TBC
Amenorrhea:
This occurs when a woman doesn’t have menstrual periods.
AMH:
Anti-Mullerian Hormone. A protein hormone that is produced by cells within the ovary. Understanding your AMH levels can reveal how good your egg reserve is and enables your doctor to know how fertile you are.
Anovulation:
A menstrual cycle where ovulation fails to occur.
Cervical Smear:
It’s a simple test offered to all women, involving a cell sample being taken from all around the neck of your womb. It is then tested for any infection or for pre-cancerous cells.
Cervix:
The opening toward the uterus.
Down Regulation:
This is where your ovaries will be ‘switched off’ by using a drug.
Egg Freezing:
A method of fertility preservation that allows you to freeze eggs for later use when you may want to start a family.
Egg Sharing:
This is a procedure whereby you would undergo IVF treatment and are willing to donate half of the eggs that are collected during your cycle of treatment to another patient.
Endometrioma:
This is an ovarian cyst that contains endometrium (womb lining) and bleeds at the same time as menstruation. Known as a chocolate cyst.
Endometrium:
The womb lining.
ERA:
Endometrial Receptivity Analysis is a way of finding out when the lining of the womb (endometrium) is most receptive to the transfer of an embryo.
Fallopian Tubes:
Two tubes on either side of the uterus where the egg and sperm meet to start the process of fertilisation.
Fibroid:
Usually a non-cancerous tumour of the muscle of the uterus.
Follicle:
A group of cells that form a cavity within the ovary enabling the egg to grow before its release during ovulation.
Folic Acid:
Vitally important for your baby’s nervous system. Especially during the early days of pregnancy. It will likely be recommended after you’ve stopped using contraception and for you to continue taking it for the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy.
Follicle Count:
By counting the follicles that are between 2-6mm in the ovary, we can estimate how good your ovarian reserve is. If you have plenty of follicles within this measurement, the chances of you having a good ovarian reserve are high.
Follicular Phase:
The part of the menstrual cycle when an egg matures in your ovaries, part of the ongoing process your body undergoes when hormones bring about changes in your body to make it possible for you to become pregnant.
HyCoSy:
Hysterosalpingo Contrast Sonography is a short procedure done to see whether there are any blockages in your fallopian tubes.
Hormone Replacement Therapy:
This substitutes the female hormones of oestrogen and progesterone, and is usually given when levels fall due to menopause.
Hormone screening:
Hormone screening involves a simple blood test, and can give us an indication of everything from how many eggs you’re able to produce, to whether you have an underlying medical condition.
Hysterectomy:
The process of removing your uterus.
Hysteroscopy:
Hysteroscopy is a procedure where a very thin telescope camera is used to view the inside of your womb. It is used to investigate different conditions of the uterus, such as polyps, fibroids, septum or scarring inside the uterine cavity.
Luteal Phase Defect:
This is where the lining of your uterus does not grow properly each month during the second half of your menstrual cycle. This can make it difficult to become or remain pregnant. Menarche: The period when menstruation starts.
Oestrogen:
The hormone produced in the ovaries.
OHSS:
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) happens when a woman’s ovaries swell and leak fluid into her body. It can occur when a woman receives fertility treatments that stimulate the ovaries to produce more eggs than normal, but sometimes it can occur spontaneously. Oocyte: A female egg cell before maturation.
Ovaries:
Female reproductive organs that contain eggs that produce oestrogen and progesterone.
Ovarian Cysts:
These are sacs filled with fluid or semisolid material which develop on or within the ovary during ovulation.
Ovum:
A mature female reproductive cell that when divided gives rise to an embryo, usually after being fertilised by a male cell.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome:
Known as PCOS, it is a condition that affects the way in which a woman’s ovaries work. The three main features are: irregular periods (your ovaries do not regularly release eggs), excess levels of male hormones in your body (which may cause physical signs such as excess facial or body hair) and polycystic ovaries (which is where your ovaries are enlarged and contain fluid-filled sacs that surround the eggs). If you have two of these features, you may be diagnosed with PCOS.
Prolactin:
A hormone produced during pregnancy and after the delivery of a baby, helping to stimulate the production of breast milk. Some women who are infertile may have a high level of prolactin, which can cause hormone imbalance and prevent ovulation.
Recurrent Miscarriage and Implantation Failure:
This is usually defined as having three or more miscarriages in a row. There are a number of tests and treatments available at Care that can help identify the causes and allow us to create a tailored treatment plan that could improve your chances of success. We can investigate the possible causes for implantation failure or recurrent miscarriage, including tests for chromosomal abnormality (PGT-A), Careunity and DNA damage or oxidative stress in sperm.
Salpinges:
Another term for the fallopian tubes.
Salpingitis:
When the fallopian tubes are inflamed.
Shared Motherhood:
Also known as intra-partner egg donation. Designed to give both you and your partner a way to share in your family building experience. One partner can donate eggs to her partner in IVF treatment, the other partner carries the baby and experiences pregnancy as the ‘birth mother.’
Tubal Disease:
A disease where women have blocked or damaged fallopian tubes.
Ultrasound Scanning:
The use of high frequency sound waves being beamed into the pelvis to build a picture, which is usually done abdominally or via the vagina. Helps visualise the uterus and ovaries.
Urethra:
A narrow passage that takes urine from the bladder to the outside.
Trigger Injection:
A hormonal injection that stimulates or triggers the release of eggs.