackson Decision: It’s Time to Get Uncomfortable Perspectives Original Publication October 1, 20226 Options Counseling for the Pregnant Adolescent Patient Policy Statement Original Publication September 1, 20227 The Adolescent’s Right to Confidential Care When Considering Abortion Policy Statement Original Publication September 1, 20228 Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Trends Among Adolescents: 2015 to 2020 Original Article Original Publication July 1, 20229 Long-Acting Reversible Contraception: Specific Issues for Adolescents Clinical Report Original Publication August 1, 202010 Barrier Protection Use by Adolescents During Sexual Activity Technical Report Original Publication August 1, 202011 Emerging Issues in Male Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Clinical Report Original Publication May 1, 202012 Emergency Contraception Policy Statement Original Publication December 1, 2019

Read more less

Book SynopsisIVF is a major treatment in infertility when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed. The process involves hormonally controlling the ovulatory process, removing ova (eggs) from the woman''s ovaries and letting sperm fertilise them in a fluid medium. This book presents topical research in the study of in vitro fertilisation including management of chronic viral infections in assisted reproduction; posthumous sperm procurement; assisted reproductive technologies for serodiscordant couples with an HIV-1 infection and the impact of laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy for infertile women with endometriomas prior to IVF/ICSI cycles.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this book the authors present current research in the study of spermatozoa. This compilation focuses on the biology, motility and function and chromosomal abnormalities of spermatozoa. Topics discussed are the epigenetic mechanisms in mammalian male germline; biological characteristics of sperm in two oyster species; sub-cellular dynamics occurring during capacitation of mammalian spermatozoa; new perspectives on the study of prion and prion-like proteins; meiotic segregation studies in spermatozoa of males carrying a structural chromosome abnormality; testicular germ cell apoptosis during orchitis; the influence of leukocytospermia on semen parameters; and spermatozoa motility and morphology.

Read more less

Book Synopsis“My work offers a window into the darkest and lightest corners of people’s lives, into the extremes of human experience,” writes Dr. Chavi Eve Karkowsky in High Risk, her timely and unflinching account of working in maternal-fetal medicine—that branch of medicine that concerns high-risk pregnancies. Whether offering insight into the rise in home births, the alarming rise in America’s maternal mortality rate, or the history of involuntary sterilization, Karkowsky offers a window into all that pregnancy, labor, and birth can entail—birth and joy, but also challenge and loss—illustrating the complexity of reproductive life and the systems that surround it. With historical insight and journalistic verve, Karkowsky unpacks what is involved for women, for a family, and for us as a society; and explores what’s at risk when these aspects of medicine remain clouded in mystery and misinformation.Trade Review"Pregnancies don’t always end up happily ever after, even in the skilled hands of a maternal-fetal medicine physician like Karkowsky. . . . [S]he provides a great deal of helpful information, carefully explaining an alphabet soup of acronyms . . . [S]he spells out why some pre-existing conditions in pregnant moms can lead to problems. . . . It’s reassuring to know that maternal deaths are rare and that doctors try so hard to help at-risk moms and their babies meet the odds." -- Karen Springen, Booklist"In addition to graphic accounts of complications, Karkowsky also examines how pregnancy care is evolving—not always for the better.... Karkowsky urges better communication between doctors and nurses and doctors and patients, especially in conveying tragic news. She also makes frequent references to her own experiences as a wife and mother, subject to some of the risks she describes. A solid primer on pregnancy risks as well as a cogent plea for progress to make childbirth even less perilous." -- Kirkus Reviews"As a physician and mother expecting my second child, I found this book to portray pregnancy as the nuanced and poignant experience that it is. A compelling and engaging read." -- Dr. Leana Wen, physician, professor, and former President/CEO of Planned Parenthood"Dr. Karkowsky unflinchingly probes the expectations, precedents, myths, realities, and curveballs of modern pregnancy and delivery. This book is a significant contribution to the discourse about women’s health and medicine today." -- Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, author of When We Do Harm"Profound, gripping, unsparing, and compassionate, High Risk offers a nuanced examination of issues that impact so many of us, from a perspective we almost never get to hear. This is an important book that shines a critical light on the medicine and systems surrounding pregnancy and birth." -- Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author of Nurture the Wow"What a gift to find a voice like Dr. Karkowsky's in the literary conversation around birth. Her humility, introspection, self-examination, and expertise is precisely what we need from our most highly trained specialists.… A fascinating dispatch from the front lines of high-risk obstetrics." -- Elisa Albert, author of After Birth"Dr. Karkowsky knows her subject from the inside, and shows us, both through her narratives and her wise reflections on them, just why such 'knowledge is powerful and painful and damaging, but it's also powerful and healing and wonderful.'… Every doctor, medical student, and prospective parent should read it." -- Terrence Holt, author of Internal Medicine"An edifying and utterly enthralling meditation on the joys and sorrows of being a doctor at the frontlines of high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Chavi Eve Karkowsky is a clinician who loves what she does, who grapples with tough decisions and who cares deeply about women’s reproductive health…This book should be mandatory reading for any woman who has been pregnant or considering pregnancy and everyone who provides health care to women.”" -- Randi H. Epstein, author of Aroused

