Reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) is a surgical

subspecialty A subspecialty (US English) or subspeciality (international English) is a narrow field of professional knowledge/skills within a specialty of trade, and is most commonly used to describe the increasingly more diverse medical specialties. A subsp ...

obstetrics and gynecology Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, an ...

that trains physicians in reproductive medicine addressing hormonal functioning as it pertains to

reproduction Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual organisms – " offspring" – are produced from their "parent" or parents. Reproduction is a fundamental feature of all known life; each individual o ...

as well as the issue of

infertility Infertility is the inability of a person, animal or plant to reproduce by natural means. It is usually not the natural state of a healthy adult, except notably among certain eusocial species (mostly haplodiploid insects). It is the normal st ...

. While most REI specialists primarily focus on the treatment of

, reproductive endocrinologists are trained to also test and treat hormonal dysfunctions in females and males outside infertility. Reproductive endocrinologists have specialty training (residency) in

(ob-gyn) before they undergo sub-specialty training (fellowship) in REI. Reproductive surgery is a related specialty, where a physician in ob-gyn or

urology Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and '' -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive org ...

further specializes to operate on anatomical disorders that affect

fertility Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Ferti ...

Certification

In a number of countries, the pathway to become a subspecialist in REI is regulated. Thus, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, for instance, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) and

American Osteopathic Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology The American Osteopathic Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AOBOG) is an organization that provides board certification to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) who specialize in the care of the female reproductive tract and children ...

set the standards for subspecialists to become certified. After four years of training in Obstetrics and Gynecology, a three-year approved fellowship needs to be successfully completed. Then, to become board certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, one must first complete

board certification Board certification is the process by which a physician or other professional demonstrates a mastery of advanced knowledge and skills through written, practical, or simulator-based testing. Certification bodies There are more than 25 boards that ...

(written and oral exams), and then certify in reproductive endocrinology and infertility (written and oral exams). In the United States, fellowship in ''reproductive endocrinology and infertility'' usually takes 3 years, and is offered in 40 centers across the country as of 2013. In the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

, the European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG) has accreditation centers for a subspecialist training program in ''reproductive medicine'' at 4 centers across the EU as of 2012. In Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

, a training program in ''reproductive endocrinology and infertility'' takes 3 years, and is offered in 15 centers across the two countries.

Societies

Reproductive endocrinologists Certified by ACOG often belong to a specific medical society named ''Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility'' (SREI). As a condition of full membership, medical practitioners must be ACOG-certified in the reproductive endocrinology and infertility subspecialty.Society for Reproductive Endocrinology Brochure
Retrieved on Jan. 21, 2011.

Journals

* ''Human Reproduction'' is published on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. According to

SCImago Journal Rank The SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) indicator is a measure of the prestige of scholarly journals that accounts for both the number of citations received by a journal and the prestige of the journals where the citations come from. Rationale Cita ...

, its review journal ''Human Reproduction Update'' was the highest ranking journal in

in 2008. * ''Reproduction'' is published on behalf of the Society for Reproduction and Fertility in the United Kingdom. * ''Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology'' (RB&E) is an online

open access journal Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 definition), or libre o ...

published by BioMed Central.Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology > about
Retrieved on May 29, 2010 It deals with both veterinary and human reproductive medicine. * ''Fertility and Sterility'' is a monthly journal from the

American Society for Reproductive Medicine The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) is a nonprofit, multidisciplinary organization for advancement of the science and practice of reproductive medicine. The society has its headquarters in Washington, D.C and its administrat ...

Also, many academic journals in obstetrics and gynaecology dedicate many articles to reproductive endocrinology and infertility.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reproductive Endocrinology And Infertility Gynaecology Andrology Endocrinology Fertility medicine Obstetrics de:Reproduktionsmedizin

Certification

Societies

Journals

See also

References