Book Review

Article Outline

• Copyright

“Ovarian Stimulation is a text that is comprehensive, insightful, contains a great deal of new information, and is well organized, making it easy to read”. Those were the words by which Professor Alan De Cherney started his Foreword to this book. The book has been edited by Mohamed Aboulghar and Botros Rizk, who are well known experts in the field of human reproduction. The editors wrote a very touching dedication to their dear friend and Nobel Prize laurite Professor Robert Edwards in which they expressed their gratitude for his friendship and mentorship.

In their preface to the book the editors stated that ovarian stimulation has become an integral part of the management of infertility and assisted reproduction and that a glance through scientific journals would demonstrate an explosion of publications related to ovarian stimulation. In every world congress and international infertility meeting the ovarian stimulation session is the most popular and lively session of the entire meeting.

The book covers in its different sections and chapters all aspects of ovarian stimulation: the different stimulation protocols from which to choose, the management of poor responders and hyper-responders, triggering ovulation and luteal phase support. It is divided into 6 sections and 23 chapters and is authored by leaders in the field from the global community. This list of contributors has fifty names, with representatives from such places as Canada, Europe, the United States, Egypt, and Australia, to name a few.

The first section of the book covers all mild forms of ovarian stimulation in four different chapters. This includes oral agents for ovarian stimulation, ovulation induction for anovulatory patients, mild ovarian hyperstimulation in combination with intrauterine insemination and other mild approaches in ovarian stimulation. The second section covers ovarian hyperstimulation for IVF, and discusses thoroughly the role of progesterone, GnRH agonist and GnRH antagonist in ovarian stimulation.

Section three covers possible difficulties and complications of ovarian stimulation. A chapter deals with ovarian stimulation for poor responders and the other deals with ovarian stimulation for polycystic ovarian syndrome. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome as the most serious complication of ovarian stimulation is studied in one chapter including prevention and management. A comprehensive chapter on how to select the suitable ovarian stimulation protocol to try to avoid complications nicely concludes this section.

The fourth section deals with non-conventional forms used during ovarian stimulation. This section interestingly covers all adjuncts and supplementation during ovarian stimulation. The section also includes a chapter on ovulation induction for hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

Section five entitled “Alternatives to ovarian hyperstimulation” covers Natural cycle IVF, in vitro maturation of oocytes, treatment of hyperprolactinemia, and ovarian cautery for polycystic ovary syndrome. The last section covers all procedures before, during and after ovarian stimulation, such as ultrasound monitoring, triggering of final oocyte maturation in ovarian stimulation, luteal phase support in IVF and ovarian reserve as a guide for ovarian stimulation.

Written by leading experts on the subject, Ovarian Stimulation can be of great use to all infertility specialists, gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, and radiologists and can truly assist in improving their practice skills and determining the best available treatment for their patients.