Read more less

Book SynopsisSpermatogenesis is a tightly regulated cellular renovation and differentiation process. It consists of self-renewal and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), spermatocytic meiosis and spermiogenesis; each of these processes is essential to the continuous, successful production of male gametes. During spermiogenesis, haploid spermatids undergo extensive cellular, molecular and morphological changes, including acrosome biogenesis, flagellum development, cytoplasmic reorganization and chromatin condensation. These changes ultimately result in mature spermatozoa with an acrosome-covered head and motile tail. In this book, Chapter One summarizes the progress that has been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying acrosome biogenesis, and the authors discuss the potential directions of future investigations of this process. Chapter Two briefly addresses the basics of spermatogenesis and the synthesis of ncRNAs, and then the authors discuss the recent progress in understanding of the functions of miRNAs, endo-siRNAs, piRNAs and lncRNAs in the regulation of spermatogenesis. Chapter Three provides a review of the current literature on testicular immunoregulation and its underlying mechanisms, along with its effect on testicular functions.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGod of Sperm tells the remarkable story of Dr. Cappy Miles Rothman, the son of notorious gangster Norman "Roughhouse" Rothman, who went on to become a trailblazer in the field of reproductive medicine. Rothman started the California Cryobank, one of the world's largest repositories of reproductive genetic material and cord-blood stem cells. Among other achievements, Rothman also pioneered the use of microsurgery in urological procedures, postmortem sperm retrieval techniques, and was one of the first practitioners of andrology, a specialty dealing with male reproductive biology and medicine. How Cappy Rothman went from Mafia scion and man-about-town during the postwar Miami Beach--Havana era of gangster chic to one of the most consequential figures in modern medicine is an epic, only-in-America tale that is also a fine reminder of the broad horizons and wild possibilities life in the U.S. can offer. Trade Review"This is the rare biography of modern medical legend that you won’t want to put down before you finish."—Lee Silver, Professor Emeritus, Princeton University"It was not until I read this autobiography...did I realize his incredible journey, which was fueled by a passion to do what all physicians give oath to do--relieve suffering. The pain, and many times depression of a barren woman, had been greatly underestimated and even neglected."—Roger Hadley, Dean Emeritus, Loma Linda University"From the son of a mobster to the King of Sperm, Cappy Rothman is a larger than life character who forever changed the field of infertility medicine. A quarter million people owe their children to this one man. And Joe Donnelly tells his story perfectly. A great, fun read!"—Steven Kotler, New York Times–bestselling author of The Art of Impossible and The Rise of Superman“Dr. Cappy Rothman’s career is without parallel in modern medicine. Do you know any physician who actually started a brand new medical specialty, has been responsible for bringing a quarter million babies into the world to parents who had been told they were infertile and was a master microsurgeon capable of procedures that solidified an international reputation as a celebrated teacher and role model? This brilliantly written and thoroughly engaging true story would be an incredible read, even if all it dealt with was Rothman’s medical career. But there’s more. Before Rothman ever thought about medical school he spent a lot of time with his dad, “Roughhouse” Rothman, a major Mafia figure who, among many other things, worked with the notorious Meyer Lansky setting up the mob’s operations in Batista’s Cuba! A wild ride of a story that you’ll have a tough time putting down!” —Irwin Redlener, M.D., Columbia University

