Abortion: pregnancy interruption, spontaneous or induced, before the fetus reaches 23 weeks of gestation or 1.1 pounds.
Adherence: when intra abdominal structures are attached to each other.
Androgens: hormone that stimulates the activity of male accessory sexual organs and promotes the development of masculine sexual characteristics. It is also produced in small quantities in women.
Anovulation: failure or lack of ovulation.
Artificial Insemination: it is the process of placing sperm cells directly inside the vagina or uterus. Usually it is indicated to couples with male infertility like low volume of semen, low concentration or low motility of sperm. Artificial insemination can also be performed to treat female infertility cases like problems in the cervical mucus or immunological factors. It a relatively simple and painless procedure, performed in a doctor?s office. Using a technique called intrauterine insemination, the doctor insert the sperm directly inside the uterus, close to the moment of ovulation. If the woman has a low quantity of cervical mucus or none, this procedure increases the chances of fertilization. Sometimes, more than one insemination is performed to guarantee that it takes place with the ovulation.
Assisted Conception: the same as Assisted Reproduction.
Assisted Fertility: the same as Assisted Reproduction.
Assisted Reproduction: see Reproduction Assisted Techniques
Assisted Reproductive Technologies, ART: some couples need more sophisticated procedures, known as Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) that help them unite the sperm to the egg. ART represents a hope to couples that do not respond to other treatments and involves the same hormonal therapies used in the induction of ovulation, in addition to techniques that increase the fertilization of the egg by the sperm. The most common ART procedures are: gonatropins, hCG, embrionary transfer for the uterine cavity, follicle aspiration, egg aspiration, tubarian obstruction and pre-embryo FIV.
Biopsy: it is the removal of a tissue sample for a microscopic exam.
Canal of the Cervix: it is the lowest part of the uterus, the interior of the cervix and it extends until the vagina. It dilates during labor to allow the passage of the baby.
Catheter: extremely flexible disposable equipment used to transfer pre-embryos or gametes to the interior of the uterine cavity.
Cervical Mucus: secretion excreted by the uterine colon stimulated by estrogen. Usually it is thick, but it gets thinner during ovulation, and that allows for the passage of sperm from the vagina to the uterus and also for its survival.
Cervix: is the lowest part of the uterus and it extends until inside the vagina. Female genitalia dilate during labor to allow the passage of the baby.
Chromossomal Alterations: it is essential for the development of an organism of a determined species to maintain the form and number of chromosomes. Any alteration either in structure or in number can be incompatible with life.
Conception: act of conceiving or being conceived.
Corpus Luteum: after ovulation residual elements of the broken follicle form this new endocrine structure that offers the conditions to implantation and maintenance of the pre-embryo until the placenta can perform this role. If there is no pregnancy, the corpus luteum begins to regress after a period of 14 days.
Culture Medium: culture mediums are used to cultivate microorganisms. These mediums supply nutritional principles that are essential to the growth of microorganisms, like a source of carbon (usually sugar) and energy.
Cytoplasm: one of the basic components of a cell. It is found between the nucleus and the plasmatic membrane. It has a structural role, keeping the form and consistency of the cell. It is also where essential chemicals to life are stored. Vital metabolic reactions take place in this cellular compartment: anaerobic glicolysis and protein synthesis.
Donor: woman that donates her eggs of her own free will.
Egg Collection: please see Follicular Aspiration.
Egg or oocyte: in Biology it is the female gametocyte or female sexual cell produced by the ovaries. After fertilization, the egg is called a zygote.
Eggs Donation: eggs collection process from a donor. Eggs are fertilized with sperm at the IVF laboratory. Embryos are transferred to the receptor.
Ejaculate: same as seminal fluid. See sperm.
Ejaculation: when a male of many species, especially mammals, discharges sperm to eventually fertilize a female. Ejaculation in some species, including human, is followed by an orgasm.
Embryo: the product of conception from the first modifications of the fertilized egg. The embryonary period ends in the 8th week after fertilization, when the embryo is then called a fetus.
Endometriosis: it is a disease that affects women in their reproductive age. It consists of the presence of the endometrium in places outside of the uterus. Most common regions of endometriosis are: pouch of Douglas (behind the uterus), rectovaginal septum (tissue between the vagina and the recto), Fallopian tubes, ovaries, recto surface, ligaments of the uterus, bladder, and pelvis wall. The main symptom is pain, sometimes very strong pain, during menstruation. Pain while having sexual intercourse, is also common. Pain in the bladder and intestines, during menstruation are signs that they should be investigated. Many women that have endometriosis do not feel anything, only the difficulty to get pregnant. On the other side, having endometriosis is not a synonym of infertility, many woman that have the disease get pregnant and 30% to 40% of woman with endometriosis have difficulty to get pregnant.
