Question | Answer |
Abortion | The termination of the pregnancy before the fetus reaches the age of visibility (20 weeks) |
Adnexal | Adjacent |
Amenorrhea | The absence or cessation of the menstrual period |
Atypical | Deviation from the normal |
Braxton Hicks contractions | Intermittent and irregular painless uterine contractions that occur throughout pregnancy |
Cervix | The lower narrow end of the uterus that opens into the vagina |
Colposcopy | Examination of the cervix using a colposcope (lighted instrument with a magnifying lens) |
Cytology | The science that deals with the study of cells, including their origin, structure, function, and pathology |
Dilation | The stretching of the external os from an opening a few millimeters wide to an opening large enough to allow the passage of an infant (approx 10 cm) |
Dysmenorrhea | Pain associated with the menstrual period |
Dyspareunia | Pain in the vagina or pelvis experienced by a woman during sexual intercourse |
Dysplasia | The growth of abnormal cells. It is a precancerous condition that may not develop into cancer |
Ectocervix | The part of the cervix that projects into the vagina and is lined with stratified squamous epithelium |
Effacement | The thinning and shortening of the cervical canal from its normal length of 1 to 2 cm to a structure with paper thin edges and no canal at all |
Embryo | The child in utero from the time of conception to the beginning of the first trimester |
Endocervix | The mucous membrane lining the cervical canal |
Engagement | The entrance of the fetal head or the presenting part into the pelvic inlet |
Expected date of delivery (EDD) | Projected birth date of the infant |
External os | The opening of the cervical canal of the uterus into the vagina |
Fetal heart rate | The number of times per minute the fetal heart beats |
Fetal heart tones | The sounds of the heartbeat of the fetus heard through the mother's abdominal wall |
Fetus | The child in utero from the third month after conception to birth |
Fundus | The dome-shaped upper portion of the uterus between the fallopian tubes |
Gestation | The period of intrauterine development from conception to birth |
Gestational age | The age of the fetus between conception and birth |
Gravidity | The total number of pregnancies a woman has had regardless of duration, including a current pregnancy |
Gynecology | The branch of medicine that deals with the diseases of reproductive organs of women |
Infant | A child from birth to 12 months of age |
Internal os | The internal opening of the cervical canal into the uterus |
Lochia | A discharge from the uterus after delivery that consists of blood, tissue, white blood cells, and some bacteria |
Menopause | The permanent cessation of menstruation, which usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 |
Menorrhagia | Excessive bleeding during menstrual period, in the number of days or the amount of blood or both |
Metrorrhagia | Bleeding between menstrual periods |
Multigravida | A women who has become pregnant more than once |
Multipara | A woman who has completed two or more pregnancies to the age of fetal viability regardless of whether they ended in live infants or stillbirths |
Nullipara | A women who has not carried a pregnancy to the point of fetal viability (20 weeks of gestation) |
Obstetrics | The branch of medicine concerned with the care of the woman during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartal period |
Parity | The condition of having borne offspring regardless of the outcome |
Perimenopause | Before the onset of menopause, the |
Perineum | the external region between the vaginal orifice and the anus in a female between the scrotum and the anus in a male |
Position | The relation of presenting part of the fetus to the maternal pelvis |
Postpartum | Occurring after childbirth |
Preeclampsia | A major complications of pregnancy, the cause of which is unknown, characterized by increasing hypertension, albuminuria, and edema |
Prenatal | Before birth |
Presentation | Indication of the part of the fetus that is closest to the cervix and is delivered fast |
Preterm Birth | Delivery occurring between 20 and 37 weeks of gestation regardless of whether the child was born alive or stillborn |
Primigravida | A woman who is pregnant for the first time |
Primipara | A woman who has carried a pregnancy to fetal viability for the first time regardless of whether the infant was stillborn or alive at birth |
Puerperium | The period of time, usually 4 to 6 weeks after delivery, in which the uterus and the body systems are returning to normal |
Quickening | The first movements of the fetus in utero as felt by the mother, which usually occur between 16 and 20 weeks of gestation and are felt consistently thereafter |
Risk Factor | Anything that increases an individual's chance of developing a disease |
Term Birth | Delivery occurring after 37 weeks of gestation regardless of whether the infant was born alive or stillborn |
Toxemia | A condition that can occur in pregnant women that includes preeclampsia and eclampsia |
Trimester | Three months, or one third, of the gestational period of pregnancy |
Vulva | The region of the external female genital organs |