Chapter 6: Pregnancy and childbirth

Question 1

Hyaluronidase

Answer 1

An enzyme secreted by the sperm that allows one sperm to penetrate the egg.

Question 2

Zygote

Answer 2

A fertilized egg.

Question 3

Placenta

Answer 3

An organ formed on the wall of the uterus through which the fetus receives oxygen and nutrients and gets rid of waste products.

Question 4

Umbilical cord

Answer 4

The tube that connects the fetus to the placenta.

Question 5

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)

Answer 5

A hormone secreted by the placenta; it is the hormone detected in pregnancy tests.

Question 6

Amniotic fluid

Answer 6

The watery fluid surrounding a developing fetus in the uterus.

Question 7

Edema

Answer 7

Excessive fluid retention and swelling.

Question 8

Colostrum

Answer 8

A watery substance that is secreted from the breasts at the end of pregnancy and during the first days after delivery.

Question 9

Braxton-Hicks contractions

Answer 9

Contractions of the uterus during pregnancy that are not part of labor.

Question 10

Teratogen

Answer 10

A substance that produces defects in a fetus.

Question 11

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

Answer 11

Serious growth deficiency and malformations in the child of a mother who abuses alcohol during pregnancy.

Question 12

Effacement

Answer 12

A thinning out of the cervix during labor.

Question 13

Dilation

Answer 13

An opening up of the cervix during labor; also called dilatation.

Question 14

First-stage labor

Answer 14

The beginning of labor, during which there are regular contractions of the uterus; the stage lasts until the cervix is dilated 8 cm.

Question 15

Transition

Answer 15

The difficult part of labor at the end of the first stage, during which the cervix dilates from 8 to 10 cm.

Question 16

Second-stage labor

Answer 16

The stage during which the baby moves out through the vagina and is delivered.

Question 17

Episiotomy

Answer 17

An incision made in the skin just behind the vagina, allowing the baby to be delivered more easily.

Question 18

Third-stage labor

Answer 18

The stage during which the afterbirth is expelled.

Question 19

Cesarean section (C-section)

Answer 19

A method of delivering a baby surgically by an incision in the abdomen.

Question 20

Lamaze method

Answer 20

A method of “prepared” childbirth involving relaxation and controlled breathing.

Question 21

Postpartum depression

Answer 21

Mild to moderate depression in women following the birth of a baby.

Question 22

Ectopic pregnancy

Answer 22

A pregnancy in which the fertilized egg implants somewhere other than the uterus.

Question 23

Pseudocyesis

Answer 23

False pregnancy, in which the women displays the signs of pregnancy but is not pregnant.

Question 24

Preeclampsia

Answer 24

A serious disease of pregnancy, marked by high blood pressure, severe edema, and proteinuria.

Question 25

Amniocentesis

Answer 25

A test done to determine whether a fetus has birth defects; done by inserting a fine tube into the woman’s abdomen in order to obtain a sample of amniotic fluid.

Question 26

Chronic villus sampling (CVS)

Answer 26

A technique for prenatal diagnosis of birth defects, involving taking a sample of cells from the chorionic villus and analyzing them.

Question 27

Miscarriage

Answer 27

The termination of a pregnancy before the fetus is viable, as a result of natural causes (not medical intervention; also called spontaneous abortion).

Question 28

Infertility

Answer 28

A woman’s inability to conceive and give birth to a living child, or a man’s inability to impregnate a woman.

Question 29

Artificial insemination

Answer 29

A procedure in which sperm are placed into the female reproductive system by means other than sexual intercourse.

Question 30

In vitro fertilization (IVF)

Answer 30

A procedure in which an egg is fertilized by sperm in a laboratory dish.

Question 31

ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection)

Answer 31

A type of assisted reproductive technology in which one sperm is injected directly into the cytoplasm of the egg to accomplish a fertilization outside the body.

Question 32

Embryo transfer

Answer 32

A procedure in which an embryo is transferred from the uterus of one woman into the uterus of another.

Question 33

GIFT

Answer 33

Gamete IntraFallopian Transfer, a procedure in which sperm and eggs are collected and the inserted together into the fallopian tube.

Question 34

ZIFT

Answer 34

Zygote IntraFallopian Transfer, an assisted reproductive technology in which the egg is fertilized by the sperm in the laboratory, and then the developing fertilized egg (zygote) is placed in the fallopian tube.