Here I briefly explain many of the concepts that we use in Reproductive Medicine, to quickly find an answer to the most frequent questions.
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ANTIMÜLLERIAN HORMONE: It is a hormone that is related to the ovarian reserve since it is produced directly by the ovarian follicles. Read more…
ADENOMYOSIS: is the presence of endometrial tissue inside the uterine muscle, also called uterine endometriosis. Read more…
AMENORRHEA: is the absence of menstruation.
ANTHRAL FOLLICLE COUNT (AFC): It is the number of follicles that can be seen by ultrasound in each of the ovaries and it is a marker of the ovarian reserve.
ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION: it is an assisted reproduction technique that allows a semen sample prepared at the time of ovulation to be placed inside the woman’s uterus. Read more…
ASSISTED HATCHING: it is a laboratory technique by which a small perforation is made in the zona pellucida of the embryo to facilitate its exit and implantation.
B-hCG: it is the hormone that we determine in blood or urine to confirm the presence or evolution of pregnancy.
BLASTOCYST: is the stage of the embryo on day 5-6 of embryonic development.
BODY MASS INDEX (BMI): it is the body mass index and is calculated by dividing the weight (in kilograms) by the height squared (in meters).
CHROMOSOME: is the basic structure of ADN. Humans have 46 chromosomes in each cell.
DYSMENORRHEA: is pain in the abdomen or pelvis during menstruation. When it is intense, it can be associated with the presence of endometriosis. Read more…
DISQUECIA: is the pain with defecation that usually appears in women with deep endometriosis, during the menstruation period. Read more…
DYSPAREUNIA: is the pain with sexual intercourse that can appear in women with endometriosis. Read more…
EMBRYOSCOPE: it is an incubator that allows the continuous (time-lapse) visualization of the embryonic development thanks to a camera that displays images in an external screen.
ENDOMETRIUM: it is the inner layer of the uterus in which the embryo is implanted.
ENDOMETRIOSIS: it is a disease that causes the appearance of endometrial tissue (endometrium) in other places of the female body: ovaries, tubes, bladder, uterus … Read more…
ENDOMETRIOMA: it is an ovarian cyst typical of the presence of endometriosis in the ovary. Read more…
ESTRADIOL: It is the hormone produced by the developing ovarian follicle and that prepares the endometrium for pregnancy. Read more…
FOLLICLE: ovarian structure that contains the oocyte.
FOLLICULAR PHASE: it is the first phase of the menstrual cycle, from menstruation to ovulation.
FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone): is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland (brain gland) that stimulates the growth of ovarian follicles. Read more…
FIBROID OR MYOMA: is a benign tumor of the uterus that can have a negative impact on implantation depending on its size and position.
GAMETE: it is each one of the reproductive cells. They are the ovules or oocytes in women and the sperm in men.
GONAD: are the reproductive organs, the ovaries in women and the testes in men.
GONADOTROPHINS: are the hormones produced by the pituitary (brain gland) to stimulate the growth of ovarian follicles: FSH and LH. Likewise, they are hormones that are artificially administered for fertility treatments. Read more…
HYDROSALPINX: is the accumulation of fluid in the fallopian tubes, which interferes with their normal activity and hinders spontaneous pregnancy.
HYSTEROSALPINGOGRAPHY: it is an imaging technique to evaluate the tubes through contrast and X-rays. Read more…
HYSTEROSONOSALPINGOGRAPHY: it is an imaging technique to evaluate the tubes through saline solution or contrast and ultrasound. Read more…
HYSTEROSCOPY: it is an endoscopy technique to evaluate the uterine cavity through a camera. Read more…
ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection): is the injection of a sperm into the egg to facilitate fertilization.
IMPLANTATION WINDOW: it is the period in which the woman’s endometrium is ready to receive the embryo.
IMSI (intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection): is a technique that allows the selection of spermatozoa with a high magnification microscope prior to sperm microinjection.
IVF (in vitro fertilization): It is the laboratory process by which the eggs and sperm are placed in contact to promote spontaneous fertilization. Read more…
KARYOTYPE: It is an analysis of the chromosomes that can be carried out through the blood or other biological tissues.
LH (luteal stimulating hormone): is a hormone produced by the pituitary (brain gland) that stimulates the growth and maturation of ovarian follicles. Read more…
LUTEAL PHASE: it is the second phase of the menstrual cycle, from ovulation to the next menstruation.
MACS (magnetic activated cell sorting): is a technique to select the most viable sperm for assisted reproductive treatment.
MICROBIOME: is the set of germs present in a certain territory of our body. In assisted reproduction, the endometrial microbiome is especially studied.
MICRODELECTIONS OF CHROMOSOME Y: it is a genetic alteration in the male Y chromosome that can cause alterations in the sperm sample.
MISCARRIAGE: is the loss of pregnancy before the 24th week of pregnancy. When it occurs before week 12 it is an early miscarriage and if it occurs between week 12 and 24 it is a late miscarriage.
MORULA: it is an embryo on day 4 of development.
MOSAICISM: it is the presence of different genetic patterns in the same individual.
MYOMA OR FIBROID: is a benign tumor of the uterus that can have a negative impact on implantation depending on its size and position.
OLIGOMENORRHEA: occurs when cycles are irregular and few over a period of time.
OLIGOZOOSPERMIA: presence of a lower than normal number of sperm according to the WHO criteria. Read more…
ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES: these are drugs that are taken orally and prevent ovulation, and can be used to prevent pregnancy but for many other purposes. Read more…
OOCYTE: it is the female gamete, produced in each menstrual cycle and that can be fertilized by a sperm to give rise to a pregnancy.
OVARIAN HYPER-STIMULATION SYNDROME (OHSS): it is a complication that entails symptoms derived from excess stimulation of the ovaries during fertility treatments. Know more…
OVARIAN RESERVE: It is the number of eggs remaining in a woman’s ovaries.
PGT (preimplantation genetic testing): is a genetic test on embryos that allows to identify if they are genetically healthy before transfer to the mother’s uterus. Read more…
POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS): is a set of symptoms in women associated with the presence of increased androgens, irregular cycles and ovaries with multiple follicles. Read more…
POLYP: is a benign formation that appears in the endometrium that can cause bleeding outside the rule and can interfere with embryo implantation.
PROGESTERONE: is the hormone produced by the ovary after ovulation. Read more…
REM: is the count of motile spermazotoids in a semen analysis. Read more…
ROPA (reception of oocytes from partner): it is a treatment so that two women can share motherhood, one of them provides the egg and the other carries the pregnancy. Read more…
SPERM TEST: it is an analysis of semen to evaluate male fertility. Read more…
SPERM DNA FRAGMENTATION: it is a laboratory technique that allows determining the integrity or breakage of sperm DNA.
SPERM FISH TEST: is a laboratory technique that allows determining the genetics of sperm.
THERATOZOOSPERMIA: it is an excess of abnormal forms of sperm in the sperm test. Read more…
THROMBOPHILIA: they are a set of coagulation alterations that can interfere with pregnancy, causing implantation failures and repeated abortions.
TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone): It is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland (brain gland) that stimulates the activity of the thyroid gland.
VARICOCELE: is an abnormal dilation of the testicular veins, which can have an impact on sperm quality.
VITRIFICATION: it is an ultra-fast freezing process up to -196º to preserve the quality of the eggs and embryos.
ZONA PELLUCIDA: it is the outer layer that surrounds the embryo and from which it must come out in order to implant itself in the endometrium.
ZYGOTE: it is the first structure that is formed after the union of the ovum and the sperm. It is a day 1 embryo.