Reconstructing Robert Edwards: biography and the history of reproduction.

This commentary assesses Let There Be Life: An Intimate Portrait of Robert Edwards and His IVF Revolution by Roger Gosden (Jamestowne Bookworks, Williamsburg, VA, 2019, xxix + 359 pp., £15.99 / $19.99), an authorized biography of the IVF pioneer who founded this journal. It reflects on the challenges of placing Edwards in the history of studying reproduction, especially the rise of interest in infertility. It analyses Gosden's narrative choices and practices of reconstruction, in particular of experiences of seeing human eggs, embryos and fetuses. And it suggests that further research should explore the full spectrum of communication around Edwards with a view to illuminating the roles of scientists in transforming reproduction and to feeding back into a richer view of his life.

[The roots of sexual medicine in Germany : A personal retrospective]. / Anfänge einer Sexualmedizin in Deutschland : Ein persönlicher Rückblick.

The first steps toward an academic sexual medicine were made half a century ago in the Federal Republic of Germany. After the so-called sexual revolution, the first approaches to an academicization of the field of sexual science were located in Hamburg and Frankfurt, where independent institutes and chairs were set up. Through empirical studies, the ignorance of physicians and medical students in sexuality-related topics could be demonstrated and subsequently addressed. In the early 1970s a journal named Sexualmedizin was founded, the first education courses for physicians in sexual medicine were held and in Frankfurt the first "special" university outpatient clinic in the country was opened with a department for sexual science. During the following decades, several textbooks were published and the professional training of physicians was expanded. As a university specialty, however, sexual medicine is still one of the most threatened medical subjects, being represented in only a few German faculties.Prof. Dr. Volkmar Sigusch, a pioneer of modern sexual research, looks back on events and personal experiences and gives an overview of the actors and sexual-scientific publications of the time.

Oncofertility: a grand collaboration between reproductive medicine and oncology.

In 2007, I was asked by the University of Calgary to participate in a symposium called 'Pushing the Boundaries--Advances that Will Change the World in 20 Years'. My topic was oncofertility, a word I had just coined to describe the intersection of two disciplines--oncology and fertility--and I was thrilled to share my passion for this new field and help young women with cancer protect their future reproductive health. Fertility preservation in the cancer setting lacked a concerted effort to bridge the disciplines in an organized manner. In early 2015, I was delighted to deliver a presentation for the Society for Reproduction and Fertility titled 'Sex in Three Cities', where I gave an update on the oncofertility movement, a remarkable cross-disciplinary, global collaboration created to address the fertility preservation needs of young cancer patients. During my tour of the UK, I was impressed by the interest among the society and its members to engage colleagues outside the discipline as well as the public in a dialogue about cutting-edge reproductive science. In this invited review, I will describe the work of the Oncofertility Consortium to provide fertility preservation options in the cancer setting and accelerate the acceptance of this critical topic on a global scale. I hope that one day this word and field it created will change the world for women who had been left out of the equation for far too long.

The early history of evidence-based reproductive medicine.

The origins of evidence-based medicine as understood today are traceable to 1972 and the publication of Archie Cochrane's book Effectiveness and Efficiency: Random Reflections on Health Services. This book attempted to bridge the divide between scientific medicine and clinical judgment that had developed since the mid-19th century. Its genesis was stimulated by Cochrane's experiences as a prisoner-of-war medical officer and of the demands placed after the 1939-1945 war on the UK National Health Service. In the 1960s, reproductive medicine was considered by the UK Medical Research Council to be relatively 'unscientific' in its approach to care delivery and was described as such by Cochrane in the 1970s. Evidence is presented here that reproductive medicine responded, becoming by 1989 a pioneering clinical discipline in the application of evidence to practice. This was achieved largely through the efforts of Iain Chalmers, who was a key player in the development of the systematic review and in the foundation of the Cochrane collection.

Contributions of an animal scientist to reproductive biology.