Endometrium: it is the mucous membrane that lines the uterine wall, formed by smooth muscular fibers. It is stimulated by the follicular hormone estradiol and by progesterone, produced by the corpus luteum (ovary). The endometrium gets thicker because of cellular division. When implantation does not occur, it detaches from the uterine wall and is excreted by the vagina, or what is known by menstruation.
Epididymis: The epididymis (from Greek epididumis, epi + didumos twin, testicle) is a small tightly-coiled duct that is located behind the testicle, in the scrotum, in the base of the vas deferens. It conducts the sperm from the testicle to the prostate. The epididymis is as long as the testicle. It has the form of a flattened "C", next to the one of the sides of the testicle. It is a complex tubular system that collects the sperm and accumulates it until it is necessary. After being stored in the epididymis, the sperm continues through the vas deferens until the prostate where it is mixed with the original semen from the seminal vesicle and move from the prostate to the urethra during ejaculation. See male reproductive system. Picture: Epididymis (nº16).
Estradiol: highly estrogenic hormone that is a crystalline steroid phenol white alcohol (C18H24O2), isolated especially in the follicular liquid of the ovary of female pigs and urine of pregnant female horses and also it is produced synthetically by hidrogenation of estrone.
Estrogen: hormone that stimulates de development of secondary female sexual characteristics and controls the menstrual cycle. It is also produced by men in small quantities.
Fallopian Tubes: also called uterine tubes. They are two extremely thin ducts that connect the ovaries to the uterus of female mammals. There are two of them and each one is connected to one side of the uterus and they end close to one ovary. They are not directly connected to the ovaries, but open in the peritoneal cavity (the inside of the abdomen). In human beings their size ranges from 7cm to 14cm.
Fecundation: occurs when an egg is fertilized by sperm. Normally occurs inside the fallopian tube (in vivo) but may also occur in the laboratory (in vitro). (See also In Vitro Fertilization).
Fertility: the quality or state of being fertile.
Fertilization: it happens when an egg is fertilized by a sperm. Usually it takes place inside the Fallopian tubes (in vivo), but it can take place in a laboratory (in vitro). (See also In Vitro Fertilization).
Follicle: vesicles filled with fluids present at the ovary in which are eggs that are released during ovulation. Each month, an egg develops inside the ovary in a follicle.
Follicular: related to a follicle.
Follicular Aspiration: procedure used to obtain eggs from the ovarian follicles, to be used with in vitro fertilization. A needle is passed through the vagina under ultrasound guidance to locate the follicle in the ovary.
Follicular Development: growth of follicle (s) that is usually accompanied by a transvaginal ultrasound exam.
Follicular Fluid: liquid that fills the follicles that include many necessary substances to the growth and nutrition of the egg.
Foreskin: fold of skin that covers the glans penis (head of the penis).
FSH: pituitary hormone that stimulates follicular development and spermatogenesis (sperm development). In women, FSH stimulates the growth of ovarian follicles. In men, FSH stimulates Sertoli cells in the testicles and gives support to the production of sperm. High levels of FSH are associated with a gonadal insufficiency in both women and men.
Gamete: a reproductive cell. In men it is the sperm and in women, the egg.
Genetic Diseases: genetic diseases can be divided in two groups: chromosomal, detected in the chromosome mapping of the fetus, and the monogenic diseases, common in pregnant woman over 35 years old. Monogenic diseases can be detected in exams, ordered by the OBGYN, for pregnant women that present sexual related diseases. Exams are also indicated to couples that have chromosomal translocation, women that have children with chromosomal disorders (Down syndrome, among other diseases) or children with malformation.
Gestation: it has to do with the result of the fertilization of an egg by the sperm, after the development of the fetus in the uterus and finally the birth.
Glands: are composed by glandular tissue. They are capable of elaborating chemical substances that are released directly in the blood flow. These substances are called hormones.
Glans penis: distal end of the penis, also known as "the head of the penis".
Gonadotropin: hormones that control our reproductive function: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).
Hormones : hormone is a chemical substance secreted by the endocrine system. It is produced in an organ or in certain cells and it is released and transported directly by the blood flow or other bodily fluids. It has a regulatory function that activates or inhibits other organs or regions of the body. Usually, these substances work slowly and act for a very long time to regulate growth, the development, reproduction and functions of many tissues as well as metabolic processes. In women around 40 years old, there is a steep decrease in the production of hormones that is called menopause; in men this drop is called andropause. Some well known hormones regulate sexual functions in mammals (testosterone and estrogen) and blood glucose level (like insulin).
