Term | Definition |
Afterbirth | The placenta and its associated membranes delivered after the baby |
Atresia | Process in which oogonia and primary oocytes degenerate |
Capacitation | The acids of the vagina & other fluids of the female reproductive tract break down cholesterol of sperms' cell membrane & stimulate sperm to swim faster so after 10 hours, the sperm are able to release the enzymes of the acrosome cap to penetrate an egg |
Colostrum | A thin, watery fluid containing protein, lactose (milk sugar), and many antibodies but one-third less fat than breast milk |
Crowning | The appearance of the baby's head at the vaginal opening during birth |
Effacement | The thinning of the cervix in preparation for birth |
Episiotomy | An incision made in a female's perineum to widen the vaginal opening during birth |
Folliculogenesis | The changes in a follicle during oogenesis |
Gestation | The time from fertilization to birth |
Labor | Uterine contractions to bring about birth |
Lactation | Milk production |
Mammography | An x-ray examination of the breast used to detect breast cancer |
Menopause | Cessation of menstrual periods for at least a year |
Menstrual cycle | Part of the female sexual cycle of events that affects the uterine lining |
Milk ejection reflex | A reflex that is initiated by suckling on a breast and results in myoepithelial cells in the mammary lobules contracting to release milk to the lactiferous ducts in the breast |
Oogenesis | Egg production |
Ovarian cycle | Part of the female sexual cycle of events that occurs in the ovary |
Ovulation | The release of an egg from an ovary |
Parturition | The process of birth |
Prolapse | An effect of aging in the female reproductive system in which organs such as the urinary bladder and vagina drop out of position |