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Pear-shaped muscular organ in a woman's abdomen that houses the developing baby.
Uterus
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The neck, or narrow lower portion, of the uterus.
Cervix
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One of a pair of slim,pipe-like structures that connect the ovaries with the uterus.
Fallopian tube
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One of a pair of almond-shaped organs that contain a woman's ova, or eggs.
Ovary
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The union of sperm & egg.
Fertilization
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The moment during a woman's monthly cycle when an ovum is expelled from the ovary.
Ovulation
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Chemical substances released in the bloodstream that target and change organs & tissues.
Hormones
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Male organs that manufacture sperm.
Testes
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Threadlike strand of DNA located in the nucleus of every cell that carries the genes, which transmit hereditary information.
Chromosome
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Material that makes up genes, which bear our hereditary characteristics.
DNA
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A segment of DNA that contains a chemical blueprint for manufacturing a particular protein.
Gene
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The first 14 days of prenatal development, from fertilization to full implantation.
Germinal stage
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Hollow sphere of cells formed during the germinal stage in preparation for implantation.
Blastocyst
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Process in which a blastocyst becomes embedded in the uterine wall.
Implantation
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Structure projecting from the wall of the uterus during pregnancy through which the developing baby absorbs nutrients.
Placenta
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Second stage of prenatal development, lasting from week 3 through week 8.
Embryonic stage
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Cylindrical structure that forms along the back of the embryo and develops into the brain & spinal cord.
Neural tube
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Developmental principle that growth occurs from the most interior parts of the body outward.
Proximodistal sequence
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Developmental principle that growth occurs in a sequence from head to toe.
Cephalocaudal sequence
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Developmental principle that large structures (and movements) precede increasingly detailed refinements.
Mass-to-specific sequence
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Final period of prenatal development, lasting seven months, characterized by physical refinements, massive growth, and development of the brain.
Fetal stage
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Earliest point at which a baby can survive outside the womb, 22 weeks.
Age of viability
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Structure that attaches the placenta to the fetus, through which nutrients are passed and fetal wastes are removed.
Umbilical cord
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Bag-shaped, fluid-filled membrane that contains and insulates the fetus.
Amniotic sac
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Period of pregnancy.
Gestation
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3-month long segments into which pregnancy is divided.
Trimester
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Naturally occurring loss of a pregnancy and death of the fetus.
Miscarriage
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Pregnant woman's first feeling of the fetus moving inside her body, around week 18.
Quickening
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Physical or neurological problem that occurs prenatally or at birth.
Birth defect
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Substance that crosses the placenta and harms the fetus.
Teratogen
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Time when a body structure is most vulnerable to damage by a teratogen, typically when that organ or process is rapidly developing or coming "on line".
Sensitive period
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Learning impairment and behavioral problems during infancy & childhood.
Developmental disorders
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Cluster of birth defects caused by the mother's alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
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Most common chromosomal abnormality, causing mental retardation, susceptibility to heart disease, and other health problems; and distinctive physical characteristics, such as slanted eyes and stocky build.
Down syndrome
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Illness cause by a single gene.
Single-gene disorder
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Illness that a child gets by inheriting one copy of the abnormal gene that causes the disorder.
Dominant disorder
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Illness that a child gets by inheriting two copies of the abnormal gene that causes the disorder.
Recessive disorder
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Illness, carried on the mother's X chromosome, that typically leaves the female offspring unaffected but has a 50/50 chance of striking each male child.
Sex-linked single-gene disorder
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Blood test to determine whether a person carries the gene for a given genetic disorder.
Genetic testing
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Professional who counsels parents-to-be about their own or their children's risk of developing genetic disorders, as well as about available treatments.
Genetic counselor
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In pregnancy, an image of the fetus in the womb that helps to date the pregnancy, assess the fetus's growth and identify abnormalities.
Ultrasound
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Relatively risky first-trimester test for fetal genetic disorders.
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS)
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Second-trimester procedure that involves inserting a syringe into a woman's uterus to extract a sample of amniotic fluid, which is tested for a variety of genetic and chromosomal conditions.
Amniocentesis
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Inability to conceive after a year of unprotected sex (includes the inability to carry a child to term).
Infertility
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Any infertility treatment in which the egg is fertilized outside the womb.
Assisted reproductive technology (ART)
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Infertility treatment in which conception occurs outside the womb; the developing cell mass is then inserted into the woman's uterus so that pregnancy can occur.
In vitro fertilization
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General term for labor & birth without medical interventions.
Natural childbirth
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Method of delivering a baby surgically by extracting the baby through incisions in the woman's abdominal wall and in the uterus.
Cesarean section (C-section)
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Health-care professions trained to handle low-risk deliveries, with obstetrical backup should complications arise.
Certified midwife
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A person who provides loving emotional and physical support during labor, offering massage and help in breathing and relaxation, but not performing actual health-care tasks, such as vaginal exams; mirrors "old style" birthing.
Doula
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Popular method to prepare women for childbirth by teaching pain management through relaxation & breathing exercises developed by a French physician.
Lamaze method
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Technique designed in the 1940s for women interested in having a completely natural, non-medicated birth. Stresses good diet & exercise, partner coaching & deep relaxation.
Bradley method
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Cutting of the perineum or vagina to widen that opening to allow the fetus to emerge (not recommended unless there is a problem delivery).
Episiotomy
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Most popular type of anesthesia used during labor, involves injecting a painkilling medication into a small space outside the spinal cord to numb the woman's body below the waist. Now used during active labor and C-sections.
Epidural
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External or internal device used to monitor fetal heart rate & alert the doctor to distress.
Electronic fetal monitor
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Quick test to assess a just-delivered baby's condition by measuring heart rate, muscle tone, respiration, reflex response & color.
Apgar scale
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Body weight at birth of less than 5 1/2 pounds.
Low birth weight (LBW)
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Body weight at birth of less than 3 1/4 pounds.
Very low birth weight (VLBW)
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Special hospital unit that treats at-risk newborns, such as low-birth-weight and very-low-birth-weight babies.
Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
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Death during the first year of life.
Infant mortality
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