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Agglutination - a reaction in which particles (such as
red blood cells, bacteria or sperm) suspended in a liquid collect into clumps
and which occurs especially as a serological response to a specific antibody
Amenorrhea - abnormal absence or suppression of
menstruation
Anencephaly - congenital absence of all or a major part
of the brain
Anovulatory - not associated with or involving
ovulation, such as anovulatory bleeding; suppressing ovulation, as in anovulatory
drugs
Artificial Insemination - introduction of semen into
the uterus or fallopian tubes by other than natural means
Asthenospermia - sperm motility seriously affected
Azoospermia - sperm absent in the ejaculate
BBT - Basal body temperature
Corpus Luteum - (Latin: "yellow
body") a yellowish mass of progesterone-secreting endocrine tissue that
forms immediately after ovulation and that regresses rather quickly if the ovum
is not fertilized but persists throughout the ensuing pregnancy if it is
fertilized
Dysmenorrhea - painful menstruation
Endometriosis - the presence and growth of functioning
endometrial tissue in places other than the uterus that often results in severe
pain and infertility
Endometrium - the mucous membrane lining the uterus
that is composed of three layers
Estrogen - hormones that are that are secreted
chiefly by the ovaries, placenta, and adipose tissue, that promote the growth
and maintenance of the female reproductive system
EWCM - Egg-white cervical mucus
Fallopian Tubes - pair of tubes that carry the eggs from
the ovary to the uterus
Fecundity - capable of producing, not sterile or
barren
Fimbria - bordering fringe at the entrance of the
fallopian tubes
Follicle - a vesicle in the ovary that contains a
developing egg surrounded by a covering of cells
FSH - Follicle stimulating hormone
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) - hormone similar in structure to
luteinizing hormone that is secreted by the placenta during early pregnancy to
maintain corpus luteum function and stimulate placental progesterone production;
found in the urine and blood serum of pregnant women and is commonly tested for
as an indicator of pregnancy
Hydatidiform Mole (or h.mole) - a rare mass or growth that
may form inside the uterus at the beginning of a pregnancy
Hyperemesis Gravidarum - uncontrollable nausea and vomiting
during pregnancy that results in severe dehydration and pH imbalances in the
blood
Intrauterine Insemination - introduction of semen into
the uterus by other than natural means
Luteal Phase - also referred
to as 'days past ovulation' or 'DPO', is the portion of the cycle that begins at
ovulation and ends the day before your next period
Luteinizing Hormone (LH) - hormone that stimulates the
development of the corpus luteum, and together with follicle-stimulating
hormone, the secretion of progesterone
Menorrhagia - abnormally heavy
menstrual flow
Menstruation - Cyclical bleeding from the uterus
Mittelschmerz - abdominal pain occurring between
menstrual periods usually considered to be associated with ovulation
Necrospermia - immobile or dead sperm in ejaculate
Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) - one
of the most common birth defects, results when the neural tube, which includes
the spinal cord and brain, fails to close during the first month of embryonic
development
Oligospermia - low sperm count
Ovulation - the discharge of a mature ovum from the ovary
Periconceptional Period - the period from three months prior to pregnancy to the third month of pregnancy
Progesterone - hormone secreted by the corpus luteum to
prepare the endometrium for implantation and later by the placenta during
pregnancy to prevent rejection of the developing embryo or fetus
Spinnbarkeit - the elastic
quality that is characteristic of cervical mucus shortly before ovulation
TTC - Trying to conceive
Varicocele - a varicose enlargement of the veins of the
spermatic cord producing a soft compressible tumor mass in the scrotum
Varicocelectomy - surgical treatment of varicocele
by excision of the affected veins, often with removal of part of the scrotum
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