Read more less

Book SynopsisRapidly developing technology also gives direction to our lives in the field of health and medicine. New developments are taking both diagnosis and treatment possibilities to places we could not predict before. The development of tissues and organs in a laboratory environment is one of these developments. This issue, which came to the fore with the introduction of 3D printers into our lives, has now started to mature and experiment in the field of medicine. Using a technology similar to 3D printing that fundamentally changes therapeutic possibilities, bioprinting uses a digital file as a blueprint to produce biomedical parts that closely mimic the properties of natural tissue. Engineered textures are created by layering biomaterials and/or living cells, collectively called bioinks. Transplanting the tissues or organs obtained to the needy patient also prevents possible undesirable situations such as tissue and organ rejection. This book on bioprinting aims to present the basics of bioprinting and its use in major tissues to the reader with the latest developments.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe ebook edition of this title is Open Access, thanks to Knowledge Unlatched funding, and freely available to read online. Shortlisted for the Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness Book Prize 2021 Growing numbers of women around the world are now accessing social egg freezing: a fertility extension technology which is enabling some women to extend their fertility and reproductive timelines when faced with age-related fertility decline. This book explores the accounts and experiences of some of the pioneering users of this technology in the UK and the USA. Drawing on theories and concepts across medical sociology and parenting culture studies, as well as literature from demography, anthropology, law, and bioethics, this book examines women’s motivations and experiences of social egg freezing in the context of debates surrounding reproductive choice and delayed motherhood. The book also delves into the broader sociological questions raised by this technology in relation to the gendered burden of appropriately timed parenthood, the medicalisation of women’s bodies in the reproductive domain and the further entrenchment of the geneticisation of society. It also considers the sexual politics underpinning the timing of parenthood, relationship formation and progression, and the way in which reproductive and parenting ideals, values and expectations can come in to conflict with the biological and relational realities of women’s lives.Trade ReviewBaldwin's book draws from an exploratory sociological research study which explored the accounts of 31 female users of "social egg-freezing". Her cohort was comprised of women who were either about to undergo social egg freezing or had attempted or completed the process. The term "social egg freezing" signals the socially constituted nature of this technology and demonstrates how women's use of egg freezing as a form of fertility extension and genetic conservation was inherently socially situated. She investigates the way in which users of this technology determine and negotiate their mothering desires, which are mediated and constrained not only by wider socio-political and market contexts but also by their intimate encounters with (non)reproductive partners. Baldwin reveals pressures and burdens that reproductive technology can place upon women to draw upon and navigate these technologies in the pursuit of greater reproductive choice and control and in the process of family building. -- Annotation ©2019 * (protoview.com) *Table of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Contemporary Debates in Social Egg Freezing Chapter 3. Timing Motherhood Chapter 4. Performing Parenthood Chapter 5. Motivations for Social Egg Freezing Chapter 6. The Experience of Freezing Eggs for Social Reasons Chapter 7. Negotiating Parenthood: Men, Intimate Relationships and Childbearing Chapter 8. Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn account from the frontline of fertility treatment, giving a unique insight into not only the medical and scientific advances involved but the human cost and rewards behind this life-changing technology.Simon Fishel worked with Robert Edwards during his pioneering early IVF research and was part of the team in the world’s first IVF clinic, with all the trials and tribulations that involved at the time, including a writ for murder! As the science developed over the decades so did his career, as he sought to do more for patients and taught the new technologies to doctors all over the world. He came up against regulatory and establishment barriers, including fighting a 3-year legal case in the High Court of Justice and a death threat from a doctor if he refused to work with him. The clinic he founded has grown into the largest IVF group in the UK, developing exciting new procedures, and he has helped establish clinics throughout the world, even being invited to introduce IVF to China.Trade Review"I've enjoyed many medical memoirs, and have read quite a few about the miracle of birth-but these were midwife memoirs. This one starts way before actual births and tells of the growth of IVF treatment. It was a fascinating read. Simon Fishel originally worked with Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe, pioneers in IVF treatment. He later set up an IVF unit in a hospital in Nottingham. You hear of so many couples having IVF treatment now-relatives, friends; so it was interesting to go back to its infancy. There were amazing advances made-whilst at the same time they suffered much opposition to what they were doing. This book is not just about miracle babies, there would be many hurdles and surprising events I didn't envisage too. The book contains photos and news clippings." Julie Haigh"A remarkable and open account of the early years of IVF." Mrs A * Amazon.co.uk *Table of ContentsList of Figures Foreword Special Note 1. Nobody Said It Would Be Easy 2. Bourn Hall: The World’s First IVF Clinic 1980–1985 3. Beginnings 1953–1980 4. Nottingham to Rome and Back 1985–1991 5. The Nurture Years 1991–1997 6. Bankruptcy Looms 1997–2001 7. CARE: The Battle for Miracles Continues 1997–Present 8. The DNA of IVF 9. The Legacy of IVF About the Author . Acknowledgements

