ADHESIONS - Scar tissue that may be located in the abdominal cavity, fallopian tubes, or inside the uterus. Can interfere with the transport of the egg and implantation of the embryo in the uterus.

AMENORRHEA - Lack of menstrual period for 6 months or more.

ANDROLOGIST - A physician who performs evaluations of male fertility.

ANOVULATION - The failure to ovulate. This is the most common cause of female infertility. There are many different causes for the failure to ovulate, including problems with the central nervous system or pituitary gland, and abnormalities within the follicles or ovaries.

ANTAGON - See ganirelix acetate.

ASSISTED HATCHING (AH or AZH) - A micromanipulation procedure in which an opening is made into the hard outer surface of the egg with the use of chemicals, mechanical techniques, or lasers to improve implantation after the embryo is transferred into the uterus.

ASSISTED INSEMINATION (AI) - Referring to insemination techniques such as Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) that help sperm penetration into the egg.

ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY (ART) - A group of treatment methods used to improve fertility, which involves collecting the eggs and putting them in direct contact with sperm. Including IVF, GIFT, ZIFT, ICSI, and Assisted Hatching.

AZOOSPERMIA – Semen that contains no sperm, either because the testicles can’t make sperm or because the man’s reproductive tract is blocked.

BASAL BODY TEMPERATURE -. (BBT) – The body temperature when taken at its lowest point, usually in the morning before getting out of bed. Charting a woman’s BBT is used to document ovulation. If the BBT pattern rises about a half degree during the latter half of the menstrual cycle, it suggests that ovulation has taken place.

BETA hCG TEST (BhCG) - A blood test used to detect very early pregnancies and to evaluate the development of the embryo. The test measures hCG, which is secreted by the placenta after implantation.

BLASTOCYST – A stage of embryonic development that occurs about 5 days after fertilization, when the embryo consists of two different cell types (those that will form the placenta and those that will form the fetus) and a central cavity.

BLASTOCYST TRANSFER – Following IVF, the embryos are allowed to reach the Blastocyst stage before being transferred into the uterus, rather than being transferred after the second or third day.

BLIGHTED OVUM (EGG) - An old-fashioned term for an embryo that has not developed normally after fertilization. The amniotic sac may only contain fluid and no fetal tissue when the miscarriage occurs.

CERVICAL MUCUS – The sticky, thick mucus produced by glands in the cervical canal that plugs the opening of the cervix. Most of the time this thick mucus plug prevents sperm and bacteria from entering the womb unless ovulation is about to take place. At this time, under the influence of estrogen, the mucus becomes thin, watery, and stretchy so that sperm can pass into the womb.

CERVIX – The opening into the uterus.
CHEMICAL PREGNANCY – A pregnancy verified by lab tests but which fails before a gestational sac is seen on an ultrasound.

CHOCOLATE CYST – A cyst in the ovary that is filled with blood. It is known medically as an “endometrioma.” The term chocolate cyst is used because it resembles melted chocolate. A chocolate cyst forms when endometriosis implants invade the ovary and bleed.

CLOMIPHENE CITRATE – A synthetic hormone that acts on both the hypothalamus and the pituitary to induce ovulation. Men may also take the hormone to boost sperm production.

CONCEPTION – The fertilization of an egg by sperm that leads to the creation of a baby.

CONGENITAL – Conditions present from birth, either hereditary or environmental.

CORPUS LUTEUM – A yellow-colored cyst that forms from the ovarian follicle after it releases an egg. Once formed, the cyst produces estrogen and progesterone to prepare and support the uterine lining for implantation.

CRYOPRESERVATION – The process of freezing tissues or cells and then storing them in liquid nitrogen at very low temperatures. This process is used to store sperm, embryos, and unfertilized eggs. They are stored in small vials or straws that can last for decades.

DONOR EGGS – Eggs from a fertile woman that are donated to an infertile woman for use in an ART procedure.

DONOR INSEMINATION (DI) – A type of artificial insemination using sperm not from the male partner or husband.

