Copy of `The Baby Website - pregnancy glossary`

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The Baby Website - pregnancy glossary Category: Health and Medicine > Pregancy index Date & country: 29/05/2018, UK Words: 239

Colostrum
Thin, yellow fluid that is the first milk to come from the breast. Most often seen toward the end of pregnancy. It is different in content from milk produced later during nursing.

Condyloma acuminatum
Skin tags or warts that are sexually transmitted. Caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). AIso called venereal warts.

Crown-to-rump length
Measurement from the top of the baby's head (crown) to the buttocks of the baby (rump),

Constipation
Bowel movements are infrequent or incomplete.

Congenital problem
Problem present at birth.

Chlamydia
Sexually transmitted venereal infection.

Chemotherapy
Treatment of disease by chemical substances or drugs.

Chadwick's sign
Dark-blue or purple discoloration of the mucosa of the vagina and cervix during pregnancy.

Chorionic villus sampling
(CVS) Diagnostic test done early in pregnancy. A biopsy of tissue is taken from inside the uterus through the abdomen or the cervical opening (through the vagina) to determine abnormalities of pregnancy.

Cataract, congenital
Cloudiness of the eye lens present at birth.

Carcinogen
Any cancer-producing substance.

Cesarean section
(delivery) Delivery of a baby through an abdominal incision rather than through the vagina.

Chloasma
Extensive brown patches of irregular shape and size on the face or other parts of the body.

Braxton-Hicks contractions
Irregular, painless tightening of uterus during pregnancy.

Breech presentation
Baby's buttocks or legs come into the birth canal before the head.

Biopsy
Removal of a small piece of tissue for microscopic study.

Bilirubin
Breakdown product of pigment formed in the liver from hemoglobin during the destruction of red blood cells.

Bloody show
Small amount of vaginal bleeding late in pregnancy; often precedes labor.

Board certification
Doctor has had additional training and testing in a particular specialty. In the area of obstetrics, the American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offers this training. Certification requires expertise in care of a pregnant woman and gynecological surgery.

Biophysical profile
Method of evaluating a fetus before birth.

Birthing center
Facility in which a woman labors, delivers and recovers in the same room. It may be part of a hospital, or it may be a freestanding unit.

Beta-adrenergics
Substances that interfere with transmission of stimuli. They affect the autonomic nervous system. During pregnancy, they can be used to stop labor.

Arrhythmia
Irregular or missed heartbeat.

Aspiration
Swallowing or sucking a foreign body or fluid, such as vomit, into an airway.

Asthma
Disease marked by recurrent attacks of shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. Often caused by an allergic reaction.

Autoantibodies
Antibodies that attack parts of your body or your own tissues.

Back labor
Pain of labor felt in lower back.

Apgar score
Measurement of a baby's response to birth and life outside the uterus. Taken 1 minute and 5 minutes after birth.

Areola
Pigmented or colored ring surrounding the nipple of the breast.

Amnion
Membrane around the fetus. It surrounds the amniotic cavity.

Amniotic fluid
Liquid surrounding the baby inside the amniotic sac.

Amniotic sac
Sac that surrounds baby inside the uterus. It contains the baby, the placenta and the amniotic fluid.

Anti-inflammatory medications
Drugs to relieve pain and inflammation.

Anencephaly
Defective development of the brain combined with the absence of the bones normally surrounding the brain.

Anemia
Any condition in which the number of red blood cells is less than normal. Term usually applies to the concentration of the oxygen-transporting material in the blood, which are the red blood cells.

Amniocentesis
Removal of amniotic fluid from the amniotic sac. Fluid is tested for some genetic defects.

Aerobic exercise
Exercise that increases your heart rate and causes you to consume oxygen.

Alpha-fetoprotein
(AFP) Substance produced by the unborn baby as it grows inside the uterus. Large amounts of AFP are found in amniotic fluid. Larger-than-normal amounts are found in the mother's bloodstream if neural-tube defects are present in the fetus; smaller-than-normal amounts may indicate Down syndrome.

Amino acids
Substances that act as building blocks in the developing embryo and fetus.