Glossary of terms related to pregnancy loss
blighted ovum - a fertilized egg that does not develop into the embryonic stage
CD - Cycle day (CD1 is the first day of a woman's menstrual cycle)
cervical incompetence - a situation in which a woman's cervix opens too soon in pregnancy, causing premature labor and, often, a late miscarriage or stillbirth
cerclage - medical procedure in which a woman's cervix is stitched close to prevent it from opening too soon in pregnancy
chemical pregnancy - an early miscarriage in which the pregnancy has been confirmed only through chemical means (blood test or urine test), but not through ultrasound
complete miscarriage/abortion - a situation in which a woman's body has completely released the baby and other "products of conception" (placenta or gestational sac) and no medical procedures are necessary to complete it.
cord accident - a situation when a baby dies in utero because of a problem with the umbilical cord (e.g. a blood clot, the cord twisting and cutting off nourishment to the developing baby, or the cord wrapping around the baby's neck)
D&C, D&E - dilation and curretage or dilation and extraction; two surgical procedures (usually outpatient) in which a woman's uterus is emptied by scraping it or physically removing the contents
DPO - days past ovulation; sensitive home pregnancy tests can detect the pregnancy hormone (HCG) as early as 10 DPO
ectopic pregnancy - a pregnancy in which the fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus (often in a fallopian tube), creating an emergency medical situation in which the mother's life is in danger.
EDD - estimated due date, usually based on the date of the last menstrual period (LMP)
embryo - a human being from the time of implantation (6 to 10 days after fertilization) until the 11th week of gestation (as measured from LMP)
embryo adoption - a situation in which a couple receives one or more embryos donated by another couple who has decided not to use all of their embryos from an IVF cycle
fetus - a human being between the 11th week of gestation (as measured from the LMP) and birth
FET - frozen embryo transfer; a procedure in which fertilized eggs (blastocysts) that have been frozen during in vitro fertilization are thawed and then, if they survive, transferred to a woman's uterus; may be a part of IVF or of embryo adoption
HCG - human chorionic gonadotropin; a hormone produced in pregnancy; early viability of a pregnancy can be indicated by both the level of hcg and the rate at which it doubles.
PCOS - polycystic ovarian syndrome, a common cause of infertility in women, and sometimes linked to miscarriage
incomplete miscarriage/abortion - a situation where a woman has miscarried, but "products of conception" remain in her uterus
IVF - in vitro fertilization
IUI - intrauterine insemination; procedure in which sperm are placed in a woman's uterus
LMP - last menstrual period; the date by which doctors figure out an estimated due date
late miscarriage - the loss of a baby in the second trimester, but before the 20th gestational week
miscarriage - the loss of a baby before the 20th gestational week
missed miscarriage/abortion - a situation where the baby has died, but the woman has not miscarried naturally yet
neonatal death - the death of an infant shortly after a live birth
spontaneous abortion - miscarriage
threatened miscarriage/abortion - a situation in which the baby is still alive, but miscarriage is a possibility
RPL - recurrent pregnancy loss; three or more pregnancies that end in losses
SIDS - sudden infant death syndrome
stillbirth - the death of a baby in utero after the twentieth gestational week, but before birth
CD - Cycle day (CD1 is the first day of a woman's menstrual cycle)
cervical incompetence - a situation in which a woman's cervix opens too soon in pregnancy, causing premature labor and, often, a late miscarriage or stillbirth
cerclage - medical procedure in which a woman's cervix is stitched close to prevent it from opening too soon in pregnancy
chemical pregnancy - an early miscarriage in which the pregnancy has been confirmed only through chemical means (blood test or urine test), but not through ultrasound
complete miscarriage/abortion - a situation in which a woman's body has completely released the baby and other "products of conception" (placenta or gestational sac) and no medical procedures are necessary to complete it.
cord accident - a situation when a baby dies in utero because of a problem with the umbilical cord (e.g. a blood clot, the cord twisting and cutting off nourishment to the developing baby, or the cord wrapping around the baby's neck)
D&C, D&E - dilation and curretage or dilation and extraction; two surgical procedures (usually outpatient) in which a woman's uterus is emptied by scraping it or physically removing the contents
DPO - days past ovulation; sensitive home pregnancy tests can detect the pregnancy hormone (HCG) as early as 10 DPO
ectopic pregnancy - a pregnancy in which the fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus (often in a fallopian tube), creating an emergency medical situation in which the mother's life is in danger.
EDD - estimated due date, usually based on the date of the last menstrual period (LMP)
embryo - a human being from the time of implantation (6 to 10 days after fertilization) until the 11th week of gestation (as measured from LMP)
embryo adoption - a situation in which a couple receives one or more embryos donated by another couple who has decided not to use all of their embryos from an IVF cycle
fetus - a human being between the 11th week of gestation (as measured from the LMP) and birth
FET - frozen embryo transfer; a procedure in which fertilized eggs (blastocysts) that have been frozen during in vitro fertilization are thawed and then, if they survive, transferred to a woman's uterus; may be a part of IVF or of embryo adoption
HCG - human chorionic gonadotropin; a hormone produced in pregnancy; early viability of a pregnancy can be indicated by both the level of hcg and the rate at which it doubles.
PCOS - polycystic ovarian syndrome, a common cause of infertility in women, and sometimes linked to miscarriage
incomplete miscarriage/abortion - a situation where a woman has miscarried, but "products of conception" remain in her uterus
IVF - in vitro fertilization
IUI - intrauterine insemination; procedure in which sperm are placed in a woman's uterus
LMP - last menstrual period; the date by which doctors figure out an estimated due date
late miscarriage - the loss of a baby in the second trimester, but before the 20th gestational week
miscarriage - the loss of a baby before the 20th gestational week
missed miscarriage/abortion - a situation where the baby has died, but the woman has not miscarried naturally yet
neonatal death - the death of an infant shortly after a live birth
spontaneous abortion - miscarriage
threatened miscarriage/abortion - a situation in which the baby is still alive, but miscarriage is a possibility
RPL - recurrent pregnancy loss; three or more pregnancies that end in losses
SIDS - sudden infant death syndrome
stillbirth - the death of a baby in utero after the twentieth gestational week, but before birth