DONOR SPERM – Semen specimens donated and used in an ART procedure.

ECTOPIC PREGNANCY – Also called a tubal pregnancy, this is a condition in which the embryo implants outside of the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube, although it can also occur in the ovary or abdominal cavity. If such a pregnancy is allowed to continue, it may eventually rupture the fallopian tube and cause life-threatening hemorrhage. Such a pregnancy can never be sustained and often leads to decreased or complete loss of function in the affected tube.

EGG DONATION – See Donor Eggs

EGG RETRIEVAL – A procedure used to collect eggs from a woman’s follicles for use in IVF, usually performed with ultrasound-directed needle aspiration during IVF.

EMBRYO – A term that describes the time from fertilization of the egg until the eighth week of pregnancy

EMBRYO FREEZING – See Cyropreservation

EMBRYO TRANSFER – Placing an egg that has been fertilized outside the womb into a woman’s uterus or into the fallopian tube after IVF

ENDOMETRIAL BIOPSY – A removal of a small piece of the uterine lining for microscopic study.

ENDOMETRIOSIS – A chronic condition in which some of the normal endometrial tissue is found outside the uterus – most often in the pelvic area involving the ovaries. Endometriosis may interfere with ovulation and with the implantation of the embryo.

EPIDIDYMIS – A coiled, tubular organ attached to and lying on the testicle that stores the sperm before ejaculation.

ESTRADIOL – The most powerful natural estrogen produced by the ovary and released during ovulation. It supports the growth of the follicle and the development of the uterine lining.

ESTRADIOL LEVEL (E2 LEVEL) – The blood test to monitor estradiol. Along with ultrasound scans the tests can indicate how the ovaries are responding to stimulation for women on fertility drugs.

ESTROGEN - One of the two principle female sex hormones responsible for triggering growth of the female reproductive system. In the first half of the menstrual cycle, this hormone stimulates the uterine wall to become richly supplied with blood.

FALLOPIAN TUBES - Hollow ducts through which eggs travel to the uterus once released from the follicle.

FERTILITY CLINIC – A program of fertility specialists offering a range of fertility services, usually including ART.

FERTILITY DRUGS – A group of drugs given to women to improve fertility. Fertility drugs are also used to treat some men with male factor infertility. See Fertility Drug Glossary.

FERTILITY SPECIALIST – A doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of infertility.

FERTILIZATION – Penetration of the egg by the sperm cell.

FETAL REDUCTION – A technique that reduces the number of fetuses in a multifetal pregnancy to reduce the risks of a high-order multiple pregnancy.

FETUS – A term used to describe an unborn child during the period of gestation, from the period of time when the embryo is fully formed at around 8 weeks, until birth.

FIBROID/MYOMA – Benign tumors of the uterine muscle and connective tissue.

FIMBRIA – Fingerlike projections at the end of the fallopian tube nearest the ovary. When stimulated by the fluid released from the follicles during ovulation, the fingerlike ends grasp the egg and sweep it into the tube

FOLLICLE – A fluid-filled sac in the ovary that contains the eggs.

FOLLICLE STIMULATING HORMONE (FSH) – A reproductive hormone that stimulates sperm production in a man; in a woman, FSH stimulates the growth of the ovarian follicle and the production of eggs.

FOLLICULAR PHASE -. The portion of a woman’s cycle before ovulation during which a follicle grows and high levels of estrogen cause the lining of the uterus to grow.

GAMETE – Term for a sperm or egg.

GAMETE INTRA-FALLOPIAN TUBE TRANSFER (GIFT) – A technique in which the egg and the sperm are brought together by retrieving the eggs, placing them with sperm into a catheter, and immediately delivering them into the fallopian tube for fertilization.

GANIRELIX ACETATE – An injectable drug used to inhibit premature ovulation.

GESTATION – The medical term for pregnancy.

