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- Assisted
hatching
- Artificial thinning or creating an opening
in the zona pellucida.
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- Corpus luteum
- A special gland that forms on the surface
of the ovary at the site of ovulation and produces progesterone during
the second half of the cycle. It is necessary to prepare the uterine
lining for implantation by the fertilized egg.
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- Cryopreservation
- Freezing living cells (embryos, sperm, eggs).
- Cytoplasm
- The granular portion in the centre of each
egg.
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- Embryo
- The term used to describe the early stages
of cell division.
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- Endometriosis
- The presence of endometrial tissue (the
normal uterine lining) in abnormal locations, such as the fallopian
tubes, ovaries and peritoneal cavity, often causing pelvic pain, painful
menstruation or infertility.
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- Endometrium
- The mucus membrane lining the uterus.
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- Epididymis
- A coiled tubular structure in the male which
receives sperm from the testes. The sperm is stored, nourished and matured
for a period of several months, then conducted into the vas deferens.
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- Estrogen
- The primary female hormone produced mainly
by the ovaries from puberty to menopause.
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- Fallopian
tubes
- Tubes which lead from the uterus and end
in finger-like projections called fimbriae near the ovaries. Fertilization
takes place in the fallopian tubes.
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- Follicle
- The structure in the ovary that nurtures
the ripening egg and from which the egg is released to the fallopian
tube.
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- Follicle
stimulation hormone (FSH)
- Hormone released by the pituitary gland
which stimulates both the growth of ovarian follicles in women and sperm
production in men, used as an indicator of egg production.
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- GnRH
- A hormone released from the hypothalamus
that signals to the pituitary gland when to release the gonadotropins
LH and FSH.
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- Gonads
- The glands that produce the reproductive
organs (ovaries in the female and testes in the male).
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- Gametes
- A term to refer to human eggs and sperm.
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- Gonadotropins
- A class of hormones that play a key role
in the regulation of female and male reproduction. Gonadotropins include
follicle stimulation hormone (FSH), luetenizing hormone (LH) and human
chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). FSH and LH are both secreted by the pituitary
gland. In the female, they stimulate growth and maturation of ovarian
follicles and trigger ovulation; in the male, they stimulate the production
of sperm (spermatogenesis). HCG is a hormone secreted by the placenta
during pregnancy that helps to support the endometrium (uterine lining).
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- Human
menopausal gonadotropins (HMG)
- A term used to designate FSH and LH extracted
from the urine of post-menopausal women and prepared to be used in the
treatment of infertility.
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- Hypothalamus
- The region of the brain just above the pituitary
that controls hormone production and release by the gland.
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- Implantation
- The embedding of the fertilized ovum in
the lining of the uterus.
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- In
vitro fertilization (IVF)
- Assisted reproduction technique involving
stimulation of ovulation to obtain several oocytes (eggs) with drugs,
such as gonadotropins. Eggs are then removed using an ultrasound guided
needle and immediately mixed with the partner's sperm or with donor
sperm. To enable cell division, the fertilized eggs are then placed
in a protected environment for 24 to 48 hours. The embryos obtained
are subsequently replaced into the patient's uterus, where they may
implant.
- In
vitro maturation (IVM)
- Immature oocytes (eggs) are retrieved from
the ovary and matured in vitro, in the laboratory, until the oocytes
(eggs) are mature. Once they are mature, IVF or ICSI is then performed.
- Intracytoplasmic
sperm injection (ICSI)
- The technique of using microinjection to
inject one sperm into the cytoplasm of the egg.
- Laparoscopy
- The direct visualization of the reproductive
organs by a fibre optic scope inserted through a small abdominal incision.
Laparoscopy is a part of the basic infertility investigation and is
often used when tubal damage or endometriosis is suspected.
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- Luetenizing
hormone (LH)
- A hormone released by the pituitary gland
which triggers the release of an egg by the mature ovarian follicle.
In the male, LH stimulates the production of testosterone by the testes.
Testosterone is important for sperm development (spermatogenesis).
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- Oocyte
- Human egg.
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- Ovaries
- The female sex glands with both a reproductive
function (releasing eggs) and a hormone function (producing estrogen
and progesterone). Ovulation induction (OI) Drug therapy to stimulate
growth and release of eggs from the ovaries. This may be used to treat
an underlying ovulatory problem or to augment the ovulatory process.
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- Ovum
- The egg cell produced in the ovaries each
month.
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- Pituitary
gland
- A gland located at the base of the brain,
below the hypothalamus, which controls almost every endocrine gland
in the body and therefore controls human growth, development and reproduction.
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- Progesterone
- A hormone produced and released by the corpus
luteum of the ovary during the second half of an ovulatory cycle. It
is necessary for the preparation of the lining of the uterus for the
implantation of the fertilized egg. It is also produced by the placenta
during pregnancy.
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- Scrotum
- A sac of skin and thin muscle which holds
the testes and is found below the penis.
- Semen
- The sperm and seminal secretions ejaculated
during orgasm. Spermatogenesis The production of sperm.
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- Testes
- The male sex glands that have both a reproductive
function (producing sperm cells) and a hormone function (producing testosterone).
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- Varicocele
- A varicose vein around the vas deferens
in the testes. May be a cause of male infertility.
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- Vas deferens
- A thick walled tubular structure running
from each testis into the ejaculatory duct. These structures carry sperm
from the epididymis to the penis.
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- Zona pellucida
- Membrane surrounding a cleaved embryo.
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