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Search thousands of pregnancy and birth related topics in the largest free pregnancy encyclopedia on the net. |
Asthenozoospermia - A condition in males in which large quantities of sperm in an ejaculation are of weakened motility. Because of the low quality sperm, the condition is a common cause of male infertility.
Asthma - A reversible respiratory condition characterized by recurrent airflow obstruction that causes intermittent cough and phlegm production. Severe asthma is associated with fetal death due to lack of oxygen in the blood, reduced blood flow to the uterus, birth defects caused by necessary medications and very acid levels in the blood.
Atenolol - A beta-adrenergic blocking compound that is commonly used to treat high blood pressure and chest pain due to impaired blood supply to the heart muscle. Maternal use of the medication during pregnancy will cause the fetus to have low blood pressure and an abnormally low heart rate.
Atocia - Sterility in the female. Reasons for sterility can include the certain diseases of the reproductive system, sexually transmitted diseases, depression, chronic anemia, removal of reproductuve organs and obesity.
Atonic Uterus - A relaxed uterus that lacks tone. An atonic uterus fails to contract after delivery and will need additional massaging in addition to medications to encourage contraction.
Atopic Dermatitis - A non-contagious allergic skin condition that is characterized by dry, itching skin. The itching that accompanies eczema often leads to scratching. The scratching them produces weeping, infected skin. The weeping and crusted skin is what doctors refer to as eczema. Sufficent scratching will produce a thickened, rough skin that is a characteristic of chronic eczema.
The underlying probelm with eczema is the inability of the skin to retain adequate amounts of water and the skin of the infected child is very dry and itchy. If there is weeping or crusting, the skin has been infected with bacteria and a visit to the doctor should be made. Some children may have brief manifestations with eczema, while other children will suffer with the conditon into their adult life.
Atraumatic Abortion - Aspiration of the endometrium that is performed one to three weeks after the woman has failed to menstruate. This method can also be used to remove the remaining tissue of an incomplete miscarriage. A small, flexible tube is inserted into the uterus through the cervix and a handheld syringe is used to suction any remaining pregnancy material from inside of the uterus.
Atresia - Absence of a body opening or canal resulting from failure of development during fetal development. The condition is seen on the newborn at birth. The majority are properly corrected by early surgical interventions.
Atrial Septal Defect - One of the most common heart defects.
A normal heart has four separate chambers and the upper chambers, atria, are divided with the septum.
An atrial septal defect occurs when there is a hole in the septum. Blood then flows through the hole, which causes an increased amount of blood volume in the lungs.
Children that have this birth defect do not usually have any symptoms. A child with a very large hole may note shortness of breath, fatigue and poor growth.
Atrial septal defect can be detected at a prenatal visit via ultrasound examination or fetal echocardiography. Newborns are usually diagnosed with this condition after a doctor hears a murmur during early physical examinations. An echocardiograph, echocardiogram or x-ray can confirm the diagnosis. If the hole does not close on its own, surgery will be needed to correct the problem
Attention Deficit Disorder - A neurological condition that is characterized by an attention span that is less than expected for the age of the person. The syndrome is often evident from childhood and may cause restlessness, disorganization, hyperactivity, distractibility, and mood swings.
Attenuated Vaccine - A vaccine that is prepared from live bacteria or viruses, that have been weakened through a chemical process so they produce immunity but do not actually cause the disease.
Au Pair - A foreign national that lives with a host family in exchange for room, board, and a small allowance. The au pair helps with childcare and household work while host family allows the au pair to be a part of the family.
Audiologist - A medical professional that diagnoses and treats hearing problems. Every infant is given a hearing test in the hospital at birth. Just because the baby pases the hearing test in the hospital does not guarantee that the child will not develop or experience hearing problems later.
Augmentation - Methods of medical intervention that help labor progress more rapidly once it has begun. This is usually done if the contractions are not strong enough to make changes in cervical dilation. Common mehtods of augmentation include pitocin to make contractions stronger, rupture the membranes and occasionally, nipple stimulation.
Augmentation Mammoplasty - A silicone bag that is filled with silicone gel, saline, air or a combination of these products. The bag is placed either behind the breast or behind the pectoral muscle to increase breast size or to reconstruct the breast after a mastectomy. If the nerves around the areola were not damaged during the surgery, it is possible to breastfeed fully or partially.
Aural Atresia - A condition in which the external ear canal is missing or underdeveloped.
In most cases, the inner ear and auditory nerve are completely normal. However, the external and middle ear is not normal.
Doctors generally diagnose a baby with this birth defect shortly after delivery during an examination. Aural atresia can affect one ear or both ears. In the affected ear, there is no hearing. If a child has aural atresia, they will require hearing tests and a hearing aid will likely be needed.
Reconstructive surgery is often desired and speech therapy is generally necessary.
Auscultation - The act of listening to the fetal heartbeat with either a stethoscope or fetoscope. This can also include listening to fetal heart sounds by pressed the ear against the bare abdomen.
Autism - A mental illness that affects a person’s ability to communicate and form relationships with other people. Characteristic symptoms include extreme withdrawal, repetitive activities, impaired social interaction, communication difficulties and extreme reactions to change. The disorder usually is seen before age three.
Autoerotism - Self-arousal abd self-gratification of sexual desire, normally accomplished through masturbation.
Autologous Transfusion: - A transfusion of an individual's own blood. Pregnant women that are anticipating a cesarean section, or have a hightened risk for blood loss, may choose to have their own blood collected and stored in case the need arises at the time of birth.
Autopsy - A surgical procedure that is performed after death. The body and tissues are examined, often to determine the cause of death. Women that lose their baby to stillbirth or miscarriage can often request that an autopsy be performed to provide answers as to why the loss occurred.
Autosomal Dominant - A pattern of inheritance in which an affected individual has one copy of a mutant gene and one normal gene on a pair of autosomal chromosomes. Individuals with autosomal dominant diseases have a 50-50 chance of passing the disorder onto each of their children.
Autosomal Inheritance - The transmission of a character or trait determined by a gene located in any chromosome in the body other than those of the sperm and ovum.
Autosomal Recessive - A genetic condition that appears only in individuals who have received two copies of an autosomal gene, one copy from each parent. Because the parents have only one copy of the gene and do not exhibit the trait, they are known as carriers.
Autosome - Any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome. Autosomes normally occur in pairs in all cell nuclei except in the nuclei of the two sex cells, the sperm and the ovum, where they occur singly.