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG): : hormone released only during pregnancy. It keeps the corpus luteum in the production of progesterone. It is also administered with an injection to stimulate ovulation after some fertility treatments. With men it is used to stimulate the production of testosterone.
Human Male Reproductive System: It consists of gonads (2 testicles), genital ducts (epididymis, vas deferens and urethra), annexed glands (prostate, seminal vesicles and cowper?s glands) and external sexual organ (penis).
Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis: anatomical structure between the regions of the brain and the pituitary gland. It is responsible for regulating the whole endocrine system.
Hysterosalpingography: it is a procedure that uses fluoroscopy and a contrast material injected in the uterus. Radiographies are used to visualize the uterus and the Fallopian tubes to determine if there is any blockage.
Hysteroscopy: exam that allows a direct view of the interior of uterus. A form of telescope is introduced through the cervix and the image is transmitted to a video monitor. This procedure is ambulatory and does not require a hospitalization. Surgical Hysterescopies are done without incisions or cuts in a hospital environment, with a hospitalization of no more than 24 hours.
Immunological system: it is the system which the main function consists of destroying pathogenic agents; it acts as a defense mechanism.
Implantation: it is the placement of the embryo inside the tissue in such way that it can establish contact with the mother?s blood supply for nutrition. Implantation usually takes place in the layer that covers the uterus internally. In an ectopic pregnancy, it can happen in another part of the body.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): Latin expression that designates all biological phenomenons that takes place not in a living organism but in a controlled environment of a laboratory. It means "within the glass". It became known in humans as "test tube baby".IVF is the most performed procedure of reproduction assisted techniques and it indeed solves many fertility problems, especially problems in the Fallopian tubes and sperm deficiency.
Incubator: equipment used for the development of pre-embryos. It maintains the same CO2 concentration, humidity and temperature as the interior of the Fallopian tubes.
Infertility: it is the incapacity to conceive after one year of having sexual intercourse without contraceptives (six months if the woman is more than 35 years old) or the incapacity to keep the pregnancy to term.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, ICSI: a micromanipulation (it is done with microscopy). In this procedure only one sperm cell is injected directly inside the egg. It allows for fertilization with low quantity of sperm or non mobile sperm (sperm that does not swim effectively in the direction of the egg). The embryo is then transferred to the uterus.
Intrauterine Insemination: procedure where a doctor places the sperm directly in the uterus cavity, through the colon with a catheter.
LH: regulatory protein from the progesterone?s secretion in women. It controls the maturing of Graaf follicles, ovulation, and the initiation of the corpus luteum. In men, it stimulates Leydig cells to produce testosterone (hormone responsible for the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics of males and for sexual libido).
Masturbation: it is the act of auto stimulation of genital organs, manually or through the use of objects, with the objective to obtain sexual pleasure followed or not by an orgasm. The term was used for the first time by an English doctor and founder of Sexual Psychology, Dr. Havelock Ellis in 1898. It was formed combining two Latin words: manus, that means hands, and turbari, "agitate", with the meaning of "agitating with hands".
Mature oocyte (metaphase II): the egg in the ideal phase to be fertilized.
Menstrual Cycle: the menstrual cycle of a woman begins on the first day that she menstruates and goes until the last day before the next menstruation. In a normal cycle, menstruation takes 28 to 30 days to start and lasts in average three to five days. What determines the amount of flow is the uterus size, the quantity of endometrium (internal lining of the uterus) and hormones quantity: estrogen and progesterone produced by the ovary. The menstrual cycle is controlled by a series of hormonal alterations that take place in an interactive way involving the hypothalamus gland, pituitary gland, ovaries, adrenal and thyroid. Any mishap on that chain of events could lead a woman to have alterations on her menstruation. The cycle can be divided in phases, follicular and luteal and ovulation separates them.
Menstrual Cycle: also known as menstruation. It is the physiological phenomenon of a woman?s fertile period that allows the periodic elimination of the endometrium with the blood flow. Menstruation usually starts at young women around 12 years old, but it can begin at any moment from the ages of 8 to 16.
Menstruation: it is the shedding of the endometrium (membrane that lines the uterus cavity), followed by the release of blood.
MESA (Microsurgical Epididymal Sperm Aspiration): Procedure that obtains the sperm from the epididymis of azoospermic patients, usually due to an obstructive reason, by a microsurgical aspiration of the epididymis exposed by an incision in the scrotum.
