Reproduction and Adaptation: Topics in Human Reproductive Ecology

by Edited by C. G. Nicholas Mascie-Taylor , Lyliane Rosetta

• ISBN13: 9780521509633
• ISBN10: 0521509637
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-03-07
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

In the space of one generation major changes have begun to take place in the field of human reproduction. A rapid increase in the control of fertility and the understanding and treatment of sexual health issues have been accompanied by an emerging threat to reproductive function linked to increasing environmental pollution and dramatic changes in lifestyle. Organised around four key themes, this book provides a valuable review of some of the most important recent findings in human reproductive ecology. Major topics include the impact of the environment on reproduction, the role of physical activity and energetics in regulating reproduction, sexual maturation and ovulation assessment and demographic, health and family planning issues. Both theoretical and practical issues are covered, including the evolution and importance of the menopause and the various statistical methods by which researchers can analyse characteristics of the menstrual cycle in field studies.

Author Biography

C. G. Nicholas Mascie-Taylor is Professor of Human Population Biology and Health at the University of Cambridge. His main fields of research are the interrelationships between nutrition, growth, disease and reproductive ecology. Lyliane Rosetta is a recently retired senior scientist from the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France. Her research is devoted to the study of the regulation of fertility in relation to nutrition, energetics and the resulting energy availability.

Table of Contents

List of contributors	p. vii
Preface	p. ix
Reproduction and environment	p. 1
Genetic damage and male reproduction	p. 17
The microenvironment in health and cancer of the mammary gland	p. 50
The energetic cost of physical activity and the regulation of reproduction	p. 80
Energetic cost of gestation and lactation in humans	p. 98
Adaptive maternal, placental and fetal responses to nutritional extremes in the pregnant adolescent: lessons from sheep	p. 112
Growth and sexual maturation in human and non-human primates: a brief review	p. 128
The evolution of post-reproductive life: adaptationist scenarios	p. 149
Analysing the characteristics of the menstrual cycle in field situations in humans: some methodological aspects	p. 171
An insidious burden of disease: the pathological role of sexually transmitted diseases in fertility	p. 218
Family planning and unsafe abortion	p. 238
Global sexual and reproductive health: responding to the needs of adolescents	p. 246
Understanding reproductive decisions	p. 260
Index	p. 279
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