Chp 3 and 4 Flashcards
Infertility
A couple’s inability to get pregnant after a year of trying to do so.
Endometriosis
A condition arising when bits of tissue lining the uterus grow outside the uterus; a cause of infertility.
Artificial Insemination
A method of conception that involves injecting sperm from a woman’s partner or from a donor into the uterus
In Vitro Fertilization
Procedure in which several eggs are removed from a woman’s ovary, fertilized by sperm in a petri dish in the laboratory, then transferred to the woman’s uterus in hopes that one will implant on the wall of the uterus.
Embryologist
Scientist who studies early growth and development during the prenatal period.
Germinal Period
First phase of prenatal development, lasting about 2 weeks from conception until the developing organism becomes attached to the wall of the uterus.
Blastocyst
A hollow sphere of about 100–150 cells that the zygote forms by rapid cell division as it moves through the fallopian tube.
Miscarriage
Loss of a pregnancy before survival of the baby outside the womb is possible.
Embryonic period
Second phase of prenatal development, lasting from the third through the eighth prenatal week, during which the major organs and anatomical structures begin to develop.
Organogensis
The process, occurring during the period of the embryo, in which major organs take shape.
Amnion
A watertight membrane that surrounds the developing embryo, regulating its temperature and cushioning it against injuries.
Chorion
A membrane that surrounds the amnion and becomes attached to the uterine lining to gather nourishment for the embryo.
Placenta
An organ, formed from the chorion and the lining of the uterus, that provides for the nourishment of the unborn child and the elimination of its metabolic wastes.
Spina Bifida
Condition in which the bottom of the neural tube fails to fully close during prenatal development and part of the spinal cord is not fully encased in the protective covering of the spinal column.
Anencephaly
Condition in which the top of the neural tube fails to close and the main portion of the brain above the brain stem fails to develop properly.
Testosterone
The most important of the male hormones, or androgens; essential for normal sexual development during the prenatal period and at puberty.
Fetal Period
The third phase of prenatal development, lasting from the ninth prenatal week until birth; during this period, the major organ systems begin to function effectively and the fetus grows rapidly.
Proliferation
Process in early brain development in which neurons multiply at a staggering rate throughout the prenatal period
Migration
Process in early brain development in which neurons move from their place of origin in the center of the brain to particular locations throughout the brain where they will become part of specialized functioning units.
Differentiation
In brain development, the progressive diversification of cells that results in their taking on different characteristics and functions.
Age of Viability
A point (around the 24th prenatal week) when a fetus may survive outside the uterus if the brain and respiratory system are well enough developed and if excellent medical care is available.
Myelin
A fatty sheath that insulates neural axons and thereby speeds the transmission of neural impulses.
Fetal Programming
Processes through which the prenatal environment affects the genetic unfolding of the embryo/fetus and its physiologic functions in ways that can influence physical and mental health much later in life.
Teratogen
Any disease, drug, or other environmental agent that can harm a developing fetus.
Critical Period
A defined period in the development of an organism when it is particularly sensitive to certain environmental influences; outside this period, the same influences will have far less effect.
Thalidomide
A mild tranquilizer that, taken early in pregnancy, can produce a variety of malformations of the limbs, eyes, ears, and heart.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
The death of a sleeping baby because of a failure of the respiratory system; linked to maternal smoking.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
A group of symptoms commonly observed in the offspring of mothers who use alcohol heavily during pregnancy, including a small head, widely spaced eyes, and intellectual disability.
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
A collection of symptoms including tremors, weight loss, feeding difficulties, irritability, and seizures, affecting newborns exposed prenatally to opioid drugs.
Rubella
A disease that has little effect on a pregnant woman but may cause several serious birth defects, such as blindness, deafness, and mental retardation, in unborn children exposed in the first 3–4 months of gestation; also called German measles.
AIDS
The life-threatening disease in which the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) destroys the immune system and makes victims susceptible to rare, so-called opportunistic, infections that eventually kill them. AIDS is transmitted through sexual activity, needle sharing in drug use, and from mother to child before or during birth.
Syphillis
A common sexually transmitted infection that may cross the placental barrier in the middle and later stages of pregnancy, causing miscarriage or serious birth defects
Stillbirth
Fetal death that occurs late in pregnancy when survival outside the womb would normally have been possible.
Lamaze Method/Prepared Childbirth
Prepared childbirth in which parents attend classes and learn mental exercises and relaxation techniques to ease delivery.
Perinatal Environment
The environment surrounding birth.
Perinatologist
A maternal-fetal specialist who focuses on high-risk pregnancies.
Oxytocin
Hormone that plays important roles in facilitating parent–infant attachment as well as reducing anxiety and encouraging affiliation in other social relationships.
Anoxia
A lack of sufficient oxygen to the brain that may result in neurological damage or death.
Breech Presentation
A delivery in which the fetus emerges feet first or buttocks first rather than head first.