Infertility Glossary of Terms

Infertility Glossary of Terms

• Antisperm Antibodies: An immune system response that causes the body to attack and kill off sperm. Both men and women can develop antisperm antibodies. Artificial Insemination: See “Intrauterine Insemination”
• Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART): An umbrella term that refers to treatments which involve removing a woman’s eggs, combining them with sperm and then transferring them back to the woman.
• Azoospermia: The complete absence of sperm from the semen.
• Basal Body Temperature (BBT): The core body temperature. Normal body temperatures can range from 96°F to 98°F but will increase by half a degree to one full degree when a woman ovulates. Women can measure their basal body temperature daily to determine when they are ovulating. I have found this test difficult for patients to do and of limited value.
• Erectile Dysfunction: See “Impotence”
• Egg donation: The process in which one woman allows her eggs to be collected and used to help another woman get pregnant.
• Embryo: When an egg and sperm join together, they create an embryo, which may go on to, develop into a fetus.
• Embryo donation: The process in which a couple give away their embryos to be used by another woman so that she can become pregnant.
• Endometriosis: When the endometrium (uterine lining) is found outside of the uterus. This condition can cause pain, scar tissue, bowel problems and infertility.
• Estrogen: A hormone made by the female body that helps a woman’s eggs mature each month. It also sends a signal to the endometrium to start thickening.
• Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH): A hormone secreted by the pituitary gland. In women, it is responsible for stimulating the maturation of egg follicles. In men, FSH is responsible for stimulating and maintaining sperm production.
• Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT): An ART procedure that involves retrieving a woman’s eggs from her body and then placing them in her fallopian tubes with sperm where they will hopefully join together.
• Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH): A hormone that originates in the hypothalamus in the brain. In both women and men, it is responsible for signaling to the pituitary gland to start producing FSH and LH.
• Hypogonadism: A disorder affecting men that can lead to infertility. It is caused by a lack of GnRH and therefore a testosterone deficiency.
• Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): The process in which sperm are removed directly from a man’s testicles and a single sperm is directly injected into a woman’s egg.
• Impotence: Also known as erectile dysfunction, impotence occurs when there is impaired blood flow to the penis, thereby preventing a man from achieving and sustaining an erection. Occasional impotence is normal but a prolonged period of impotence should be investigated.
• Intrauterine Insemination (IUI): Also known as artificial insemination, IUI is the process in which sperm is deposited directly into a woman’s uterus using a catheter.
• In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): A well-known method of ART, IVF involves a woman taking fertility drugs to stimulate ovulation. Her eggs are then retrieved by a doctor, combined with sperm and transferred back to her uterus after developing for a few days in a laboratory.
• Lutenizing Hormone (LH): A hormone produced by the pituitary gland, in women it is responsible for the monthly release of an egg. In men, LH is responsible for starting the production of testosterone.
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS): The presence of cysts on the ovaries that interfere with a woman’s reproductive system.
• Premature Ovarian Failure (POF): Loss or dysfunction of the egg follicle causing a woman to have irregular periods or no periods at all.
• Primary Infertility: The inability to conceive a child after a year of unprotected intercourse in couples that have no children.
• Progesterone: A hormone that helps to improve the condition of the endometrium, making it more receptive to implantation.
• Retrograde ejaculation: This condition causes a man’s sperm to be diverted to his bladder during orgasm, rather than being released through the tip of his penis. Often seen in Diabetics.
• Secondary infertility: The inability to conceive a child after a year of unprotected intercourse in couples that have one or more children.
• Sperm donation: The process in which a man gives a sperm sample to a clinic or sperm bank so that it can be used to artificially inseminate a woman who wishes to be pregnant.
• Surrogacy: When a couple asks or hires another woman to carry a child for them. The child may be biologically related to the couple, to the male partner and the surrogate, or be conceived using a donor egg, sperm or embryo.
• Testosterone: A male sex hormone, it is produced in the testicles and aids in the production of sperm. Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer (ZIFT): A combination of GIFT and IVF, ZIFT involves retrieving a woman’s eggs, combining them with sperm and then leaving the fertilized eggs to develop for one day. The resulting zygote is then placed in the woman’s fallopian tubes.