If you are trying to conceive and struggling with infertility, the whole process might not be quite as stressful if you were able to understand the most frequently used medical terms relating to infertility and fertility treatments.
Here are more medical terms associated with infertility that it might be helpful for you to know:
Ovarian Stimulation: This term refers to the use of medications to stimulate the ovaries to develop both follicles and mature eggs.
Ovulatory Dysfunction: This is a diagnostic category that is used when a woman’s ovaries are not producing eggs as they should be. It includes polycystic ovary syndrome as well as multiple ovarian cysts.
Pregnancy, Clinical: A clinical pregnancy that has been documented by ultrasound and shows a gestational sac in the uterus. For Assisted Reproductive Technology data collection purposes, pregnancy is defined as a clinical pregnancy rather than a chemical pregnancy, which simply means a positive pregnancy test.
Pregnancy Symptoms: This is a group of physical changes that normally occur in a woman’s body, that are related to pregnancy and increased levels of the hCG hormone. hCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin.
Sperm: This is the male reproductive cell.
Sperm motility: This refers to the sperm’s ability to quickly swim forward to the egg so that fertilization can occur. May also referred to as sperm mobility.
Stillbirth: This is a fetal death that occurs after the 20th week of gestation.
Stimulated Cycle: Refers to an ART cycle in which a woman receives oral or injected fertility drugs to stimulate her ovaries to produce more follicles and hence, more eggs.
Thawed Embryo Cycle: The same as a frozen embryo cycle.
Tubal Factor: This is a diagnostic category that is used when at woman’s fallopian tubes are blocked or damaged, thus making it difficult for the egg to be fertilized or for an embryo to travel to the uterus.
Unstimulated Cycle: This refers to an ART cycle in which the woman does not receive drugs to stimulate her ovaries to produce more follicles. Instead, follicles develop naturally.
ZIFT: Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer, which is an ART procedure in which eggs are collected from a woman’s ovary and fertilized outside her body. A laparoscope is then used to place the resulting zygote (fertilized egg) into the woman’s fallopian tube through a small incision in her abdomen.
Having a better understanding and knowledge of the technical medical terms you are liable to hear when you are dealing with infertility might make you feel a little better informed!
Infertility Lingo: Terms That You Should Know Part 3
Infertility Lingo: Terms That You Should Know Part 1
Infertility Lingo: Terms That You Should Know Part 2
Infertility Lingo: Terms That You Should Know Part 5
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