2007 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Winner of the Passing the Torch Award from the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies It has been called sperm, semen, seed, cum, jizz, spunk, gentlemen's relish, and splooge. But however the “tacky, opaque liquid that comes out of the penis” is described, the very act of defining “sperm” and “semen” depends on your point of view. For Lisa Jean Moore, how sperm comes to be known is based on who defines it (a scientist vs. a defense witness, for example), under what social circumstances it is found (a doctor’s office vs. a crime scene), and for what purposes it will be used (in vitro fertilization vs. DNA analysis). Examining semen historically, medically, and culturally, Sperm Counts is a penetrating exploration of its meaning and power. Using a “;follow that sperm” approach, Moore shows how representations of sperm and semen are always in flux, tracing their twisting journeys from male reproductive glands to headline news stories and presidential impeachment trials. Much like the fluid of semen itself can leak onto fabrics and into bodies, its meanings seep into our consciousness over time. Moore’s analytic lens yields intriguing observations of how sperm is “spent” and “reabsorbed” as it spurts, swims, and careens through penises, vaginas, test tubes, labs, families, cultures, and politics. Drawn from fifteen years of research, Sperm Counts examines historical and scientific documents, children's “facts of life” books, pornography, the Internet, forensic transcripts and sex worker narratives to explain how semen got so complicated. Among other things, understanding how we produce, represent, deploy and institutionalize semen-biomedically, socially and culturally-provides valuable new perspectives on the changing social position of men and the evolving meanings of masculinity. Ultimately, as Moore reveals, sperm is intimately involved in not only the physical reproduction of males and females, but in how we come to understand ourselves as men and women.

In the tradition of Silent Spring and The Sixth Extinction, an urgent, meticulously researched, and groundbreaking book about the ways in which chemicals in the modern environment are changing—and endangering—human sexuality and fertility on the grandest scale, from renowned epidemiologist Shanna Swan. In 2017, author Shanna Swan and her team of researchers completed a major study. They found that over the past four decades, sperm levels among men in Western countries have dropped by more than 50 percent. They came to this conclusion after examining 185 studies involving close to 45,000 healthy men. The result sent shockwaves around the globe—but the story didn’t end there. It turns out our sexual development is changing in broader ways, for both men and women and even other species, and that the modern world is on pace to become an infertile one. How and why could this happen? What is hijacking our fertility and our health? Count Down unpacks these questions, revealing what Swan and other researchers have learned about how both lifestyle and chemical exposures are affecting our fertility, sexual development—potentially including the increase in gender fluidity—and general health as a species. Engagingly explaining the science and repercussions of these worldwide threats and providing simple and practical guidelines for effectively avoiding chemical goods (from water bottles to shaving cream) both as individuals and societies, Count Down is at once an urgent wake-up call, an illuminating read, and a vital tool for the protection of our future.

The definitive and essential source of reference for all laboratories involved in the analysis of human semen.

This book provides andrologists and other practitioners with reliable, up-to-date information on all aspects of male infertility and is designed to assist in the clinical management of patients. Clear guidance is offered on classification of infertility, sperm analysis interpretation and diagnosis. The full range of types and causes of male infertility are then discussed in depth. Particular attention is devoted to poorly understood conditions such as unexplained couple infertility and idiopathic male infertility, but the roles of diverse disorders, health and lifestyle factors and environmental pollution are also fully explored. Research considered stimulating for the reader is highlighted, reflecting the fascinating and controversial nature of the field. International treatment guidelines are presented and the role of diet and dietary supplements is discussed in view of their increasing importance. Clinicians will find that the book’s straightforward approach ensures that it can be easily and rapidly consulted.

