If you are struggling with infertility, you might be a little bewildered by all the various terms that are used.
Here are some infertility terms with brief explanations that may prove helpful to you:
Adverse Outcome: Miscarriage, stillbirth, induced termination, or any pregnancy that does not end in a live birth.
Assisted Reproductive Technology, or ART: In vitro fertilization, zygote intrafallopian transfer, gamete intrafallopian transfer, or any procedure where a woman’s fertile eggs are surgically removed from the ovaries and then combined with sperm for conception.
Concentration of Motile Sperm: The measurement of live sperm in semen. The World Health Organization says that there must be a minimum of 10 million live, motile sperm per milliliter of semen for pregnancy to occur.
Cryopreservation: This is the process of freezing extra eggs from an ART cycle for possible use in the future.
FSH: Follicle stimulating hormone produced by the pituitary gland that helps an egg mature and be released. A high level of FSH means that ovarian reserve is low, which can cause infertility.
Gamete: A reproductive cell, either an egg or a sperm.
GIFT: This is the process of removing eggs from the ovary, combining the eggs with sperm and then placing both into the fallopian tube via small incisions through the abdomen.
ICSI: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, in which a single male sperm is injected into an egg.
IUI: Intrauterine insemination. A procedure that places male sperm into the uterus.
IVF: In vitro fertilization. In this process, the sperm and eggs are fertilized outside the woman’s body and then the resultant embryos are transferred into the uterus via the cervix.
Ovarian Stimulation: Use of medications to stimulate the ovaries to produce follicles and eggs.
Ovulatory Dysfunction: This is a diagnostic category used whenever the ovaries are not functioning normally, such as polycystic ovary syndrome.
Tubal Factor: A diagnostic category used when the fallopian tubes are blocked or damaged.
ZIFT: Zygote intrafallopian transfer, which is a procedure where the eggs are collected from the ovary and then fertilized outside the body. After fertilization, laparoscopy is used to place the zygote (fertilized egg) into the fallopian tube.
Infertility Lingo: Terms That You Should Know Part 2
More Infertility Terms That You Should Know
Infertility Lingo: Terms That You Should Know Part 3
Frequently Asked Questions About Assisted Reproductive Technology