I became interested in biology as an undergraduate in a premedical curriculum but developed a passion for the field of reproductive biology because of a course in physiology of reproduction taken to meet requirements for admission to veterinary school. My career path changed, and I entered graduate school, obtained the Ph.D., and have enjoyed an academic career as a reproductive biologist conducting research in uterine biology and pregnancy in animal science departments at the University of Florida and at Texas A&M University. However, I have never allowed academic boundaries to interfere with research and graduate education as that is contrary to collegiality, the cornerstone of great universities. I consider that my major contributions to science include 1) identification of proteins secreted by cells of the uterine endometrium that are critical to successful establishment and maintenance of pregnancy; 2) discovery of steroids and proteins required for pregnancy recognition signaling and their mechanisms of action in pigs and ruminant species; 3) investigation of fetal-placental development and placental transport of nutrients, including water and electrolytes; 4) identification of linkages between nutrition and fetal-placental development; 5) defining aspects of the endocrinology of pregnancy; and 6) contributing to efforts to exploit the therapeutic value of interferon tau, particularly for treatment of autoimmune diseases. My current studies are focused on the role of select nutrients in the uterine lumen, specifically amino acids and glucose, that affect development and survival of the conceptus and translation of mRNAs and, with colleagues at Seoul National University, gene expression by the avian reproductive tract at key periods postovulation. Another goal is to understand stromal-epithelial cell signaling, whereby progesterone and estrogen act via uterine stromal cells that express receptors for sex steroids to stimulate secretion of growth factors (e.g., fibroblast growth factors and hepatocyte growth factor) that, in turn, regulate functions of uterine epithelial cells and conceptus trophectoderm.

Back to the basic science of fertility.

One day later, there was a marked increase in the vascular supply of the testis, and numerous vessels appeared to have breached the membrana propria of the tubules. Kochar NK, Harrison RG. The effects of x-rays on the vascularization of the mouse testis. Fertil Steril 1971;22:53-57. The impact of temperature shock upon mammalian sperm is severe, and produces physical as well as biochemical alterations in the cells. Ackerman DR. Variation due to freezing in the citrate acid content of human semen. Fertil Steril 1971;22:58-60.

Fertility preservation in men and women: Where are we in 2021? Are we rising to the challenge?

Demand for fertility preservation in women for oncologic, nononcologic, and personal reasons has increased dramatically. Meeting that demand is a major challenge, and we are rising to the challenge. Mature oocyte cryopreservation after ovarian stimulation and ovarian tissue cryopreservation are both methods endorsed by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (formerly The American Fertility Society), and numerous papers confirmed their efficacy. In girls and women with leukemia or cancers who are at a high risk of ovarian metastasis and who may not be eligible for ovarian tissue transplantation, restoration of fertility can only be achieved by in vitro methods. Male fertility preservation has also become a pressing issue and is extensively reviewed in the present journal issue.

Billing, coding, and practice management: a primer for today's reproductive medicine professional.

Despite years of recognition that many physicians are woefully unprepared to face challenges regarding the business of medicine, marginal progress has been made. In this piece, we aim to provide the contemporary reproductive medicine physician with an understanding of billing, coding, and, most importantly, cost containment for a typical fertility practice. It is critical for modern practices to not forego hard-earned revenue to insurance companies or not be aware of critical rules and regulations. While running a successful fertility practice requires good medical care, a profitable practice is necessary for overall long-term success. This article provides a brief history of medical insurance and billing, explains the process of updating billing codes, and reviews the revenue cycle, cost containment, and contract negotiations with insurance companies.

The African American experience in reproductive medicine: provider, patient, and pipeline perspectives.

The goal of this Views and Reviews is to let colleagues and leaders well versed in the African American experience in reproductive medicine address the problems of racism affecting our trainees and patients and, more significantly, propose solutions. The areas in reproductive medicine that will be explored from the African American perspective include the pipeline of providers, health disparities, and access to infertility treatment.