Obesity

Mahmood, an obstetrician/gynecologist who lectures at the U. of St. Andrews and U. of Dundee in the UK, and Arulkumaran (obstetrics and gynecology, St. George's U. of London, UK) assemble 46 chapters on the impact of obesity on reproductive health, for students in obstetrics and gynecology, reproductive medicine, general medicine, general surgery, public health, and health care management, and specialists in genito-urinary medicine, infertility, and other areas. Obstetricians and gynecologists, reproductive specialists, nutritionists, and others from Europe, the US, Asia, Australia, and Israel discuss the obesity epidemic, social and ethnic determinants, the genetic, molecular, and psychological bases, and obesity in adolescence; reproductive aspects like contraception, sexual health, polycystic ovary syndrome and infertility, recurrent miscarriage, and assisted reproduction; and male reproduction and sexual dysfunction, impacts on semen quality, and bariatric surgery. They address pregnancy, including developmental priming of risk of later disease, fetal ultrasound, prolonged pregnancy, venous thromboembolism, pre-eclampsia, and insulin resistance and placental dysfunction; gestational diabetes and metabolic disorders; labor, induction, intrapartum care, the role of the midwife, anesthetic issues, risk of stillbirth, placental pathology and fetal malformations, and post-natal care; interventions like anti-obesity drugs, surgery, a multimodal framework for reducing morbidity and mortality, and standards of care; the long-term impact, including diabetes and cardiovascular risk, malignancies, menstrual disorders, hormone replacement therapy, incontinence and prolapse, and laparoscopic surgery; and future research and health service planning, with discussion of quality of life, eating behavior and lifestyle issues, and maternity and infertility services. No index is provided. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)