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Search thousands of pregnancy and birth related topics in the largest free pregnancy encyclopedia on the net. |
ACOG - A private, voluntary, nonprofit professional organization designed for obstetricians and gynecologists that was founded in 1951 in Chicago, Illinois. The organization develops standards of care for patients during pregnancy, which includes serving as a strong advocate for quality health care for women, maintaining the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education for its members, promoting patient education and stimulating patient understanding of and involvement in medical care and increasing awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women's health care.
Acquaintance Rape - Forced and unwilling sexual activity by someone that the vicitm knows or is famiiar with. A family member, friend or date is generally the attacker.
Acquired Deafness - The loss of hearing that develops during an individual's life that was not present at the time of birth. Genetic may or may not be a factor in the condition. An individual can become deaf when exposed to abnormally loud levels of noise or when the internal ear is damaged.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome - AIDS. Caused by a strain of HIV that can be transmitted through sexual contact, contaminated blood or bodily fluids, contaminated drug needles and through childbirth if the mother is infected. The diseaseattacks and destroys the body's immune system, which makes the individual susceptible to infections and other diseases and causing weight loss, central nervous system problems and death.
Acquired Immunity - Immunity resulting from exposure to disease after birth. Immunity can be acquired by the development of antibodies after an attack of an infectious disease.
Acquired Mutation - A defect or mutation that is passed from parent to child.
Acrocentric Chromosome - A chromosome in which the centromere is near one end so that one chromosomal arm is short and the other is long. Down syndrome is caused by an extra acrocentric chromosome.
Acrocyanosis - The blueish appearance of a newborn infants hands and feet that is seen during the first few hours after delivery. The hands and feet may feel cold to the touch.
Acromegaly - Hormonal disorder caused by the body's overproduction of growth hormones. The most common effects of acromegaly are abnormal growth of hands and feet and bone changes that alter facial shape and features. Other symptoms of the disorder may include joint aches, skin tags, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction in men and decreased libido.
Acromelic Dwarfism - A type of dwarfism that is characterized by extremely short distal segments of the limbs. The disorder occurs as an autosomal recessive inheritance.
Acrosome - A cap-like memrane bound structure in the head of the sperm that contains enzymes that allow the sperm to penetrate through the layers of an egg at the time of fertilization.
Active Immunity - A type of long-lasting immunity in which the body produces its own antibodies against disease-causing antigens. This type of immunity can occur by means of a natural infection or by a vaccine.
Active Labor - A part of the first stage of labor when the cervix dilates from three to seven centimeters. Most women are admitted to the hospital at this time and pain relief will generally be offered during this stage of labor. Typically, this part of labor will last approximately two to four hours.
Acupuncture - An ancient Chinese technique of inserting very thin needles through the skin at specific points on the body to control pain and other symptoms. The practice is appoximately 2,000 years old and is gaining in popularity around the world. Some women find acupuncture helps to relieve common symptoms of pregnancy, such as morning sickness, fatigue, bleeding, migraine headaches, hemorrhoids, heartburn and sciatic pain. Most patients will visit their accupuncturist on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for 30-45 minutes per session, although some women prefer to see thier acupuncturist only once per month. Once the needles have been placed, they remain in place for approximately 20 minutes until they are removed.
Acute Ascending Infection - An infection in which an organism or bacteria contaminates the amniotic fluid. Most commonly the infection occurs in women that are experiencing premature rupture of the membranes. A biophysical profile may be performed to detect the infection and assess the well-being of the fetus.
Acute Endometritis - Inflammation or infection of the lining of the uterus that is characterized by infection, usually caused by Streptococcus or staphylococcus aureus. The cause of infection can usually be related to delivery, the use of medical instruments, remaining fragments of placental tissue and/or abortions. Common symptoms of the condition include high fever and discharge from the vagina that includes pus. It is common for the menstrual period to be excessive after acute endometritis has been treated, but should last no more than 2 weeks. Antibiotics are used to treat the condition.
Acute Fatty Liver of Pregnancy - An uncommon condition that occurs in late pregnancy. Symptoms of the condition include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice, edema and hypertension. The condition may be related to a genetic defect in the fetus.
Acystia - An abnormality that is present from the time of birth, in which the newborn infant does not have a urinary bladder.
Adactyly - A congenital birth defect in which the child will be missing fingers and/or toes at birth. The child may show no other symptoms, or there may be other defects and disorders present. Women that smoke during pregnancy have an increased risk of carrying a child with adactyly.
ADD - 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.
Addison Anemia - Blood disorder caused by a lack of vitamin B12. Because the heart has to work harder to pump blood, people with this disorder may often be tired and weak because the body isn't getting enough oxygen. If left untreated this disease may cause serious problems in the heart, nerves and other body parts. Some of these include heart murmurs, tingling and numbness in the hands and feet, problems with walking and balance, shrinkage or thinning of the stomach lining and, in severe cases, heart attack or stroke.
Addison's Disease - Chronic deficiency of hormones that are associated with mineral and glucose metabolsim. Characteristics of the disease include a bronzed tint to the skin & mucus membranes, anemia, low blood pressure and low levels of sodium in the blood. During pregnancy, women may notice appetite loss, weight loss and persistent nausea and vomiting.
Adenoacanthoma - An aggressive cancerous tumor that is most commonly found in the uterus. The tumor is made up of malignant glandular tissue but many of the cells show benign differentiation.
Adenocarcinoma - A form of cancer, beginning in the glandular tissue, in which the malignant tissue is derived from epitheleal cells or arranged in a gland like pattern. In the female reproductive system, this cancer affects the breasts, uterus and cervix. This is the most common type of endometrial cancer.
Adenofibrosis - A benign condition of the breast that commonly affects young women. The condition is characterized by the formation of hard nodules of glandular tisse. Because of the similarities, it may be difficult to differentiate from breast cancer.