Reviewer: Barbara Hoffman, MD (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center)
Description: This update to the 2011 edition presents a comprehensive overview of reproductive endocrinologic conditions, contraception, and infertility. Valuable tools include bolding of important terms, concept summary boxes, and logical diagrams and algorithms. An online version of the book provides instant access to the content.
Purpose: The purpose is to present a comprehensive foundation of reproductive endocrinology, contraception, and infertility, while guiding readers through the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of common gynecologic conditions. This valuable and practical introductory book meets its teaching objectives.
Audience: This book is appropriate for medical students, obstetrics and gynecology residents and attendings, and family practitioners and internists who provide office care to women. Dr. Hugh Taylor is an authority in this specialty, known for his expertise in endometriosis. Dr. Seli is well published on the topics of infertility and assisted reproductive technologies. Dr. Pal is the director of the PCOS and menopause clinics at Yale.
Features: Chapters cover basic reproductive endocrinology, common gynecologic conditions, contraception, and infertility. The discussion of transgender medicine is a welcome addition. The clear, logical writing leaves no reader behind. The ability to distill complex hormone feedback and biochemistry in a simple, easy-to-digest manner has always been a strength of this book. It is efficiently written, with important clinical nuggets in every paragraph. Each chapter is heavily referenced for those who wish to dive deeper into a topic. In addition, the book is very prescriptive, providing specific drugs and dosing for practitioners. As previously noted, the authors use text bolding and summary boxes to emphasize key points. Judicious use of schematic drawings helps explain more challenging concepts. One of its few shortcomings is the way it presents gynecologic conditions through the eyes of an endocrinology specialist, which at times places a greater emphasis on hormonal treatments than on surgical treatments. Also, similar to many books, the index often lists only a one-page reference for a topic that appears in many other areas of the book.
Assessment: This is an essential introductory and practical book for those caring for women with reproductive endocrinologic conditions in an office practice. It lays the groundwork for deeper study in this specialty. Discussions are easier to digest than those in Yen and Jaffe's Reproductive Endocrinology, 8th edition, Strauss and Barbieri (Elsevier, 2019), which would serve as a next-level read. New perspectives from these authors, combined with the strong foundation laid by Drs. Speroff, Glass, Kase, and Fritz in the earlier editions, make this update worth purchasing. The eighth edition is currently part of my academic library, and I am happy to add this ninth edition.
