Antega Nigeria · Learning Centre
A–Z Fertility Glossary
232 fertility terms explained in plain language.
232 terms
A
Endometrial-type tissue growing within the muscular wall of the uterus.
The Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health.
A blood test indicating how many eggs remain, not their quality.
A low level of haemoglobin, commonly caused by iron deficiency.
Medication used to prevent pain during a procedure.
A specialist in male reproductive health, or a laboratory scientist analysing semen.
An abnormal number of chromosomes.
Cycles in which no egg is released.
When bacteria stop responding to the antibiotics that used to kill them.
Immune proteins that stick to sperm and impair movement.
The number of small resting follicles counted on ultrasound.
A clinic providing IVF, ICSI and related treatments, usually privately in Nigeria.
Treatments handling eggs, sperm or embryos outside the body.
Reduced sperm movement.
No sperm found in the ejaculate.
B
Alternative electricity supply used when the mains supply fails.
The manufacturer's code identifying a specific production run.
A positive pregnancy test that does not progress to a pregnancy seen on scan.
An embryo at day five or six with a fluid-filled cavity.
C
A charge applied when treatment is stopped or postponed.
A treatment cycle stopped before egg collection or transfer.
A charge added for paying by card.
Someone who has one copy of a gene change but is usually healthy.
Testing prospective parents for inherited conditions.
Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens.
The neck of the uterus, opening into the vagina.
The gene linked to cystic fibrosis and to CBAVD.
A common sexually transmitted infection that often causes no symptoms.
A packaged bundle of DNA; humans usually have 46.
Persistent low-grade inflammation of the uterine lining.
An embryo two or three days after fertilisation.
A pregnancy confirmed on ultrasound.
Keeping a medicine within its required temperature range from supply to use.
The difference between organisms simply being present and causing disease.
Therapies used alongside conventional medical care.
A senior specialist in women's reproductive health.
Eggs and prepared sperm mixed together in the laboratory.
The structure left in the ovary after an egg is released.
Professional emotional support around fertility decisions.
Freezing and storing eggs, sperm or embryos.
Long-term storage of frozen eggs, sperm or embryos.
An insulated vessel holding frozen samples in liquid nitrogen.
D
An upfront payment to reserve treatment.
Fewer eggs remaining than expected for your age.
The follicle that outgrows the others in a natural cycle.
Conceiving with donated eggs, sperm or embryos.
Using eggs given by another woman.
Using an embryo donated by another couple or individual.
Using sperm given by another man.
E
A pregnancy that implants outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube.
Removing eggs from the ovaries with a needle guided by ultrasound.
Collecting and storing unfertilised eggs for later use.
An alternative name for egg collection.
Difficulty ejaculating, or ejaculation in the wrong direction.
The developing group of cells formed after fertilisation.
Removing a few cells from an embryo for genetic testing.
Growing embryos in the laboratory after fertilisation.
Storing surplus embryos for future transfer.
Scoring embryos by appearance to choose which to transfer.
Placing an embryo into the uterus through a fine catheter.
The scientist who handles eggs, sperm and embryos in the laboratory.
The laboratory where eggs, sperm and embryos are handled and stored.
A small sample of the uterine lining taken for laboratory testing.
A small overgrowth of the uterine lining inside the cavity.
The measurement of the uterine lining on ultrasound.
An ovarian cyst formed by endometriosis, sometimes called a chocolate cyst.
Tissue similar to the uterine lining growing outside the uterus.
The lining of the uterus, where an embryo implants.
An embryo with the expected number of chromosomes on testing.
The date after which a medicine should not be used.
F
When no eggs fertilise after insemination or injection.
A tube that is closed, so egg and sperm cannot meet.
The federal government ministry responsible for health policy in Nigeria.
Damage to the genital tract caused by schistosomiasis (bilharzia).
The few days each cycle when sex can lead to pregnancy.
The joining of egg and sperm to form an embryo.
The ability to conceive and carry a pregnancy.
The first set of tests for both partners.
