- Necrospermia:
- A condition in which sperm are produced and found in the semen but they are dead. These sperm cannot fertilize eggs.
- Nidation:
- The implantation of the fertilized egg in the endometrium of the uterus.
- Obstetrician:
- A doctor who specializes in pregnancy and childbirth.
- Oligo-ovulation:
- Infrequent ovulation, usually less than six ovulatory cycles per year.
- Oligospermia:
- An abnormally low number of sperm in the ejaculate of the male.
- Oocyte:
- The egg.
- Oocyte retrieval
- : A surgical procedure to collect the eggs contained within the ovarian follicles.
- Orchitis:
- An inflammation of the testes.
- Ovarian failure:
- The inability of the ovary to respond to any gonadotropic hormone stimulation, usually due to the absence of oocytes.
- Ovaries:
- The sexual gland of the female which produces the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and in which the ova are developed.
- Oviduct:
- Fallopian tube.
- Ovulation:
- The discharge of a mature egg, usually at about the midpoint of the menstrual cycle.
- Ovulation induction:
- The use of hormone therapy (clomiphene citrate, HMG,HCG) to stimulate development and release.
- Ovum:
- The egg (reproductive) cell produced in the ovaries each month. (The plural of ovum is ova.)
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID):
- Inflammatory disease of the pelvis, often caused by infection.
- Penis:
- The male organ of intercourse.
- Pituitary:
- A gland located at the base of the human brain that secretes a number of important hormones related to normal growth and development and fertility.
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCO):
- Development of multiple cysts in the ovaries due to arrested follicular growth resulting in an imbalance in the amount of LH and FSH released.
- Polyp:
- A nodule or small growth found frequently on mucous membranes, such as in the cervix or the uterus.
- Postcoital test (huhner test):
- A diagnostic test for infertility in which vaginal and cervical secretions are obtained following intercourse and then analyzed under a microscope.
- Progesterone:
- A hormone secreted by the corpus luteum of the ovary after ovulation has occurred. Also produced by the placenta during pregnancy.
- Prostate:
- A gland in the male that surrounds the first portion of the urethra near the bladder. It secretes an alkaline liquid that neutralizes acid in the urethra and stimulates motility of the sperm.
- Pyospermia:
- A condition in which the presence of white cells in the semen indicates possible infection.
- Retrograde ejaculation:
- Discharge of semen backward into the bladder rather than forward through the penis.
- Retroverted uterus:
- Uterus that is bent backward.
- Rubin test:
- Obsolete test in which a gas such as carbon dioxide is blown into the uterus under pressure to test if the fallopian tubes are open.
- Salpingitis:
- Inflammation of the fallopian tubes.
- Salpingolysis:
- Surgery to clear the fallopian tubes of adhesions.
- Salpingoplasty:
- Surgery to correct blocked fallopian tubes.
- Scrotum:
- The bag of skin and thin muscle that holds the testicles.
- Secondary infertility:
- The inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy after having successfully conceived and carried one or more pregnancies.
- Semen:
- The sperm and seminal secretions ejaculated during orgasm.
- Semen analysis:
- The study of a fresh ejaculate under the microscope.
- Seminal vesicle:
- A pair of pouch-like glands above the prostate in the male that produce a thick, alkaline secretion that is passed in the semen during ejaculation.
- Seminiferous tubules:
- The long tubes in the testicles in which sperm are formed.
- Septum:
- An abnormality in organ structure present since birth in which a wall is present where one should not exist.
- Sperm (spermatozoa):
- The male reproductive cell, that has measurable characteristics such as:
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
