Here, the editor, Rogerio Lobo, has assembled an internationally recognized group of reproductive endocrinologists to address perimenopause -- the time both before and after the last menses -- and its attendant decline in ovarian function, as well as the clinical issues and therapeutic options for women during this period.

Inhalt

1. What Is the Perimenopause?.- I. Oocyte Depletion.- 2. Premature Ovarian Failure: A Model for the Perimenopause.- 3. Changes in Oocyte Number with Age: Effect on Fecundability.- 4. Meiosis, Aneuploidy, and Maternal Aging.- 5. Genetics of Oocyte Depletion.- 6. Familial Ovarian Failure.- 7. Interrelationship Between Endocrine and Immunologic Phenomena During the Perimenopause.- 8. Environmental Influences on Ovarian Aging.- 9. Dissociation of Endocrine and Gametogenic Ovarian Function.- 10. Clinical Signs of Gametogenic Failure in Women.- 11. Granulosa Cell Competence with Aging.- II. Endocrine Changes.- 12. Gonadotropin Changes in the Perimenopause.- 13. Inhibin and Steroid Changes in the Perimenopause.- 14. Vasomotor Symptoms in the Perimenopause.- 15. Osteoporosis and the Perimenopausal Woman.- 16. Cardiovascular Changes of the Perimenopause and Menopause.- 17. Menstrual Changes During the Perimenopause.- 18. Perimenopausal Depression.- 19. Age and the Ovarian Follicle Pool Assessed with Transvaginal Sonography.- 20. Changes in the Breast with Ovarian Aging: Mammography/Ultrasound.- III. Treatment Options.- 21. Medical Management of Menorrhagia in Pre- and Perimenopausal Women.- 22. Contraceptive Needs and Options in Perimenopausal Women.- 23. Fertility Treatment Options in Women Over 40 Years Old.- 24. The Role of Oocyte Donation in Treating Infertile Perimenopausal Women.- 25. Planning for the Future: Immature Oocytes and Early-Stage Ovarian Follicles.- Author Index.