Reproductive genetics

Great progress has been made in genetics in recent years, with significant consequences for the field of reproductive genetics. The ability to identify genetic defects before implantation, to diagnose fetal abnormalities and to introduce screening programmes means that genetic testing now has a major role in preventive medicine. The 57th RCOG Study Group brought together a range of experts to examine the many clinical, ethical and societal issues around reproductive genetics. This book presents the findings of the Study Group, covering a range of disorders, advances in treatments and techniques, as well as the importance of educating the public and the potential ethical dilemmas that may arise as a result of new scientific findings and new methodologies.

Genetic aetiology of infertility / Amu Bashamboo, Celia Ravel and Ken McElreavy -- Disorders of sex development / Lin Lin and John C. Achermann -- Preimplantation genetic diagnosis : current practice and future possibilities / Alison Lashwood and Tarek El-Toukhy -- Ethical aspects of saviour siblings : procreative reasons and the treatment of children / Mark Sheehan -- Epigenetics, assisted reproductive technologies and growth restriction / Jennifer M. Frost [and others] -- Fetal stem cell surgery / Jennifer Ruam, Michael Ting and Nicholas Fisk -- Prenatal gene therapy / Khalil Abi-Nader and Anna David -- Ethical aspects of stem cell therapy and gene therapy / Søren Holm -- Fetal dysmorphology : the role of the geneticist in the fetal medicine unit in targeting diagnostic tests / Tessa Homfray -- Fetal karotyping : what should we be offering and how? / John Crolla -- Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis : the future of prenatal genetic diagnosis? / Lyn Chitty, Gail Norbury and Helen White -- Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis for fetal blood group status / Geoff Daniels [and others] -- Selective termination of pregnancy and preimplantation genetic diagnosis : some ethical issues in the in…