Fertility and Pregnancy An Epidemiologic Perspective

Fertility and Pregnancy: An Epidemiologic Perspective, is a lively overview of human reproduction: how it works, and what causes it to go wrong. Weaving together history, biology, obstetrics, pediatrics, demography, infectious diseases, molecular genetics, and evolutionary biology, Allen Wilcox brings a fresh coherence to the epidemiologic study of reproduction and pregnancy. Along the way, he provides entertaining anecdotes, superb graphs, odd tidbits and occasional humor that bring the topic to life. The book is divided into two sections. The first lays the foundations - the basic principles of reproductive physiology, demography, infectious diseases, and genetics as they apply to human reproduction. The second part deals with the endpoints of reproductive epidemiology - a spectrum ranging from infertility and fetal loss to birth defects and the delayed effects of fetal exposures. The book closes with a discussion of unsolved problems, suggesting possible research projects for a new generation of epidemiologists. An extensive glossary makes this a valuable reference as well as an enjoyable read.

Allen J. Wilcox is Senior Investigator at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH) in Durham, NC, and Editor-in-Chief of Epidemiology. He is a pioneer in reproductive epidemiology, with research projects on topics ranging from fertility and early pregnancy loss to fetal growth and birth defects. He holds an MD from the University of Michigan, a PhD in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Bergen (Norway).