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat is expected of 21st Century egg and sperm donors, and how does being a donor impact on men and women’s own personal lives and relationships? How do donors navigate connections and relationships created by donation? What do these connections mean to them, and to the people around them –their partners, parents, siblings and children? Donor conception is becoming increasingly widespread and since the new millennium, we have witnessed a dramatic shift in the way that donor conception is regulated and practiced in many jurisdictions around the world. In the past, donor conception has often been a family secret and donors were, almost by definition, anonymous. Now, ‘openness’ is seen as the ideal and donors can expect to be traced or contacted by those born from their donations. But what does this shift mean for donors, and their families? This path-breaking book draws on in-depth interviews with donors, their kin and fertility counsellors, and addresses these questions by analysing how understandings of donation are shaped by the regulatory, cultural and relational contexts in which they are formed. The authors also discuss what donation stories can tell us about contemporary understandings of connectedness, time and morality in the context of reproduction and family life, and consider how reproductive ‘openness’ might be done differently.Trade Review. . . a timely and valuable addition to the existing literature on (donor-)ARTs. It offers unique perspectives and weaves together a coherent narrative in which each part builds on each other. The book will undoubtedly resonate with many scholars and students of the sociology of health and illness interested in donation and social relations. -- Riikka Homanen, Gender Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, FinlandTable of ContentsChapter 1. Donation in UK law and policy: Sociological critique and perspectives Chapter 2. Pathways to donation Chapter 3. Making parents and making people: The ambivalent role of ‘good’ donors Chapter 4. The morality of neutrality: The promise and problems of ‘letting others lead’ Chapter 5. A sense of affinity: The donor-recipient connection Chapter 6. Whose story is it? Donors, their families and the relational impact of donating Conclusion. Being an egg or sperm donor in an age of openness Insights for law and policy. Implications of doing ‘openness’ differently Appendix 1. Interview study with donors, donors’ relatives and fertility counsellors Appendix 2. Mapping the law and policy context

