Sesh Kamal Sunkara MBBS, MD, FRCOG Senior Clinical Lecturer in Reproductive Medicine Department of Women’s Health King’s College London; Consultant Gynaecologist and Subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine King’s Fertility London UK
Alastair G. Sutcliffe MB, ChB, MD, PhD Professor of General Paediatrics The UCL and Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health London UK
Brad B. Swelstad MD Clinical and Research Fellow Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland USA
Teddy Tadros MD IVF Specialist Center of Reproductive Medicine and Genetics Aboujaoude Hospital Beirut Lebanon
Jennifer Tamblyn MBChB, BMedSci (Hons), PhD Clinical Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research University of Birmingham Birmingham UK
Omar Taso MD, JBOG Senior Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology Fellow in Feto‐Maternal Medicine King Hussein Medical Centre Amman Jordan
Alison Taylor MBBS, MD, MRCOG Consultant Gynaecologist and Subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine Lister Fertility Clinic Lister Hospital London UK
Kelton Tremellen MBBS(Hons), PhD, FRANZCOG, CREI Professor of Reproductive Medicine Department of Obstetrics Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine Flinders University Bedford Park Australia
Volkan Turan MD Associate Professor İstanbul Üsküdar University School of Medicine Istanbul Turkey
Jenna Turocy MD Fellow in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Columbia University Irving Medical Center New York, New York USA
Martyn Underwood MBChB, MRCOG, BSCCP Consultant Gynaecologist and Care Group Medical Director for Women and Children Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust Shrewsbury UK
Bulent Urman MD Professor Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Koc University School of Medicine Istanbul Turkey
Usha Verma MD Professor and Director Division of Gynecology Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Miami/Miller School of Medicine Miami, Florida USA
Kugajeevan Vigneswaran MRCOG Subspecialty Trainee in Reproductive Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology King’s College Hospital London UK
Lynn M. Westphal MD, FACOG Professor Emerita of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Stanford University Stanford, California USA
Carla Ball White Administrator Fertility Institute of New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana USA
Kayhan Yakin MD, PhD Professor Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Koc University School of Medicine Istanbul Turkey
Kaoru Yanagida MD, PhD Professor and Director Center for Infertility and IVF International University of Health and Welfare Hospital Otawara Tochigi Japan
A. Albert Yuzpe MD, MSc, FRCS(C) Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; Co‐Director, Genesis Fertility Centre Vancouver, British Columbia Canada
Armand Zini MD Professor Department of Surgery McGill University Montreal Canada
Preface to the second edition
Since the first edition of this book 9 years ago, the number of in vitro fertilization babies in the world has doubled to over 8 million. New challenges have emerged, and new approaches to many old challenges have been proposed. A new edition is now due.
We were heartened to see the first edition being used as study material in numerous assisted reproduction techniques (ART) training programs and workshops all over the world. Moreover, we were humbled by many of our established colleagues telling us that they frequently refer to the book during their clinical work. In fact, this is exactly why we had written the book: to help ART practitioners successfully navigate the various day‐to‐day challenges in looking after their patients, based on the best available evidence.
More evidence has accumulated since the first edition, and all chapters have been updated, with the addition of new ones. As well as covering the counseling, medical, surgical and laboratory steps of ART, this edition also addresses training issues, organizational and business skills, and social media use.
Khaldoun Sharif, Amman, JordanArri Coomarasamy, Birmingham, UK2021
Preface to the first edition
Louise Brown, the world’s first baby conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF), was born on July 25, 1978, in Oldham, England. Since then, in a relatively short time in terms of scientific evolution, over 4 million babies have been born worldwide from IVF treatment.
IVF and other assisted reproduction techniques (ART) involve counseling, medical, surgical and laboratory steps, all contributing to the eventual potential success of the process. As sure as night follows day, at each step various challenges could be encountered.
The aim of this book is to stimulate resourceful thinking in the ART practitioner when dealing with those challenges, by outlining various management options, the reasoning behind them, and the evidence on which they are based. The practitioner would then be better equipped to choose the most suitable solution that best fits the needs of each particular patient.
Khaldoun Sharif, Amman, JordanArri Coomarasamy, Birmingham, UK2012
How to use this book
This is intended to be a highly practical manual, providing viable solutions to real‐life ART problems. To this end, the major sections of the book have been written mirroring the patient’s journey in the ART process. In addition, each chapter has been written concisely, starting with one or more case histories outlining the problem, followed by a discussion on how the problem occurred, how it could have been prevented, what management options are available, and the reasoning and evidence behind them.
Also, high‐quality medical care involves not only doing the right thing but also explaining it clearly to patients and answering their questions. Accordingly, we have included in each chapter a list of patients’ questions and their suggested answers.
How will you get the most out of this book? We suggest you read the case history and work out some management solutions yourself before reading the rest of the chapter. Compare and contrast your solutions with the options provided in the book. Discuss with your colleagues – seniors and juniors; nurses, counselors, embryologists, and clinicians.
Abbreviations
| ABOG | American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology |
| ACOG | American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists |
| ACS | acute coronary syndrome |
| ADHD | attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder |
| AFC |
antral follicle count
|