Section I. Hormones in the Physiology and Pharmacology of Pregnancy: 1. The neuroendocrinology of pregnancy Silvia Vannuccini, Irene Paternò, 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.