DEFINITIONS: SEXUAL HEALTH: PART 2: PREGNANCY AND ABORTION:PREGNANCY: 1. Fertilization: The initiation of biological reproduction. The union of the nucleus of an egg cell with the nucleus of a sperm cell.2. Fertilized Egg: The egg/ovum after penetration by a sperm. It is also called a zygote.3. Gene: The basic unit of heredity. A section of the chromosome containing chemical instructions for making a particular protein.4. Fraternal Twins: Twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs. Such twins are not genetically identical.5. Identical twins: Twins who develop from the division of a single zygote. Such twins are genetically identical.6. Infertility: The inability to conceive after trying for 1 year or more.7. Assisted Reproductive Technology [ART]: Advanced medical techniques used to treat infertility.8. Artificial (Intrauterine) Insemination: The introduction of semen into the vagina by artificial means.9. In Vitro Fertilization [IVF]: Combining eggs and sperm outside the body and inserting one or more fertilized eggs into the uterus.10. Gamete Intra-fallopian transfer [GIFT]: Surgically placing the ovum and the sperm in the fallopian tubes prior to fertilization.11. Zygote Intra-fallopian Transfer [ZIFT]: Surgically placing a fertilized egg into the fallopian tubes.12. Trimester: One of the three 3-month periods of pregnancy.13. Blastocyst: A stage of development, Days 6-14, before the cell cluster becomes the embryo and placenta. 14. Embryo: The stage of development between the blastocyst and fetus. From weeks 2-8.15. Placenta: The organ through which the fetus receives nourishment and empties waste viathe mother’s circulatory system. After birth the placenta is expelled from the uterus.16. Umbilical cord: The cord connecting the placenta and the fetus, through which nutrients pass.17. Amniotic sac: A membranous pouch enclosing and protecting the fetus. It contains amniotic fluid which cushions the fetus.18. Ultrasonography: The use of high-frequency sound waves to view the fetus in the uterus. It is also known as ultrasound.19. Sonogram: The visual image of the fetus in-utero produced by ultrasonography.20. Amniocentesis: A process by which amniotic fluid is removed and analyzed to detect possible birth defects.21. Chorionic Villus Sampling [CVS]: Surgical removal of a tiny section of the chorionic villi to be analyzed for genetic defects.22. Quadruple Marker Screen [QMS]: A measurement of four hormones to assess the risk of fetal abnormalities.23. Rh Factor: A protein found in blood. Rh incompatibility between the mother and the fetus can jeopardize the fetus’s health.24. Teratogen: An agent or influence that causes physical defects in a developing fetus.25. Congenital Malformation: A physical defect existing at the time of birth. It is either inherited or caused during gestation.26. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome [FAS]: A combination of birth defects caused by excessive alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy.27. Ectopic Pregnancy: A pregnancy in which the embryo develops outside the uterus.28. Preeclampsia: A condition of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine.29. Eclampsia: A severe, potentially life-threatening form of preeclampsia which is characterized by seizures.30. Placenta Previa: A complication of pregnancy in which the placenta covers the cervical opening either partially or fully, preventing the mother from delivering the baby vaginally.31. Placental Abruption: A complication of pregnancy in which a normally implanted placenta prematurely separates from the uterine wall.32. Gestational Diabetes Mellitus [GDM]: A form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy.33. Premature: Born before the 37th week of pregnancy.34. Low birth weight[LBW]: Weighing less than 5.5 lbs at birth. Often the result of prematurity.35. Infant mortality: The death of a child less than 1 year of age.36. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome [SIDS]: The sudden death of an apparently healthy infant during sleep.37. Labor: The act or process of giving birth to a child. Expelling it with the placenta from the mother’s body by means of uterine contractions.38. Contraction: Shortening of the muscles in the uterine wall, which causes effacement anddilatation of the cervix. This helps in expelling the fetus.39. Transition: The last part of the first stage of labor, during which the cervix becomes fullydilated. It is characterized by intense and frequent contractions.40. Lightening: A process in which the uterus sinks down because the baby’s head settles into the pelvic area.41. Apgar Score: A formalized system for assessing a newborn’s need for medical assistance.42. Cesarean Section: A surgical incision through the abdominal wall and uterus, performed to deliver a fetus.43. Postpartum period: The period of about 3 months after delivering a baby.44. Lactation: The production of breast milk.45. Colostrum: A yellowish fluid secreted by the mammary glands around the time of childbirth until the milk comes in about the third day.46. Postpartum Depression: An emotional low that may be experienced by a mother following childbirth.ABORTION:1. Miscarriage: A naturally occurring spontaneous abortion.2. Viable: Capable of surviving outside the uterus.3. Suction Curettage: Removal of the embryo or fetus by means of suction.4. Manual Vacuum Aspiration [MVA]: The vacuum aspiration of uterine contents performed manually by a handheld syringe.5. Multi-fetal pregnancy reduction [MFPR]: A method of abortion used to reduce the number of fetuses in a multiple fetus pregnancy.6. Dilatation and Evacuation [D & E]: The method of abortion most commonly used between 13 – 24 weeks of pregnancy. Following dilatation of the cervix both aspiration and curettage instruments are used as needed.7. Intact dilatation and extraction: A rarely used method of late-term abortion, wherein anintact fetus is removed from the