Miscarriage Glossary of Terms

Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the...

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abdominal pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Abortion: In medicine, an abortion is the premature exit of the products of conception (t...

Acetaminophen: A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone t...

Acute: Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness th...

Afterbirth: The placenta and fetal membranes that are expelled from the uterus following t...

Anemia: The condition of having a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells or quantity ...

Anemic: Relating to anemia, the condition of having less than the normal number of red blo...

Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

Back pain: Pain felt in the low or upper back. Causes of pain in the low and upper back in...

Bacterial: Of or pertaining to bacteria, as in a bacterial lung infection.

Birth control: Birth control is the use of any practices, methods, or devices to prevent p...

Bladder: A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste f...

Blood clots: Blood that has been converted from a liquid to a solid state. Also called a t...

Blood count: The calculated number of white or red blood cells (WBCs or RBCs) in a cubic m...

Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is...

Caffeine: A stimulant compound found naturally in coffee, tea, cocoa (chocolate), and kola...

CBC: A commonly used abbreviation in medicine that stands for complete blood count, a set...

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

Cervical: Having to do with any kind of neck, including the neck on which the head is perc...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Cocaine: A substance derived from the leaves of the coca plant that is a bitter, addictive...

Complete blood count: A set values of the cellular (formed elements) of blood. These meas...

Complication: In medicine, an unanticipated problem that arises following, and is a result...

Conception: 1. The union of the sperm and the ovum. Synonymous with fertilization.
...

Curettage: Removal of tissue with a curette from the wall of a cavity or another surface. ...

Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mell...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Dilation: The process of enlargement, stretching, or expansion. The word "dilatation" mean...

Dilation and curettage: A minor operation in which the cervix is expanded enough (dilatio...

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

Douche: Usually, a stream of water applied into the vagina for cleansing purposes. A douch...

Douching: Using water or a medicated solution to clean the vagina and cervix or any other ...

Ectopic: In the wrong place, out of place. For example, an ectopic kidney is a kidney that...

Ectopic pregnancy: A pregnancy that is not in the uterus. The fertilized egg settles and g...

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Endocrinology: The study of the medical aspects of hormones, including diseases and condit...

Fallopian tube: One of the two Fallopian tubes that transport the egg from the ovary to th...

Fertility: The ability to conceive and bear children, the ability to become pregnant throu...

Fetus: An unborn offspring, from the embryo stage (the end of the eighth week after concep...

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

Fibroids: Fibroids are common, benign tumors of smooth muscle in the uterus (womb). Uterin...

Genes: The basic biological units of heredity. Segments of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nee...

Gland: A group of cells that secrete a substance for use in the body. For example, the thy...

Gonadotropin: Hormones that are secreted by the pituitary gland, and that affect the func...

Gynecologist: A physician who specializes in treating diseases of the female reproductive ...

HCG: Human chorionic gonadotropin.

High blood pressure: A repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. Chro...

Hormone: A chemical substance produced in the body that controls and regulates the activit...

Human chorionic gonadotropin: (hCG) A human hormone made by chorionic cells in the fetal ...

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat pa...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Infertility: Diminished or absent ability to conceive and bear offspring. A couple is cons...

Kidney: One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen. The kid...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Last menstrual period: By convention, pregnancies are dated in weeks starting from the fir...

Lupus: A chronic inflammatory disease that is caused by autoimmunity. Patients with lupus ...

Measles: An acute and highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever, runny nose,...

Medical history: 1. In clinical medicine, the patient's past and present which may ...

Menstrual: Pertaining to menstruation (the menses), as in last menstrual period, menstrua...

Midwife: A trained person who assists women during childbirth. Many midwives also provide ...

Miscarriage: Inadvertent loss of a pregnancy before the fetus is viable. A considerable pr...

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Mycoplasma: A large group of bacteria, with more than 100 types identified. Mycoplasma are...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

Nicotine: An alkaloid (a nitrogen-containing chemical) made by the tobacco plant or produc...

Obstetrician: A physician who specializes in obstetrics.

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Pelvic: Having to do with the pelvis, the lower part of the abdomen, located between the h...

Pelvic exam: An examination of the organs of the female reproductive system.

Placenta: A temporary organ that joins the mother and fetus, transferring oxygen and nutri...

Placental: Pertaining to the placenta, the organ joining the mother and fetus during pregn...

Pneumonia: Inflammation of one or both lungs, with dense areas of lung inflammation. Pneum...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

Prenatal: Occurring or existing before birth.

Prenatal care: Health care that a pregnant woman receives from an obstetrician or a midwif...

Probe: (1) In surgery, a probe is a slender flexible rod with a blunt end used to e...

Quantitative: Having to do with quantity or with the amount.

Radiologist: A physician specialized in radiology, the branch of medicine that uses ionizi...

Rh factor: An antigen found in the red blood cells of most people: those who have Rh fac...

RhoGAM: RhO(D) immune globulin, an injectable drug that is used to protect an Rh+ fetus fr...

Shock: In medicine, a critical condition that is brought on by a sudden drop in blood flow...

Speculum: An instrument that is used to widen the opening of the vagina so that the cervix...

Spontaneous abortion: A miscarriage, that is, any pregnancy that is not viable (the fetus...

Stage: As regards cancer, the extent of a cancer, especially whether the disease has spre...

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Thyroid: 1. The thyroid gland. Also, pertaining to the thyroid gland. 2. A p...

Tobacco: A South American herb (Nicotiana tabacum) whose leaves contain 2 to 8 percent nic...

Trimester: In obstetrics, one of the three divisions of three months each during pregnancy...

Tubal pregnancy: A pregnancy that is not in the usual place within the uterus but is locat...

Tubes: The "tubes" are medically known as the Fallopian tubes. There are two Fallopian tub...

Tylenol: See: Acetaminophen.

Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves. Ultra-sound waves can be bounced off tissues by us...

Urinary: Having to do with the function or anatomy of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or ur...

Urinary tract: The organs of the body that produce, store, and discharge urine. These orga...

Urinary tract infection: An infection of the kidney, ureter, bladder, or urethra. Abbrevia...

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

Uterus: A hollow, pear-shaped organ that is located in a woman's lower abdomen, between th...

Vagina: The muscular canal that extends from the cervix to the outside of the body. It is ...

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood that is low in oxygen content from the body back t...

Viral: Of or pertaining to a virus. For example, if a person has a viral rash, the rash wa...

Womb: The womb (uterus) is a hollow, pear-shaped organ located in a woman's lower abdomen ...