Infertility in the Modern World

As we enter the twenty-first century, a number of medical, environmental and social changes have profoundly affected human reproduction. This book discusses some of the more dramatic changes in an accessible manner, illustrating the ways in which human biology and culture can affect fertility and providing a unique interdisciplinary perspective on the subject. Topics include medical technologies that equip us with potential cures for many causes of infertility; diseases such as AIDS that have a devastating impact on the reproductive and social lives of humans, particularly in areas with limited access to medical care; increasing industrialisation and the development of fabricated materials that pollute our environment in unforeseen ways with possibly devastating effects on human health and fertility; and, finally, social revolutions that profoundly alter human relationships, such as non-marital unions between heterosexual couples, same-sex relationships, adoption and surrogacy which are becoming increasingly common.