Simple explanation of the most common terms used on the site
Here is the pregnancy and fertility glossary to understand the terms and acronyms (acronyms) that you come across when reading the articles.
If you have doubts about any term that is not explained, please write to me.
TO
Amenorrhea : absence of menstruation. It is defined as primary when there is no menarche (first menstruation) by the age of 16. Secondary when menstruation disappears for at least 3 months.
Amniocentesis : It is a prenatal diagnosis that goes to withdraw and analyze the amniotic fluid.
Anovulation : Absence of ovulation
b
Beta HCG : It is also called the pregnancy hormone and used to understand if you are pregnant and how it is progressing. Read more in the beta hCG by week of pregnancy table .
Karyotype: chromosomal endowment of an individual. In humans, it consists of 22 pairs of autosomes and 2 sex chromosomes. In women it will be 46 XX and in men 46 XY.
Cerclage : surgical treatment performed between the 12th and 14th week of pregnancy to avoid premature births or late miscarriages due to the inability of the neck of the uterus to remain closed until the moment of birth of the fetus, due to both anatomical and functional.
Cervix : also called the neck of the uterus, it represents the lower part of the uterus.
Menstrual cycle sequence of periodic physiological changes that occur in a woman under the influence of specific hormones. It begins on the first day of menstruation and ends the day before the next menstruation. The menstrual cycle lasts an average of 28 days and consists of several phases .
Conception : moment in which the egg cell fuses with the sperm. The egg cell remains fecundable for only 12-14 hours once ovulation has taken place, then it degenerates.
Coverline: line used in basal temperature graphs to facilitate reading and to identify the day of ovulation.
d
DPP : estimated date of birth. This is an estimate of the date when the baby should be born. I remember that the birth can easily take place within two weeks before and within two weeks after that date is not a fixed deadline. You can use a calculator to find your due date .
AND
Embryo : first stage of development in humans from conception to about 8 weeks of pregnancy
Endometrium: tissue that lines the uterus internally and undergoes changes during the menstrual cycle under the influence of hormones (estrogen and progesterone).
Gestational age : indicates how many weeks and days of pregnancy is. For example, it is indicated as 28+4, or 28 complete weeks and 4 days. Attention: Gestational age 28+4 is the 29th week of pregnancy. Find out how to count the weeks of pregnancy .
f
Follicular phase : Period from the first day of menstruation to ovulation, It can have a variable length and determines the overall length of the menstrual cycle
Luteal phase : period from ovulation to the next menstruation. It has a fairly constant length in every woman between 11 and 16 days
Fetus : The passage from embryo to fetus in the human species takes place around the 60th-70th day after conception
IVF : in vitro fertilization or assisted fertilization .
Follicle : Formation within the ovary in which the oocyte/egg cell matures
FSH : Follicle Stimulating Hormone. It acts on the ovaries to bring about the maturation of a dominant follicle which, when fully matured, will release (at the time of ovulation) the egg cell to be fertilized
g
Gestation = pregnancy : period of conceptus development which in humans lasts 280 days from the date of the last menstruation
GEU : extra uterine pregnancy
Fertile days : these are the days in which there is a probability of getting pregnant if you have unprotected intercourse. The probability is estimated at around 10-10% and depends a lot on the age of the woman. The more it increases, the more the chances of pregnancy decrease.
Biochemical pregnancy : the production of beta HCG hormone is detected but the pregnancy stops before being able to visualize the gestational chamber in the uterus.
THE
Ovulation induction: stimulation through specific drugs of the production and maturation of ovarian follicles. Requires ultrasound monitoring
Labor induction : it involves inducing uterine contractions before their spontaneous onset in order to initiate labor and therefore delivery.
Immature : a fetus born between 20 and 28 weeks of pregnancy
Implantation : see Nesting
IUGR : intrauterine growth retardation
IUI : intrauterine insemination. click here to learn more
L
LH: luteinizing hormone. It is the hormone that is read from ovulation tests and that has a peak (LH surge) a few hours before ovulation.
No
Nesting/nesting . It is the moment in which the product of conception clings / nests to the walls of the uterus. Nesting takes place around 5-8 days after conception. At the same time, the so-called “system leaks” could occur, but it is not a frequent event. Click here to learn more
OR
Ovulation : coincides with the bursting of the ovarian follicle which releases the egg cell to be fertilized. Click here to learn more.
P
PGD : pre-implantation diagnosis
PM : post menstruation. Day 1 is the first day of your period.
PMA : medically assisted procreation. It is a synonym of assisted reproduction
PO : post ovulation, are the days that are counted once the day of ovulation has been determined. Generally a pregnancy test can be done starting from the 14th (ie fourteen days after ovulation)
Premature : newborn between 28 and 37 weeks of pregnancy
R
Obstetric rule : it is a tool used by the gynecologist to calculate the weeks of pregnancy starting from the date of the last cycle. Find out more or use the electronic obstetric ruler .
T
TB : basal body temperature. Temperature measured at rest useful for understanding whether or not ovulation occurs. Click here to learn more
CT : caesarean section. Surgery that in some situations replaces natural childbirth in order to deliver the baby.
Ovulation tests : they are in a certain sense diagnostic tools that allow you to identify the fertile days of the menstrual cycle by measuring the levels of one or two hormones in the urine. Therefore there are ovulation tests that read the LH hormone or those, such as the Persona tests or the Clearblues with double hormone indicator, that read both the LH and the estrogens.
To know more:
u
UM : last menstrual period, refers to the start date of the last menstrual period
Clear Egg : see clear egg syndrome
v
VBAC : Natural birth after a cesarean delivery. Click here to learn more
CVS : Click here to learn more
Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.
Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.