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Fertility Zone Glossary

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OB-GYN

Obstetrician-gynecologist

A physician who specializes in the treatment of female disorders and pregnancy

Obstetrician-gynecologist

A physician who specializes in the treatment of female disorders and pregnancy 

Oligomenorrhea

Scanty or infrequent menstruation, a problem found in about 20 percent of infertile women. 

Oligoovulation

Infrequent or irregular ovulation (usually defined as cycles of >36 days or <8 cycles a year)

Oligospermia

Condition in which the number of sperm in a semen sample is abnormally low. 

Oligozoospermia

Oligozoospermia - A condition in which the number of sperm in semen sample is abnormally low (lower than 20 millions per millilitre of semen). Oligozoospermia is considered severe when the sperm count is lower than 5 millions per millilitre.

Oocyte

Also referred to as an ovum or egg. The reproductive cell produced in the ovaries each month. 

Oocyte donor

A woman who donates an ovum or ova to another woman. 

Oocyte retrieval

Oocyte retrieval - A surgical procedure, usually under sedation, to collect the eggs contained with the ovarian follicles. A needle is inserted into the follicle; the fluid and egg are aspirated into the needle and then placed into a culture medium - filled dish.

Oocytedonation

Oocytedonation - Eggs that are removed from the ovaries of one woman for use by another.

Ovarian cyst

a fluid-containing enlargement of the ovary 

Ovarian Failure

Inability of the ovaries to respond to any hormonal stimulation, often due to a postmenopausal condition. 

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) - A possible side effect of medically induced ovulation, characterized by swollen, painful ovaries and, in some cases, the accumulation of fluid in the abdomen and chest.

Ovarian wedge resection

surgical removal of a portion of a polycystic ovary to produce ovulation 

Ovaries

Paired female sex glands in which ova are developed and stored and the hormones estrogen and progesterone are produced. 

Oviduct

Either of a pair of tubes that pick up the egg from the ovary and conducts it to the uterus. Fertilization normally occurs within this structure.

Also known as Fallopian tube.

 

Ovulation

The release of an oocyte from a woman's ovary, generally around the midpoint of the menstrual cycle. 

Ovulation induction

Treatment of ovulation dysfunction caused by such disorders as amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, and LPD, using drugs that induce ovulation. These so~called fertility drugs include CC and gonadotropins. Ovulation induction is also used as part of the Al, IVF, and GIFT techniques. 

Ovulation prediction kit

Over-the-counter hormone monitoring kits that employ the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay procedure to measure the mid-cycle increase in LH that indicates ovulation is taking place. 

ovum

the female reproductive cell

 

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