Pregnancy and Birth
Terms you must look up and know
Teratogen - any medication, chemical, infectious disease, or environmental agent that might interfere with the normal development of a fetus and result in the loss of a pregnancy, a birth defect, or pregnancy complications.
Chorionic Villi Sampling - a prenatal test for specific birth defects performed by sampling small amounts of the tissue from the membrane that encases the fetus.
Birth Defect - any physical, mental, or biochemical abnormality present at birh.
Disease - Any deviation from or interruption of the normal structure or funtion of any body part, organ, or system that is manifested by a characterisitc set of symptoms and signs.
Disorder - abnormaltiy of function
Syndrome - a group of symptoms that together are characterisitc of a specific disorder or disease; a set of symptoms occuring together;
Anomaly - deviation from the common rule, irregularity
Chromosomes - tiny threadlike particles in the nucleus of every cell
Gene - the unit that determines inherited characteristics.
Recessive Gene - the gene that is expressed as a trait only if paired with a matching recessive gene.
Dominant Gene - the gene that dictates the way a trait is expressed
Genetic Counseling - a communication process which deals with the human problems associated with the occurrence, or risk of occurrence, of a genetic disorder in a family.
Amniocentesis - a prenatal test performed by withdrawing a sample of the amniotic fluid surrounding an unborn baby and testing that fluid for indications of specific birth defects or other health problems.
Ultrasound - a prenatal test performed by using sound waves to make a video image of an unborn baby to check for specific health problems.
Infertility - the inablility to become pregnant.
Surrogate - a substitute for carrying a fetus full term
Miscarriage - the unexpected death of a developing baby before 20 weeks of pregnancy
Stillbirth - the death of a developing baby after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Natural Birth (Vaginal Birth) - the process of giving birth to a child through the vagina
Cesarean Section (C-Section) - the delivery of a fetus by surgical incision through the abdominal wall and uterus
Breech Birth - delivery of an infant whose feet or buttocks appear first
Open Adoption - a type of adoption in which birth parents are told about the adoptive parents and may even get to meet them.
Closed Adoption - a type of adoption in which the birth parents do not know the names of the adoptive parents.