GESTATIONAL CARRIER – A type of surrogacy in which a surrogate mother is implanted with the genetic offspring of another couple and then turns the baby over to them at birth.

GONADOTROPIN – The hormones that stimulate the growth of the follicle.

GONADS – The gender-neutral term for the ovaries and testicles.

GYNECOLOGIST – A physician whose specialty is health care for women, especially the treatment of the female reproductive organs.

HORMONE – A chemical substance that travels via the bloodstream and carries a signal from one part of the body to another.

HUMAN CHORIONIC GONADOTROPIN (hCG) – A hormone produced by the placenta in early pregnancy that keeps the corpus luteum producing progesterone.

HUMAN MENOPAUSAL GONADOTROPIN (hMG) – Naturally occurring hormones from the urine of postmenopausal women that can be used to stimulate ovulation in women who don’t ovulate and who don’t respond to fertility drugs.

HYPOTHALAMUS – A part of the brain that regulates hormones, located next to the pituitary gland at the base of the brain.

HYSTERECTOMY – A surgical procedure involving the removal of the uterus, and which usually removes the cervix but not necessarily the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

HYSTEROSALPINGOGRAM (HSG, HYSTEROGRAM, TUBOGRAM) – An X-ray of the pelvic organs while a radio-opaque dye is injected through the cervix into the uterus and fallopian tubes. This test is used to check for malformations of the uterus or blocked fallopian tubes in suspected infertility.

HYSTEROSCOPY – A surgical procedure to check for abnormalities within the uterus. It is performed by placing a small, thin telescope-like instrument through the cervical canal to inspect the inside of the uterus. The procedure can be used both to diagnose and treat problems, since minor surgical repairs also can be done during operative hysteroscopy.

IMPLANTATION – The embedding of the embryo into tissue so it can establish contact with the mother’s blood supply for nourishment.

INFERTILITY – The inability to conceive after a year of unprotected, well-timed intercourse, or the inability to carry a pregnancy to term.

INTRACYTOPLASMIC SPERM INJECTION (ICSI) – A lab procedure in which a single sperm is injected through the outer shell of the egg to enable fertilization.

INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION (IUI) – An Assisted Reproduction Technique which deposits washed sperm directly into the uterus, bypassing the cervix, and allowing the sperm to enter the fallopian tubes where fertilization normally occurs.

IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF) – Literally meaning “in glass,” the term refers to fertilization that takes place outside the body in a small glass dish. This procedure involves stimulating the ovaries, retrieving released eggs, fertilizing the eggs, growing the embryos in a laboratory, and then implanting the embryos in the woman’s uterus to develop naturally.

LAPAROSCOPY – A minimally invasive surgical procedure in which a telescope-like instrument called a laparoscope in inserted through a small incision in the abdominal wall to view the inner organs in order to diagnose suspected reproductive problems.

LEUPROLIDE ACETATE (LUPRON) – A fertility drug containing a Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog that, following an initial stimulation, suppresses FSH and LH secretion.

LUPRON SURGE – A sudden large release of Luteninizing Hormone from the pituitary glad that culminates in the release of a mature egg from the follicle about 36 hours after the surge begins.

LUTEAL PHASE – The second half of the menstrual cycle that occurs between the release of an egg and the menstrual period.

LUTEINIZING HORMONE (LH) – A pituitary hormone that stimulates the ovaries or testicles.

MENSTRUAL CYCLE – The monthly series of reproductive changes in the uterus and other female organs that averages about 28 days, measured from the one menstrual flow to the next.

METRODIN – An injectable form of human menopausal gonadotropin from which LH has been removed, leaving pure follicle-stimulating hormone as the primary active substance.

MICROMANIPULATION – The use of high magnification and special instruments to manipulate sperm, eggs, and embryos during IVF.

MISCARRIAGE – The spontaneous loss of an embryo of fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy. Most miscarriages occur during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.

MYOMECTOMY - The surgical removal of fibroid tumors from the wall of the uterus.

