title: Contrasting selected reproductive challenges of today with those of antiquity--the past is prologue.
abstract: Viewing human history through a medical lens provides a renewed appreciation for today's vexing reproductive challenges, as some modern dilemmas are actually continuations of similar challenges experienced long ago. Certainly there are many examples of assisted fertility therapy that were entirely theoretical only a generation ago, but have become commonplace in modern practice and society. In particular posthumous birth and infertility have, over time, been the focus of compelling social interest, occasionally even impacting national security and dynastic succession. While the concepts have remained static, the tools available to extend and improve reproductive success have changed radically. Appropriately regarded as confidential and private, an individual's reproductive details are typically impervious to formal study. Yet, archival sources including ancient literature and formal court records can occasionally provide evidence of otherwise deeply personal concerns of a different era. Our assessment finds the issues, worries, and desires of patients of antiquity to align closely with contemporary reproductive challenges. Because children and family have always been central to the human experience, the consequences of reproduction (or the lack thereof) can make substantial imprints upon the cultural, economic, and political landscape-irrespective of civilization or century. In this article, selected motifs are described in a broad historical context to illustrate how challenges of human reproduction have remained essentially unchanged, despite a vast accumulation of knowledge made possible by gains in reproductive science and technology. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. -Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr (1808-1890).
authors: Global Health Economics Unit of the Vermont Center for Clinical & Translational Science, Dept of Surgery, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington VT USA ; European Centre for International Political Economy, Brussels BELGIUM.
authors: Christopher A
authors: CA
authors: Jones
authors: School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster; London UK. ; Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, Pacific Reproductive Center; Irvine CA USA ; Correspondence to: Office for Reproductive Research, PRC-Orange County, 10 Post, Irvine CA 92618 USA Tel: 949-341-0100 FAX: 949-341-0613.
authors: Eric Scott
authors: ES
authors: Sills
mesh_terms: D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000266:history; D005260:Female; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000266:history* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D063129:Parental Death / Q000266:history*; D036801:Parturition; D037022:Posthumous Conception / Q000266:history*