The Winner and Still Champion

Baltimore, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1999, $145.00 [x + 1200 pages (study guide, 544 pages)]ISBN 0-781-72315-9The latest edition of Speroff, as it is familiarly called, is the sixth edition. With each successive edition, the accumulation of numerous pages of both references and text has made this an almost unwieldy volume with all of the relevant information on clinical gynecological endocrinology and fertility. The sixth edition contains about 200 more pages than the previous edition with new up to date, information representing one of the true accomplishments of textbook preparation.The text is divided into four major sections. Part One of eight chapters primarily considers reproductive physiology and is a small basic text acting as a preface to the clinical chapters to follow. The chapters in Part One include information on hormone synthesis, embryology, development of the ovary and uterus, neuroendocrinology and regulation of the menstrual cycle. There is a short but important chapter on molecular biology, which details some of the recent and possible future developments in this field. The second part consists of 12 chapters all related to clinical endocrinology, including: pubertal development, amenorrhea and ovulation, polycystic ovarian disease, hirsutism, menstrual disorders, the breast, menopause, obesity and the relationship of the thyroid to reproduction. A good physiological basis is given for each of for these clinical problems, building on the basic reproductive physiology provided in the first part of the textbook. Part Three contains a smaller number of chapters related to contraception covering subjects such as: oral contraceptives, IUDs, long-acting contraceptives and barrier methods. Dr. Speroff is well known for his work on contraceptives and these chapters are state-of-the-art summaries. The final part of the text considers fertility and includes a series of chapters related to both female and male infertility, early pregnancy losses, endometriosis, induction of ovulation, assisted reproduction, as well as ectopic pregnancy.This new edition maintains the excellent tradition of lucid descriptions, clear line drawings and tables, algorithms and highlighted section headings to facilitate the finding of quick answers to clinical questions. This classic text remains the standard, especially for ob/gyn residents to obtain their education in reproductive endocrinology and also for ob/gyn physicians in private practice. I am impressed by how well these chapters are referenced, even in those chapters where few advances necessitate major changes in the text, the references have been increased in number and nearly doubled in some cases. I am in no doubt that this text should be in every medical school library and every ob/gyn department, on the bookshelf of every ob/gyn resident and private practitioner. In fact, it well deserves to be the standard text in the area of gynecological endocrinology.There is also a separate study guide available, which includes, not only an extensive list of questions, but also a most thorough explanation of the physiology and clinical significance behind the answers to those questions providing an invaluable adjunct to the textbook. The study guide serves as a great tool for evaluation of educational methods in the area of reproductive endocrinology and should be highly recommended to lecturers as well as students.