The curriculum that evolved into the ideas for this series was inspired by Larry C. Gilstrap III, MD when he was chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Dr. Gilstrap is a man of such a myriad of talents, and is my personal inspiration for much of the teaching that I do today. It has been a tremendous joy to work with my excellent coauthors: Ed Yeomans, who is a brilliant, talented clinician and never-tiring teacher; Dr. Linda Fonseca who set up the first case for this postgraduate series several years ago; and to my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Joseph "Mac" Ernest, whose leadership, vision, and practical approach are evident in all that he does. I am greatly indebted to my editor, Catherine Johnson, whose exuberance, experience, and vision helped to shape this series. I appreciate McGraw-Hill's believing in the concept of teaching through clinical cases, and I would like to especially acknowledge Cindy Yoo for her editing expertise and Catherine Saggese and Rajni Pisharody for the excellent production. I appreciate Linda Bergstrom for her sage advice and support. At Methodist, I appreciate Drs. Judy Paukert, Dirk Sostman, Marc Boom, Karin Larson-Pollock, Ayse McCracken, and Alan Kaplan for their leadership; and David Campbell and Tyler Kinney, who hold the department together. Without my dear colleagues, Drs. Konrad Harms, Jeane Holmes, and Priti Schachel, this book could not have been written. Most of all, I appreciate my ever-loving wife Terri, and our four wonderful children, Andy, Michael, Allison, and Christina, for their patience and understanding.