This practical, extensively illustrated handbook covers the procedures that are undertaken in andrology and ART laboratories to analyse and assess male-factor infertility, and to prepare spermatozoa for use in assisted conception therapy. The content is presented as brief, authoritative overviews of the relevant biological background for each area, plus detailed, step-by-step descriptions of the relevant analytical procedures. Each technical section includes pertinent quality control considerations, as well as the optimum presentation of results. In addition to the comprehensive 'basic' semen analysis, incorporating careful analysis of sperm morphology, the handbook provides established techniques for the use of computer-aided sperm analysis and sperm functional assessment. Throughout the handbook the interpretation of laboratory results in the clinical context is highlighted, and safe laboratory practice is emphasized. It is an invaluable resource to all scientists and technicians who perform diagnostic testing for male-factor infertility.

The new edition of this canonical text on male reproductive medicine will cement the book's market-leading position. Practitioners across many specialties - including urologists, gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, medical endocrinologists and many in internal medicine and family practice – will see men with suboptimal fertility and reproductive problems. The book provides an excellent source of timely, well-considered information for those training in this young and rapidly evolving field. While several recent books provide targeted 'cookbooks' for those in a male reproductive laboratory, or quick reference for practising generalists, the modern, comprehensive reference providing both a background for male reproductive medicine as well as clinical practice information based on that foundation has been lacking until now. The book has been extensively revised with a particular focus on modern molecular medicine. Appropriate therapeutic interventions are highlighted throughout.

These proceedings of the 2018 XIII International Symposium on Spermatology focus on comparative biology, and encourages discussion and the exchange of ideas. The aim of this Symposium was to provide a unique opportunity and bring together scientists from a wide spectrum of research fields – human, domestic animals and other mammals, vertebrates, insects, and plants. The underlying focus is on the function of the spermatozoon – a common feature for sexual reproduction, but extremely varied. By exploring the variability, a better understanding of male reproductive functions can develop. These proceedings address the mechanisms of physiology and pathophysiology, rather than diagnosis and treatment. The symposium featured keynote lectures by invited speakers, followed by presentations on specific aspects of the general topic of the session. Experimental studies are given priority over clinical studies of patient populations. The proceedings comprise both keynote speakers' texts and selected free communications. Posters were considered for publication in the proceedings, and the volume includes exhibited materials on the work of prominent spermatologists, highlighting their important past achievements in the field.

This book provides a unique blend of social and biomedical sciences in the field of low fertility and reproductive health. It offers a significant contribution to understanding the determinants of low fertility mostly in East Asia, including an assessment of the effectiveness of policies that aim to raise fertility. It introduces new analytical tools and methods and shares application of innovative approaches to analyzing cross-sectional and longitudinal survey data and macro socioeconomic data to shed light on changing mechanisms of low fertility in the context of reproductive health. The volume introduces the demographic dividend into the study of fertility, analyzes possible impact of population ageing on the amount of resources allocated to child rearing, i.e. the so called "crowding effect" in social care and public spending between the elderly and children. The book also tests the Low Fertility Trap (LFT) hypothesis, a new important theory regarding fertility trends. The book focuses on East Asia which is numerically large but relatively under-researched with regard to issues covered in various chapters. The relevance of the volume, however, goes beyond countries in East Asia. The book breaks new grounds and reveals little known facts regarding the influence of endocrine disruptors on male fertility through falling sperm counts, the phenomenon of marital sexlessness and about the sexual behavior of adolescents in East Asia.

What is healthy sperm or the male biological clock? This book details why we don't talk about men's reproductive health and how this lack shapes reproductive politics today. For more than a century, the medical profession has made enormous efforts to understand and treat women’s reproductive bodies. But only recently have researchers begun to ask basic questions about how men’s health matters for reproductive outcomes, from miscarriage to childhood illness. What explains this gap in knowledge, and what are its consequences? Rene Almeling examines the production, circulation, and reception of biomedical knowledge about men’s reproductive health. From a failed nineteenth-century effort to launch a medical specialty called andrology to the contemporary science of paternal effects, there has been a lack of attention to the importance of men’s age, health, and exposures. Analyzing historical documents, media messages, and qualitative interviews, GUYnecology demonstrates how this non-knowledge shapes reproductive politics today.