OLIGOMENORRHEA – An irregular menstrual cycle that is usually longer than 35 days. This condition is usually caused by irregular hormone levels produced by the ovaries.

OLIGOSPERMIA – The term for a low number of sperm cells in the ejaculate.

OOCYTE – The biological term for an egg.

OVARIAN CYST – A fluid-filled sac inside the ovary. Typically, ovarian cysts are not related to any disease and disappear on heir own. Such a cyst might form during ovulation, when a follicle grows but fails to rupture and release an egg.

OVARIAN FAILURE – A condition involving a loss of ovarian function so that menstrual periods stop, estrogen levels drop, and follicle-stimulating hormone levels rise.

OVARIAN HYPERSTIMULATION SYNDROME (OHSS) – A side effect of drug-induced ovulation in which a woman’s ovaries become enlarged and produce too many eggs as a result of being over-stimulated. The medications can cause ovarian enlargement and discomfort; fluid accumulates in the abdomen, which can lead to blood chemistry problems. Usually ovarian hyperstimulation occurs after the end of the treatment with FSH-containing drugs.

OVULATION – The release of a mature egg from a follicle.

OVULATION INDUCTION – Drug treatment that triggers the development and release of an egg or eggs from the follicles in the ovaries.

PAPANICOLAOU (PAP) SMEAR – A microscopic examination of cells scraped from the cervix to detect cancerous or precancerous conditions of the cervix.

PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE (PID) A general term for infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes, or ovaries.

PITUITARY GLAND – The small gland beneath the hypothalamus that secrets many hormones, including FSH, and LH.

POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS) – A metabolic condition associated with irregular ovulation. The syndrome may include obesity, infertility, and various hormonal problems.

POSTCOITAL TEST (PCT) – A microscopic examination of the cervical mucus to determine whether sperm can move through it. The test is also known as the Sims-Huhner or sperm-mucus interaction test.

PREIMPLANTATION GENETIC DIAGNOSIS (PGD) – Genetic testing of an embryo during IVF to make sure the genetic makeup of the embryo is normal before transfer to the uterus.

PROGESTERONE – An important ovarian hormone that is normally secreted after ovulation and during pregnancy. Progesterone triggers thickening of the lining of the uterus so it can accept implantation of a fertilized egg.

PROLACTIN – The pituitary hormone that stimulates the production of milk in breast-feeding women. It also circulates in low levels in the bloodstream of nonpregnant women.

PROSTATE GLAND – The gland encircling the urethra below the bladder and in front of the rectum in men. It produces a third of the fluid in the ejaculate, including a chemical that liquefies the coagulated semen 20 minutes to 1 hour after entering the vagina.

PYOSPERMIA – High white blood count in the sperm.

REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGIST – An obstetrician-gynecologist who specializes in reproductive hormones and glands and who is qualified to manage female fertility.

REPRODUCTIVE SURGEON – Physicians who are board-certified as obstetricians/gynecologists, urologists, or reproductive endocrinologists, who have received special training, and who are experienced in the surgeries common to reproductive medicine.

SALPINGECTOMY – Surgical removal of a fallopian tube. Removal of one tube is usually performed if the tube has become infected. Sometimes a tube is in such poor condition that it must be removed so that the remaining, healthy tube will offer a better chance of pregnancy.

SALPINGITIS – Inflammation of the fallopian tube.

SEMEN – Fluid containing sperm and a number of other substances, including water, simple sugars, alkaline chemicals, and prostaglandins.

SEMEN ANALYSIS (SA) – A laboratory test used to asses semen quality.

SEMINAL VESICLES – The paired glands in the male reproductive system at the base of the bladder that produce much of the semen volume.

SPERM – The microscopic cell that carries the male’s genetic information to the female’s egg.

SPERM BANK – A service that maintains frozen sperm samples.

SPERM COUNT – The number of sperm in the ejaculate, also called sperm concentration and given as the number of sperm per milliliter. A low sperm count is called oligospermia. A sperm count of 20 million/ml or above is considered normal.

