| glossary |
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Alternative family planning: With advancements in fertility treatments, more and more same sex couples and nontraditional parenting partners are able to have children of their own. Westchester Reproductive Medicine is proud to assist these couples in their endeavors. We provide a supportive environment and affordable treatment for couples who are trying to conceive through intrauterine insemination, ovulation induction, IVF, or egg donation. |
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| Artificial insemination: A technique in which a doctor injects semen directly into a woman's cervix or uterus during her most fertile time of the month. |
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| Assisted hatching: a procedure in which a small area of the “shell,” or zona pelucida, of the fertilized egg is thinned using a weak acid solution, to facilitate implantation into the uterine bed. |
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| Assisted reproductive technology (ART): A term used to describe advanced interventions, such as IVF, that infertility specialists use to help egg meet sperm. |
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| Basal Body Temperature (BBT) chart: A graph of your basal body temperature (taken upon awakening prior to rising from bed) across the menstrual cycle to ascertain whether or not you are ovulating. (www.4women.gov/pregnancy/tools/bbt-chart-blank.pdf) |
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| Blastocyst: The stage in the developing embryo reached after four to six days, and which lasts approximately until implantation in the uterus a few days later.. |
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| Cryopreservation: Freezing sperm or pre-embryos in liquid nitrogen and storing them for future use. |
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| Donor sperm: sperm that has been donated by a (usually nonintimate and/or anonymous) male, and which has been processed and frozen, to be used for artificial inseminations. At Westchester Reproductive Medicine, we work with the following sperm banks - California Cryobank (www.cryobank.com), Repro Lab (www.reprolabinc.com), and Fairfax Cryobank (www.fairfaxcryobank.com) |
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| Egg donation: Extraction of healthy eggs from a third party for subsequent use in IVF. |
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| Embryo biopsy: a procedure performed on an early embryo in which a single cell is removed for the purpose of genetic analysis. |
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| Endometriosis: A cause of infertility, in which the lining of the uterus migrates to other regions of the body, usually in the pelvic region, causing scarring and sometimes damaging the fallopian tubes and ovaries. |
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| Fallopian tubes: narrow, four-inch-long ducts that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus. |
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| Fertility preservation: methods used to preserve one’s fertility, including sperm cryopreservation (for males) and embryo, egg and ovarian tissue freezing (for females.) |
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| Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT): The injection of one or more eggs mixed with washed sperm into the fallopian tube(s) in the hope that fertilization will occur. |
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| Hysterosalpingogram (HSG): A x-ray that allows the physician to view the size and shape of the inside of the uterus and the fallopian tubes: also know as the tubal dye test. |
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| Hysteroscopy: An endoscopic procedure in which a doctor views the interior of the uterus. |
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| In vitro fertilization (IVF): A technique in which eggs are harvested from the ovaries and mixed with sperm in a Petri dish and allowed to fertilize. Fertilized eggs are kept in culture in an incubator, and are transferred to the uterus as embryos after 3-5 days. |
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| Infertility specialist: A medical doctor with advanced training in infertility or reproductive endocrinology. |
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| Intrauterine insemination (IUI): A type of artificial insemination in which washed semen is injected into the uterus. |
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| Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI): Micromanipulating a single sperm captured in a thin glass needle and injected directly into the egg. ICSI assists fertilization in cases of severe sperm dysfunction. |
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| Laparoscopy: A surgical procedure in which a rigid tube is inserted into the abdomen, usually through the navel, to allow the doctor to view or treat the reproductive organs. |
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| Male factor: A catchall term used to describe infertility caused by problems with sperm or its production, such as insufficient numbers, poor motility, odd shape and so forth. |
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| Motility: Term used to describe mobility, or swimming movements, of sperm. |
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| Ovaries: Two almond-sized structures in the pelvis, adjacent to the ends of the fallopian tubes, which release eggs and secrete hormones into the bloodstream. |
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| Ovulation induction: The stimulation of the ovaries by fertility drugs to release one or more eggs. |
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| Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD): a genetic analysis performed on a biopsied cell from an early embryo to diagnose the presence or absence of a genetic disease. |
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| Recurrent pregnancy loss: This term refers to women who have had two or more consecutive pregnancy losses. We offer full evaluation for these couples, as well as treatment, when appropriate. |
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| Sonohysterogram: A pelvic ultrasound performed while saline fluid is instilled into the uterine cavity, done to evaluate the uterus for the presence of lesions such as polyps or intacavitary fibroids. |
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| Ultrasound: involves exposing part of the body to high-frequency sound waves to produce pictures of the inside of the body. Most of our ultrasounds are performed transvaginally, as this approach gives the clearest picture of the uterus and ovaries. |
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| Varicocele: A varicose vein, usually located just above the left testicle, that is believed to cause infertility in certain men by impairing sperm development. |
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| Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT): An ART in which eggs fertilized to the zygote stage (after 24 hours - before the first cell division) in a petri dish are transferred to the fallopian tubes. |
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