Micromanipulation: techniques that can be performed in a laboratory with microscopy. An embryologist manipulates the egg and the sperm to increase the chances of a pregnancy. (See Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, ICSI)
Micromanipulator: equipment used for the Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, ICSI. (See Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, ICSI)
Micropolycystic Ovary Syndrome (MPOS): it is a disease characterized by the presence of ovarian mycrocysts, found in the periphery of the ovaries, associated with alterations of the menstrual cycle or in some cases, the lack of menstruation. It may be associated with the increase of bodily hair and obesity and occasionally may hamper pregnancy.
Mobility: the same as motility.
Morphology: sperm form related to the three main parts analyzed: head, intermediate part, and tale.
Motility: the ability of sperm cells to swim. Deficiency motility means that the sperm have difficulty to swim in the direction of the egg.
Multiple Gestation: when a woman carries two or more fetus in the same pregnancy. It happens more frequently when there is manipulation. A natural multiple gestation with more than 3 fetus is very rare.
Myoma: Benign tumor (non malignant and it does not represent risk of death). It is made of fibroid tissue and it may appear in the uterine wall. It may be totally symptomless or it can cause abnormal menstrual patterns or infertility.
Nucleus: part of the cell that has DNA.
Ovaries: where all the female gametes are produced. They are present in all living beings with differentiated organs.
Ovulation: release of the egg that comes from the ovarian follicle.
Ovulation Induction: medical treatment performed to initiate ovulation.
Pelvis: it is composed by a series of long bones (in amphibian, reptiles and birds) or flat bones (in mammals) that usually present the following components: sacrum, ilium, ischium and pubis. It is in this structure that the inferior members are inserted and they support a series of muscles associated to its movement.
Penis: penis or phallus is the sexual organ of male mammals. It contains urinary and sexual ducts that communicate with the exterior of the body. It has therefore a double function: reproduction and excretion of urine.
PESA: percutaneous epidydimal sperm aspiration.
Pituitary Gland: gland responsible for the production of important hormones, located at the base of the brain.
Pituitary Gonadotropin: see gonadotropin.
Placenta: it is an embrionary annex present only in mammals where the exchange of nutrients, oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place between mother and fetus and it excretes the products of its metabolism. It is also an important endocrine organ during pregnancy because it produces many hormones like progesterone, human chorionic gonadotropin, estrogen, among others.
Polyp: the term polyp is used to denominate tumors that are attached to the uterine cavity and the cervix by a narrow elongated stalk or peduncle. Endometrial polyps are focal gland proliferations organized at the basal endometrium. They present an excessive growth of the epithelial tissue, stroma and blood vessels in variable quantities.
Post Coital Test: a mucus cervical test performed after sexual intercourse. It must be collected during the ovulation period. The objective is to determine the quality of the mucus and its compatibility with the sperm.
Pre-embryo: the result of fertilization of an oocyte by sperm.
Pre-embryo Transference: placement of one or more pre-embryos (fertilized in a laboratory) in the interior of a woman?s uterus.
Pre-implantational Genetic Diagnosis (PGD): : genetic diagnosis performed after the aspiration of one or more pre-embryo blastomere or the first oocyte polar body, obtained through IVF or ICSI, by micromanipulation. It can be performed in a genetic level using molecular biology techniques (PCR ? Polymerase Chain Reaction), or in a cytogenetic level (fluorescence in situ hibridization).
Progesterone: hormone produced by the corpus luteum during the second half of a woman?s cycle. It makes the internal layer of the uterus thicker to prepare it to accept the implantation of a fertilized egg.
Prolactin: it is the hormone that stimulates the production of maternal milk in women. High levels of prolactin result in a condition known as Hyperprolactinaemia that interferes in the ovulation. Blood tests can be done in the beginning of a cycle to determine if this is the cause of ovulating problems.
Receptor: patient that will receive pre-embryo (s) derived from a donor?s oocytes, fertilized with the sperm of their partners.
Salpingitis: inflammation of the Fallopian tubes usually caused by infection.
Scrotum: it is found in men. It is an external protuberance of skin and muscle that hold the testicles. It is an extension of the abdomen and it is located between the penis and the anus. The scrotum has the function to keep testicles at a temperature lower than the rest of the body (93.32ºF). Excessive heat destroys the sperm. Because it is a muscle, the scrotum contracts and extends as necessary to increase or reduce, respectively, the internal temperature.