Read more less

Book SynopsisDeclining global male fertility rates has generated increased attention on male fertility in recent years. Simultaneously, individualised responsibility for health has been growing. Fertility and lifestyle have therefore become seemingly intertwined. Esmée Sinéad Hanna and Brendan Gough examine men’s experiences of fertility and lifestyle practices, exploring personal experiences of the role of lifestyle in the quest for conception as well as the broader promotion of ‘lifestyle’ within both clinical and online material as a key aspect for ‘improving’ male fertility. Through the exploration of male fertility and lifestyle factors and their modification we examine the growth of healthism around infertility, the role of neoliberalism within this and how this intersects with masculinity. Using a new notion of liquid masculinity, we explore the fluid nature of societal and personal perspectives on the male infertility experience. In doing so we offer new insights into the now accepted idea that ‘sperm’ is malleable and that fertility controllable through personal choices, despite their being limited scientific evidence for such claims.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction: (In) Fertile bodies Chapter 2. Clinical evidence and guidelines for men experiencing infertility: An umbrella review Chapter 3. Discourses of fertility and lifestyle change for men online Chapter 4. Are men modifying their lifestyles to optimise fertility success? Chapter 5. There’s so much bollocks’: Men navigating lifestyle advice for infertility Chapter 6. Liquid masculinity: The fluid nature of masculinity in the context of male fertility body projects Chapter 7. Conclusions

Read more less

Book SynopsisEstablishing the study of multiple pregnancy and the perinatal care of children from multiple births as a recognized specialty within maternal-fetal medicine, the first edition of Multiple Pregnancy was a landmark publication. Fully revised, this new Second Edition has been expanded to include more on epidemiology, biologic mechanisms, the impact of infertility treatments, prenatal diagnosis, and fetal therapy. The book presents all facets of the clinical, psychosocial, and practical issues of multiple gestation and the care of multiplets.Table of ContentsIntroduction. Biology. Epidemiology. Diagnosis and General Considerations. Assessment and Management of Fetal Well-Being. Antepartum Considerations. Postpartum Considerations. Childhood Growth and Development. Parental Concerns. Resources. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book describes the principles and skills of counselling. It provides practical guidelines which show, by example how to communicate effectively, how to offer counselling and support, and how to face and deal with difficult situations. Detailed attention is given to issues such as preparing women for surgery, breaking bad news, and providing information and support before, during and after childbirth.Table of Contents1. Theories and Practices. 2. Experiences of reproductive problems. 3. Counselling. 4. Initial contact. 5. Providing information and support. 6. New perspectives and problem solving. 7. Conclusions.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith contributions from: Eric Blyth, Ken Daniels, Julia Feast, Robert Lee, Nina Martin, Alexina McWhinnie, Derek Morgan, Clare Murray, Sharon Pettle, Claire Potter, Jim Richards and Francoise Shenfield The separation of procreation from conception has broadened notions of parenthood and created novel dilemmas. A woman may carry a foetus derived from gametes neither or only one of which came from her or her partner; or she may carry a foetus created using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with the purpose of handing it to two other parents one, neither or both of whom may be genetically related to the prospective child. Parents may consist of single-sex couples, only one of them genetically related to the child; the prospective mother may be past her menopause; and genetic parenthood after death is now achievable. In a world increasingly reliant on medical science, how can the argument that equates traditional with natural and novel with unnatural/unethical be justified? Should there be legislation, which is notoriously slow to change, in a field driven by dazzling new possibilities at ever faster rate; particularly when restrictions differ from country to country, so that those who can afford it travel elsewhere for their treatment of choice? Whose rights are paramount - the adults hoping to build a family or the prospective child(ren)s future well being? On what basis can apparently competing rights be regulated or adjudicated and how and to what extent can these be enforced in practice?Table of ContentsContributors. Foreword (Professor Susan Golombok). Introduction. Chapter 1: Assisted human reproduction: contemporary policy and practice in the UK (Eric Blyth, Nina Martin and Claire Potter). Chapter 2: Issues of gamete donation and sex selection: a clinician's view (Francoise Shenfield). Chapter 3: Ethical issues - the major faiths: a personal view (Jim Richards). Chapter 4: Human reproduction and human rights (Derek Morgan and Robert G. Lee). Chapter 5: Donor-assisted conception: what can we learn from adoption? (Julia Feast). Chapter 6: Children raised in assisted human reproduction families: the evidence (Clare Murray). Chapter 7: Disclosure and development: 'taking the bady home was just the beginning' (Alexina M. McWhinnie). Chapter 8: Psychological therapy and counselling with individuals and families afrter donor conception (Sharon A. Pettle). Chapter 9: Policy development in third party reproduction: an international perspective (Ken Daniels). Appendix: Resources. Index.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisHere are 120 multiple choice questions on family planning and reproductive health care. Each question has been carefully selected to reflect the syllabus of the new Part 1 examination for Membership of the Faculty of Family Planning and Reproductive Healthcare (MFFP). Almost all the questions are accompanied by an extented answer. In this way, as well as providing a useful revision aid for examinations, the book is also educationally stimulating for anyone wishing to improve and test their knowledge of family planning and reproductive healthcare. The questions have been divided in three major sections: Applied Sciences; Contraception; and Reproductive Healthcare. This book will be an ideal training and revision tool for candidates for the professional exams such as the new MFFP as well as the MRCOG and MRCGP. It will also provide a useful aid to anyone who wishes to update their understanding of these important topics in reproductive medicine.Table of ContentsApplied sciences; contraception; reproductive healthcare.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSurrogacy is heavily promoted by the stagnating IVF industry which seeks new markets for women over 40, and gay men who believe they have a ‘right’ to their own children and ‘family foundation’. Pro-surrogacy groups in rich countries such as Australia and Western Europe lobby for the shift to commercial surrogacy. Their capitalist neo-liberal argument is that a well-regulated fertility industry would avoid the exploitative practices of poor countries. Central to the project of transnational surrogacy is the ideology that legalised commercial surrogacy is a legitimate means to provide infertile couples and gay men with children who share all or part of their genes. Women, without whose bodies this project is not possible are reduced to incubators, to ovens, to suitcases. And the ‘product child’ is a tradable commodity who has never consented to being a ‘take away baby’: removed from their birth mother and given to strangers aka ‘intended parents’. Still, those in favour of this practice of reproductive slavery speak of ‘Fair Trade International Surrogacy’ and ‘responsible surrogacy’.Trade Review"Renate Klein is a national treasure. Where's her OA medal for services to women? This new book adds to her impressive list of publications in which she fiercely defends women's safety and bodily integrity." Selena Ewing, October 2017In a stimulating article at mercatornet.com Selena Ewing discusses Renate Klein's book. Her article's title is 'The suffering of surrogacy: A veteran feminist spells it out'. Selena Ewing is a freelance researcher and writer with 20 years of experience in researching, writing and speaking about public health, bioethics, and womens health.