SPERM MORPHOLOGY – The number or percentage of sperm in the semen sample that have been formed normally.

SPERM MOTILITY – The ability of sperm to swim.

SPERM PENETRATION – The ability of sperm to break through the egg.

SPERM WASH – A technique used to separate sperm cells from the seminal fluid, resulting in a small volume of highly concentrated sperm used for IUI treatments.

SPLIT EJACULATE – A method used to concentrate the sperm for insemination, separating the semen into two portions. The first portion of the ejaculate, which is rich in sperm, and the second portion, which contains mostly seminal fluid.

STERILITY – A condition that results in the absolute inability to reproduce.

SUCCESS RATES – Pregnancy rates can be reported by cycle, by patient, or by procedure. Because of a number of factors that differ from one program to another, it’s not a good idea to compare different programs by using statistics alone. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has issued a specific warning against comparing programs using statistics. The most critical factor that affects a clinic’s success rate is the decision about which couples to treat.

SWIM-UP TEST – A useful diagnostic procedure that also can be used to remove sperm from semen. It has some advantages to sperm washing because the live sperm will swim up to the culture media leaving behind most of the debris.

TESTICLES – Also known as testes, this pair of sperm producing glands are located in the scrotum. The testes are responsible for the secretion of the male hormone testosterone.

TESTICULAR BIOPSY – A surgical procedure used to take a small sample of testicular tissue for microscopic examination to see if sperm are present and able to be retrieved.

TESTOSTERONE – The primary male hormone responsible for secondary sex characteristics and for supporting the sex drive. Testosterone is also necessary for sperm production.

TUBAL EMBRYO TRANSFER (TET) – The embryo is placed into a woman’s fallopian tubes.

TUBAL LIGATION – Female sterilization. The fallopian tubes are blocked to prevent the egg from meeting sperm. Commonly known as “having the tubes tied”.

ULTRASOUND – Use of high-frequency sound waves that are reflected off solid tissues to give an image of internal body structures. This device is used to detect and count follicle growth in many fertility treatments and to detect and monitor pregnancy.

UTERUS – Part of the female reproductive system that holds and feeds a fetus until birth.
VAGINAL ULTRASOUND – An ultrasound procedure used to determine follicular development and to guide the retrieval of eggs.

ZYGOTE - An embryo in the early stages of development.

ZYGOTE INTRAFALLOPIAN TRANSFER (ZIFT) – Type of Assisted Reproductive Technology in which the fertilized eggs, which have not yet divided, are transferred into the woman’s fallopian tubes, rather than into the uterus.

FERTILITY DRUGS
Clomiphene (Clomid, Serophene) – The most common medication given to stimulate and induce ovulation. Clomiphene citrate is a synthetic drug that blocks estrogen receptors in the hypothalamus, tricking it into thinking there is an estrogen deficiency. As a result, the hypothalamus tells the pituitary to release more LH and FSH.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (Profasi, Pregnyl) – is chemically similar to LH and will produce and LH surge, triggering ovulation.

HMG Human Menopausal Gonadotropins (Pergonal, Humegon, Repronex) - These drugs are given to stimulate the ovaries directly to produce more than one egg in a cycle.

FSH Follicle Stimulating Hormones (Metrodin, Follistim, Gonal-F, Fertinex) – These drugs stimulate follicle growth directly. These are usually given when clomiphene hasn’t worked.

Bromocriptine (Parlodel) – This fertility drug is used to reduce the prolactin secreted from the pituitary in those women with high prolactin levels. Prolactin interferes with the release of LH and FSH.

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone or Gn-RH (Factrel, Lutrepulse) – This drug can replace missing Gn-RH and will stimulate the pituitary6 to release FSH and LH

Gn-RH Agonists (Lupron, Synarel, Zoladex) – These drugs trigger the release of LH and FSH from the pituitary, suppressing normal ovarian function to allow precise ovulation induction.