This book brings together authoritative accounts by leaders in the field of reproductive biology, researchers who have closely investigated implantation. The subject is approached from several angles: biochemical, endocrinological, pharmacological, anatomic, and immunological.

The response to the First Edition of this text confirmed our belief that there was a need for a book of this kind. The multi-authored approach has been retained, ensuring that authoritative, current information is incorporated into each chapter and that references are up-to-date. The section on diseases of the vagina has been enhanced by a greater emphasis on the clinical aspects. The chapter on DES induced lesions has been updated with the data of the DeSAD study and the section on adenocar cinoma of the cervix has been enlarged by the description of the undifferenti ated lesions including "glassy cell and signet cell" carcinoma. A departure from the traditional chapter approach has been made in the discussion of endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma in order to present a conceptual view of these diseases. A similar presentation of diseases of the myometrium has been made. The subjects of lymphomas and mesenchymal tumors of the ovary have been enlarged upon and presented in a separate chapter. Fine needle aspiration in the diagnosis of ovarian tumors and of non malignant disorders of the ovary has become an increasingly useful technique. Two new chapters have been added to cover this subject. Many of the changes made in the second edition were in response to reviewers of the First Edition. It is hoped that their constructive suggestions have been addressed. Ancel Blaustein, M.D.

The placenta is fascinating and complex. Basically foreign to the maternal body, it can be thought of as an organ transplanted onto the mother's host tissue. As such it embodies all the principles of tissue acceptance and rejection. Many of the risks of pregnancy and labor have now been eliminated and the placenta is likely to be at the root of many of the dangers to the unborn child that remain. A breakdown of the relationship between the placenta and the maternal tissue may turn out to be the cause of the majority of early lost pregnancies.

The "contraceptive revolution" of the 1960s and 1970s introduced totally new contraceptive options and launched an era of research and product development. Yet by the late 1980s, conditions had changed and improvements in contraceptive products, while very important in relation to improved oral contraceptives, IUDs, implants, and injectables, had become primarily incremental. Is it time for a second contraceptive revolution and how might it happen? Contraceptive Research and Development explores the frontiers of science where the contraceptives of the future are likely to be found and lays out criteria for deciding where to make the next R&D investments. The book comprehensively examines today's contraceptive needs, identifies "niches" in those needs that seem most readily translatable into market terms, and scrutinizes issues that shape the market: method side effects and contraceptive failure, the challenge of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, and the implications of the "women's agenda." Contraceptive Research and Development analyzes the response of the pharmaceutical industry to current dynamics in regulation, liability, public opinion, and the economics of the health sector and offers an integrated set of recommendations for public- and private-sector action to meet a whole new generation of demand.

The placenta is an organ that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall, thereby allowing nutrient uptake, waste elimination, and gas exchange via the mother's blood supply. Proper vascular development in the placenta is fundamental to ensuring a healthy fetus and successful pregnancy. This book provides an up-to-date summary and synthesis of knowledge regarding placental vascular biology and discusses the relevance of this vascular bed to the functions of the human placenta.