Description

Infertility and its management is a major public health challenge in the tropics and constitute a significant proportion of the work load of practicing Gynecologists and healthcare providers in these regions. While capacity for the investigation and conventional treatment of the infertile couple or individual is limited, it is even more so with assisted conception techniques which are newer modalities of treatment of male and female infertility due to conditions that were hitherto herculean to deal with. The resource materials and textbooks focusing exclusively on these subject matter and the subspecialty of infertility and assisted conception have largely been from developed countries with little data available on the situation in the tropics. The need therefore to a have a textbook written in the perspective of the tropics with systematic documentation of available data from local studies becomes compelling.    

This book, Infertility and Assisted Conception in the Tropics, aims to document the tropical perspectives and appeal to both those who have already submersed themselves in the specialty of infertility and assisted conception, practicing Obstetrician & Gynecologists and new-comers to the area including medical students, resident doctors in Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as general medical practitioners involved with infertility care in the tropics. This textbook went beyond the usual conventional scope commonly seen with existing standard text to include chapters on special situations such as Chronic Medical Disorders and Infertility in the Tropics, Same Sex Couples in the Context of Reproduction, Surrogacy, Adoption, Single Parents in the Context of Reproduction and Fertility, Legal and ethical issues in fertility,  Sex Selection, Psychosocial Aspects of Infertility in Africa and the Economic Consequences of Infertility as well as Pregnancy Failure and its Management. These topics and chapters are certainly contemporary and relevant to the practice of infertility and assisted conception in the tropics, yet this is the first attempt to systematically document them for those working in this subspecialty in these regions who will find them immensely rewarding, encouraging, thought provoking and enjoyable.  

Essentially, the chapters in this book are organized into three sections. The first section has nine chapters on general infertility and its management. The second section is made up of eight chapters on assisted conception, while the third section constitutes eleven chapters on special situations that have already being enumerated above.

Certainly from the outlay of the book and the topics therein, in-depth understanding is required to deal with this broad range of topics particularly with regards to sections two and three respectively. Fortunately, I was availed of the time and expertise of distinguished array of international scholars as contributors, whose knowledge, experience and opinions are invaluable, particularly in the area where studies are scant and good quality evidence hard to find.

Overall, this book will improve the management of infertility and assisted conception in the tropics and help build the capacity of practitioners in these regions, in addressing critical issues in the discipline. All practitioners of infertility and assisted conception, gynecology and reproductive health in tropical regions across the world will find this book of considerable interest and value. Programmers, academicians and scholars in tropical countries working on infertility and assisted conception in particular and sexual and reproductive health in general will also find the book most helpful. The book has been written in an easy to read format and therefore also a reference material for a wide reading audience including undergraduate and postgraduate students in obstetrics & gynecology, practicing gynecologists, general medical physicians, community physicians, nurses and midwives, and reproductive health practitioners. This book will surely make significant contribution to the practice of gynecology and reproductive health in the tropics in the coming years ahead,

Lawrence Omo-Aghoja

Editor,

Abraka, Nigeria.