- Abortion:
- the medical term for miscarriage. The various types include:
- Complete abortion:
- A miscarriage in which all of the products of conception have been expelled and the cervix is closed.
- Habitual abortion:
- A miscarriage occurring on two or more separate occasions.
- Incomplete abortion:
- A miscarriage in which only a portion of the products of conception have been expelled. This usually requires dilatation and curettage.
- Induced abortion:
- An intentional termination of pregnancy.
- Inevitable abortion:
- A miscarriage that cannot be halted.
- Missed abortion:
- A miscarriage in which a dead fetus and other products of conception remain in the uterus for four or more weeks.
- Selective abortion:
- A term often used to refer to intentional termination of one or more gestational sacs within the uterus, usually in the case of a multiple pregnancy (triplets or more).
- Spontaneous abortion:
- A miscarriage or the unintended termination of a pregnancy before the twentieth week.
- Therapeutic abortion:
- An intentional termination of pregnancy for the purpose of preserving the life of the mother.
- Threatened abortion:
- symptoms such as vaginal bleedings, with or without pain, which may end with a miscarriage or with continuation of a normal pregnancy.
- Adhesion:
- An abnormal attachment of adjacent tissues by bands, scars or masses of fibrous tissue.
- Adrenal Glands:
- Two glands near the kidneys that produce hormones, including some male sex hormones - the adrenal androgens.
- Agglutination of Sperm:
- Sticking together of sperm.
- Amenorrhea:
- The absence of menstruation.
- Ampulla:
- The outer half of the fallopian tube, where fertilisation occurs. It opens into the abdominal cavity through the tubal ostium, which is lined by the fimbria.
- Androgens:
- Male sex hormones. Testosterone is one example.
- Andrology:
- The science of diseases peculiar to the male sex, particularly infertility, and sexual dysfunction.
- Anomaly:
- A malformation or abnormality in any part of the body.
- Anovulation:
- Total absence of ovulation. Note: This is not necessarily the same as "amenorrhea." Menses may still occur with anovulation.
- Anovulatory Bleeding:
- The type of menstruation often associated with failure to ovulate. This menstruation may be scanty and of short duration; or abnormally heavy and irregular.
- Antibody:
- A protective protein produced in the body that fights or otherwise interacts with a foreign substance in the body.
- Artificial Insemination by Donor (AID):
- The injection of donor semen into a woman's reproductive tract for the purpose of conception.
- Artificial Insemination by Husband (AIH):
- The injection of husband's semen into the wife's reproductive tract for the purpose of conception.
- Aspermia:
- The absence of semen. This is not the same as azoospermia.
- Asthenospermia:
- A condition in which the sperm do not move (swim) at all or move more slowly than normal.
- Azoospermia:
- The absence of sperm in the ejaculate.
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