Semen: the same as sperm. It is a "whitish" liquid eliminated by the urethra (duct inside the penis that also transports urine) during ejaculation. The semen is the result of a mix of secretions originated in the testicles, where the sperm cells are produced with secretions of the prostate, seminal vesicles and bulbourethral glands. Usually each cubic centimeter of semen has millions of sperm cells, even though most volume of the semen is formed by the secretion of glands from the male reproductive system (mainly prostate and seminal vesicles).
Seminal Analysis: exam also called spermogram, which has the objective to quantify and qualify the sperm and the seminal fluid. The main parameters evaluated are: ejaculation volume, quantity of sperm, mobility and morphology.
Seminal Fluid: the seminal fluid is the result of a mix of secretions originated at the prostate, seminal vesicles and bulbourethral glands.
Seminal Processing: laboratory techniques that remove the seminal plasma and try to isolate movable sperm, separating them from the other cellular items.
Speculum: medical tool used in a gynecological exam to visualize the cervix, also known as duck bill.
Sperm: see semen.
Sperm cell or spermatozoa: it is a cell with active motility capable of swimming freely, formed by a head and a tail. The head, which is the biggest volume of the sperm cell, consists of a nucleus, where the genetic material is very concentrated. The two thirds before the nucleus are covered with the acrosome, which because it is limited by a membrane with enzymes, helps the penetration of the sperm cell in the egg. The tail is responsible for the motility of the sperm cell and in the intermediate area cellular energy producers are found. They live around 24 hours in the female genital tract. However, some sperm cells are capable of fertilizing an egg after three days. There are two types of normal sperm cells. One of them contains the X chromosome (responsible for the formation of a female human being) and the other contains the Y chromosome (responsible for the formation of a male human being). To be successful the sperm cell has to swim 4.33 inches per hour (equivalent to a man crossing a swimming pool of 160 feet in 5 seconds).Usually around 200 to 500 million sperm cells are deposited in the back part of the vagina and only 300 to 500 reach the place of fertilization. It takes 5 to 45 minutes for a sperm egg to reach that area. The winner enters the egg (without the tail) and it is responsible for a new life.
Spermatic Maturation: it is the process in which the sperm acquires the ability to reach the oocyte, penetrate its layers and merge with its nucleus (ability to fertilize). This process involves a series of molecular exchanges between the sperm and the epididymal fluids. During the spermatic maturation, sperm cells also develop their mobility capacity (spermatic motility).
Sterility: it is the incapacity to produce offspring. To human beings it means the impossibility of having children.
Stimulation of Ovulation: see ovulation induction
Synachiae: the same as adherence. Adherence or intrauterine synachiae is the partial or total adherence of the internal layers of the uterine cavity due to a lesion in the endometrium. It occurs mainly after intracavity procedures, especially drastic uterine curettage or repeated uterine curettage, almost always after an abortion or birth.
TESA (Testicular Sperm Aspiration): technique used to obtain sperm from the testicle using a percutaneous aspiration needle.
TESE (Testicular Sperm Extraction): technique used to obtain sperm cells by testicular biopsy. It can be performed surgically or percutaneously with biopsy needles.
Testicle: the testicle is the male sexual gonad in sexuated animals that produce the fertilization cells called sperm (male gametes). Usually it occurs in pairs and if external they are protected by a protuberance called scrotum, or it can be located inside the body of animals (usually reptiles or marine animals). It also acts as glands and produces male hormones. It has a function similar to the ovaries in females. In human beings the testicles are suspended by spermatic cords, formed by blood and lymph vessels, nerves, cremaster, epididymus and vas deferens.
Transvaginal Ultrasound: exam done instead of a x-ray to visualize reproductive organs, for example, to monitor the follicular development.
Tubal ligation: Fallopian tubes that connect the ovaries to the uterus, are surgically cut or blocked off.
Unexplained Infertility: when it is not possible to reach a definite conclusion regarding the diagnosis of infertility, even after an analyses of all exams results.
Uterine Cavity: cavity found in the uterus. It is where the lining called endometrium is found.
Uterine Tubes: the same as Fallopian tubes.
Uterus: organ from reproductive system where the fetus develops.
Vagina: sexual organ of female mammals. It is part of the reproduction system and consists of a small tract that extends from the cervix to the vulva.
Vasectomised: men that undergo vasectomy surgery.
Vasectomy: in a vasectomy the vasa deferentia ducts (little ducts that take the sperm from the epididymus and testicles to the prostatic urethra) are severed. The testicles function normally and the sperm produced will not be part of the ejaculation. They will be absorbed. It is common to confuse vasectomy and castration due to lack of information.
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