UNDERSTANDING FERTILITY AND INFERTILITY: The Sourcebook for Reproductive Problems, Treatments, and Issues

As couples have children later and later in life, more are experiencing the difficulties of either conceiving or carrying a baby to full term. This volume by medical writer Turkington and Alper, medical director at Boston IVF, deals with the conditions, issues and treatments available. The book first lays out the possible reasons and diagnoses for both male and female infertility, then moves quickly to the tests available to indicate the different conditions of fertility. Use of fertility drugs are the most common remedy, and a full chapter is devoted to medications available, their uses and side effects. Assisted reproductive treatments are also covered in detail along with the options of donor eggs and corrective surgery. However, even with all the knowledge and technology available, many will still be unable to have a baby, and the book addresses this issue along with the alternative options of surrogacy and adoption. Much of the volume is devoted to an A-Z section that references conditions and treatments and terminology, from the effect of caffeine to an explanation of what an endocrinologist does. A set of appendixes completes the volume and offers helpful information on organizations and hotlines, as well as a bibliography and a list of infertility clinics. This excellent resource provides an easy-to-read manual in what has become a growing medical field. (July)