Infertility in the Modern World: Present And Future Prospects (Biosocial Society Symposium Series)
Cambridge University Press, 11/30/2000
EAN 9780521643870, ISBN10: 0521643872
Paperback, 278 pages, 22.8 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm
Language: English
As we enter the twenty-first century, a number of medical, environmental and social changes have profoundly affected human reproduction. This book discusses some of the more dramatic changes in an accessible manner, illustrating the ways in which human biology and culture can affect fertility and providing a unique interdisciplinary perspective on the subject. Topics include medical technologies that equip us with potential cures for many causes of infertility; diseases such as AIDS that have a devastating impact on the reproductive and social lives of humans, particularly in areas with limited access to medical care; increasing industrialisation and the development of fabricated materials that pollute our environment in unforeseen ways with possibly devastating effects on human health and fertility; and, finally, social revolutions that profoundly alter human relationships, such as non-marital unions between heterosexual couples, same-sex relationships, adoption and surrogacy which are becoming increasingly common.
1. Introduction G. R. Bentley and C. G. Nicholas Mascie-Taylor
Part I. Biomedical Perspectives on Fertility
2. Reproductive possibilities for infertile couples
present and future S. Fishel, K. Dowell and S. Thornton
3. Genetic influences on human infertility A. H. Bittles and P. L. Matson
Part II. Environmental Influences on Fertility
4. Environmental pollutants and fertility G. R. Bentley
5. From STD epidemics to AIDS
a socio-demographic and epidemiologic perspective on Sub-Saharan Africa J. C. Caldwell and P. Caldwell
Part III. Social Perspectives on Infertility
6. Voluntary childlessness
trends and implications F. McAllister and L. Clarke
7. Sexual orientation and fertility C. J. Patterson and L. V. Friel.