Main description:

The endocrine and neuroendocrine system in pregnancy involves highly complex maternal, fetal and placental mechanisms, which are critical for the maintenance of pregnancy, the timing of parturition, for fetal growth and protection from adverse fetal programming. This timely book summarizes the different endocrine aspects related to pregnant women, describing how hormones regulate physiological homeostasis and influence the pathogenesis of disease. The first section of the book covers the role of specific hormones in detail, including oxytocin, hCG and estrogen. The second section discusses gestational disorders such as diabetes, hypertensive disorders and preeclampsia and how the involvement of hormones has clinical implications for management. Best practice for management of endocrine disorders, which can negatively impact pregnancy, such as thyroid disease and obesity, is also reviewed. This book is essential for clinicians and scientists looking to gain knowledge of the role of hormones in pregnancy and how they can best support patients.

Contents:

Section I. Hormones in the Physiology and Pharmacology of Pregnancy: 1. The neuroendocrinology of pregnancy Silvia Vannuccini, Irene Paterno, John R. G. Challis and Felice Petraglia; 2. The placenta as an endocrine organ/placental endocrinology Roger Smith; 3. The role of oxytocin in pregnancy Kiichiro Furuya and Richard Ivell; 4. The role of human chorionic gonadotropin in pregnancy Keiichi Kumasawa and Yutaka Osuga; 5. The role of estrogens in pregnancy Nadia Berkane, Yveline Ansaldi and Nicola Pluchino; 6. The role of progesterone in pregnancy Sam Mesiano; 7. Hormones and the cardiovascular system in pregnancy Daniele Farsetti and Herbert Valensise; Section II. Hormones and Gestational Disorders: 8. Prolactin, prolactinoma and pregnancy Dominique Maiter and Philippe Chanson; 9. Growth hormone disorders in pregnancy Marie Helene Schernthaner-Reiter, Greisa Vila, Peter Wolf and Anton Luger; 10. Gestational diabetes Serena Ottanelli, Federico Mecacci and Moshe Hod; 11. Obesity and metabolic syndrome in pregnancy Kent L. R. Thornburg, Amy M. Valent, Nicole E. Marshall and Jonathan Q. Purnell; 12. Hormones and preterm birth Emily M. Frier, Sarah J. Stock, Stephen Lye and Oksana Shynlova; 13. Thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy and postpartum Luigi Bartalena, Eliana Piantanida, Adriana Lai, and Maria Laura Tanda; 14. The role of hormones in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy Leslie Myatt and James M. Roberts; 15. Adrenal disease in pregnancy Jack Lockett, Warrick Inder, David H. McIntyre, Helen L. Barrett, Sailesh Kumar and Vicki Lee Clifton; 16. Hormones and multiple pregnancy Viola Seravalli, Noemi Strambi and Mariarosaria Di Tommaso; 17. Hormones in pregnancy and the developmental origins of health and disease John R. G. Challis, Felice Petraglia, Deborah M. Sloboda, Victor K. M. Han and Judith G. Hall.