Read more less

Book SynopsisEach of the 6 units of PROLOG addresses a major area in obstetrics and gynecology and consists of two parts - an assessment book and a critique book. Put your knowledge to the test and earn 25 CME credits for this volume! On completion, users of this unit should be able to: Screen with appropriate diagnostic tests for endocrinology and infertility conditions. Determine the appropriate medical management to address infertility. Understand the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian-uterine axis. Apply concepts of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian-uterine axis when considering medical therapy. Understand the basics of assisted reproductive technology. Counsel women regarding treatment options for primary and secondary amenorrhea and infertility.

Read more less

Book SynopsisEach of the 6 units of PROLOG addresses a major area in obstetrics and gynecology and consists of two parts - an assessment book and a critique book. Put your knowledge to the test and earn 14 CME credits for this volume!This edition contains a critique book and an assessment book. The assessment for this edition is available online, and can be purchased at acog.org/prologexam.On completion, users of this unit should be able to: Discuss normal pelvic anatomy and physiology and how alterations in anatomy and physiology contribute to development of pelvic floor disorders. Identify the pathophysiologic and epidemiologic factors that contribute to pelvic floor disorders in women. Associate symptom bother and quality of life impact of different pelvic floor disorders, determine appropriate diagnostic workups, and select accurate diagnoses. Associate pelvic floor symptoms with corresponding signs on examination and testing to ensure accurate diagnoses. Discuss the alternative surgical and nonsurgical treatment options for pelvic floor disorders and identify common complications of therapy. Apply knowledge of anatomy and appropriate surgical techniques in the surgical treatment of pelvic floor disorders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume retains much of the original text from the previous edition, including explanations of forceps devices and techniques. It also provides the latest College guidelines, a chapter on vacuum-assisted deliveries, and information on the current and changing status of forceps deliveries.

