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.

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.

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.

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.

What does the future hold? Emerging diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for male infertility.

The field of reproductive medicine is rapidly evolving, and important advances have the potential to profoundly impact the way we care for our patients. Emerging developments, including the application of big data analytics and informatics, the notion of reciprocal diagnosis, insights into applied genetics, and stem cell biological and transplantation experimental advances all have the potential to markedly change our therapeutic approach to patients. This month's "Views and Reviews" collection provides an informative glimpse at these emerging technologies, which promise to substantially impact our field and the way we provide care for our patients.

Breakthroughs and challenges of modern developmental biology and reproductive medicine.

In recent decades we have witnessed unprecedented progress in the field of the developmental biology of mammals. Building on 20th century discoveries, we have managed to increase our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing early mammalian embryogenesis and link them to other biological questions, such as stem cells, regeneration, cancer, or tissue and organ formation. Consequently, it has also led to a creation of a completely new branch of reproductive medicine, i.e. assisted reproductive technology (ART). In this Special Issue of The International Journal of Developmental Biology (Int. J. Dev. Biol.) we wished to review state-of-the-art research regarding early mammalian development, from fertilization up to the implantation stage, and discuss its potential meaning for practical applications, including ART. As an introduction to the issue we present a compilation of short essays written by the most renowned scientists in the field, working both in basic and clinical research. The essays are dedicated to the greatest breakthroughs and challenges of 21st century developmental biology and reproductive medicine.

Founding Pioneers of IVF: Independent innovative researchers generating livebirths within 4 years of the first birth.

In this 40th anniversary year of the first IVF live birth, it is pertinent to look at all those teams endeavouring to generate live births from this unique technology and who succeeded within 4 years of the first. There were 9 teams who achieved this and a further 3 who were successful soon after, by the end of 1982. This historical review is compiled by 2 authors who were actively engaged in the field of IVF at the time of the first birth and who have remained active in Reproductive Medicine throughout their professional lives. They bring intimate and relevant knowledge of those pioneer researchers from the early years who can be classified as the "Founding Pioneers" of IVF.

Science of cryopreservation in reproductive medicine - Embryos and oocytes as exemplars.

The modern successes of reproductive medicine are based on the achievements in the fields of artificial fertilization and cryobiology over the last 50years. Cryopreservation of oocytes makes it possible to preserve their reproductive potential after surgical interventions, treatment of cancer, for delayed pregnancy and to use cells for donation. Cryopreservation of embryos allows not only to reduce the multiple pregnancies rate and to increase the cumulative pregnancy rate as a result of embryo transfer in the following favorable cycles of the patient, but is also a necessary procedure in case of genetic diagnosis or in the case of contraindications for embryo transfer in the stimulated cycle due to possible complications. However, the viability of cryopreserved oocytes and embryos depends on the degree of their cryo damage during the process of freeze-warming. In this regard, it is very important to develop such freezing protocols that minimize the damages caused by the intra- and extracellular ice crystal formation, toxic effect of high concentrations of cryoprotectants and osmotic stresses. The effectiveness of cryopreservation of gametes and embryos is assessed on the basis of morphological, functional and genetic changes in the cells after warming. Special attention should be paid to the ethical issues of assisted reproductive technology, including cryobiotech technologies, which in many countries remain open and in need of settlement.