Read more less

Book SynopsisUNDERSTAND THE BIG ISSUE DIVIDING OUR NATION “Every political fight will eventually be an abortion fight,” stated The Daily Beast in 2017. Gallup polls confirm that abortion rights versus the right to life remains the most contentious debate in American society. Shouldn’t we discard the talking points and examine why it all matters? In SUPREMELY WRONG, Dr. Brent Boles provides an insider’s survey of the issues at stake. From helping his patients left mistreated by the abortion industry, to testifying before state legislators, firsthand accounts from this practicing OB/GYN reveal injustice at large in America. Dr. Boles opens the leading embryology textbooks to show what science says about when life begins. He exposes how the silence of the church and two-faced politicians have contributed to the national loss of nearly one million babies in the womb annually. He even shares transparently of his own pain and regret, which today fuels a life-saving mission. Applying principles of medical ethics to challenge popular pro-choice rhetoric, SUPREMELY WRONG advances the national dialogue on life issues with surprising stories and accessible logic. It’s more than research that resounds with truth. It’s a call to action.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe phenomenon of transnational adoption is changing in the age of globalization and biotechnology. In Legitimating Life, Sonja van Wichelen boldly describes how contemporary justifications of cross-border adoption navigate between child welfare, humanitarianism, family making, capitalism, science, and health. Focusing on contemporary institutional practices of adoption in the United States and the Netherlands, she traces how professionals, bureaucrats, lawyers, politicians, social workers, and experts legitimate a practice that became progressively controversial. Throughout the past few decades transnational adoption transformed from a humanitarian response to a means of making family. In this new manifestation, life becomes necessarily economized. While push and pull factors, demand and supply dynamics, and competition between agencies set the stage for the globalization of adoption, international conventions, scientific knowledge, and the language of human rights universalized the phenomenon. Van Wichelen argues that such technoscientific legitimations of a globalizing practice are rearticulating colonial logics of race and civilization. Yet, she also lets us see beyond the biopolitical project and into alternative ways of making kin. Trade Review“In Legitimating Life, Sonja van Wichelen provides a comprehensive analysis of the transformation of international adoption into a technology of reproduction through the imposition of a legal 'clean break' that decouples the child from its family and community of origin so that it can become a global resource for producing 'as-if-begotten' families in Europe and North America. Legitimating Life makes a compelling case for a new politics of international adoption that opens up a landscape for 'the doing and desiring of kinship otherwise,' even as it secures the right of every child to family life, as mandated by international law.” -- Barbara Yngvesson * author of Belonging in an Adopted World: Race, Identity, and Transnational Adoption *"Van Wichelen offers a captivating and capacious framework for understanding global reproduction and modern family formation. Using ethnographic moments in international adoption as a launch point, she develops a sophisticated critique of the interrelations among humanitarianism, rights, and biomedicalization." -- Sara Dorow * author of Transnational Adoption: A Cultural Economy of Race, Gender, and Kinship *Table of ContentsContents List of figures, tables and images Acknowledgements Introduction: Adoption in the Age of Globalization and Biotechnology The Ethical Market: Between Reproduction and Humanitarianism Double Movements: International Law as Transparency Device Valuing Bodies: Somatic Ethics in the Biomedicalization of Adoption Grievable Lives: The Adoptee and the Child Migrant Economies of Return: Openness, Knowledge, Relations Conclusion: Legitimating Life Bibliography Index

Read more less