Medicines used to stimulate ovulation, control the cycle or support the lining.
Storing eggs, sperm, embryos or tissue for future use.
A clinician who works mainly in fertility and assisted conception.
A vitamin, mineral or herbal product marketed for fertility.
A B vitamin taken before conception to reduce the risk of neural tube defects.
A fluid-filled sac in the ovary containing an egg.
The first half of the cycle, when follicles grow.
Costs from currency conversion when paying abroad or in another currency.
Freezing every suitable embryo instead of transferring in the fresh cycle.
Transferring an embryo in the same cycle as egg collection.
Thawing and transferring an embryo frozen in an earlier cycle.
The hormone that drives follicle growth.
G
A fuel-powered source of backup electricity.
A discussion with a trained professional about inherited risk and options.
Tests examining chromosomes or genes.
Tuberculosis affecting the reproductive organs.
In everyday Nigerian use, the haemoglobin genotype result such as AA, AS or SS.
A surrogate who carries an embryo not created from her own egg.
The fluid-filled structure seen on early ultrasound around a developing pregnancy.
A medicine that first stimulates and then suppresses the body's own hormones.
A medicine that quickly blocks the hormone surge causing early ovulation.
Injectable hormone medicines that stimulate the ovaries.
A sexually transmitted bacterial infection.
H
A blood test showing which haemoglobin types you carry — AA, AS, AC, SC or SS.
Human chorionic gonadotrophin — the hormone measured by pregnancy tests.
A company that manages health insurance cover for members.
A viral infection of the liver, common in Nigeria.
A viral liver infection, now curable with tablets in most cases.
Plant-based preparations taken for health or fertility.
Human immunodeficiency virus.
What your specific health plan will actually pay for.
An ultrasound test of tubal patency using contrast, without X-rays.
A fallopian tube blocked and filled with fluid.
An X-ray test showing whether the fallopian tubes are open.
A camera examination of the inside of the uterus.
I
A single sperm is injected directly into an egg during IVF.
When an embryo attaches to the lining of the uterus.
The equipment that keeps embryos at a stable temperature and gas balance.
Tests for infections that affect fertility, pregnancy or laboratory safety.
Not conceiving after 12 months of regular unprotected sex — or after 6 months if the woman is over 35.
A fibroid within the muscular wall of the uterus.
Scar tissue inside the uterus, also called Asherman syndrome.
A battery system that converts stored power into mains-style electricity.
A written breakdown of every charge in a treatment plan.
Prepared sperm placed into the uterus around ovulation.
Eggs are collected and fertilised in a laboratory, then an embryo is transferred.
K
L
Monitoring that alerts staff when conditions move out of range.
Keyhole surgery to look inside the abdomen and pelvis.
An increased number of white blood cells in semen.
The hormone whose surge triggers ovulation.
The extremely cold liquid used to store frozen eggs, sperm and embryos.
The proportion of treatment cycles that result in a baby born alive.
The second half of the cycle, after ovulation.
Progesterone, sometimes with other medication, given after transfer.
M
Infertility caused wholly or partly by sperm problems.
An egg ready to be fertilised.
The body that registers and regulates doctors and dentists in Nigeria.
The monthly hormonal cycle, counted from the first day of full bleeding.
Microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration.
Microsurgical testicular sperm extraction using an operating microscope.
IVF using lower doses of stimulation medication.
The loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks.
Ultrasound during treatment to measure follicles and the lining.
The proportion of sperm with a normal shape.
An embryo whose biopsy shows a mixture of normal and abnormal cells.
The proportion of sperm that are moving.
A sexually transmitted bacterium that can cause genital inflammation.
Surgery to remove fibroids while keeping the uterus.
N
A highly sensitive DNA-based test, used for chlamydia and gonorrhoea.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
Approval by Nigeria's medicines and food regulator for a product to be sold.
The authority regulating health insurance in Nigeria.
IVF collecting the single egg produced in a natural cycle.
Health insurance regulated by the National Health Insurance Authority.
O
The main oestrogen, produced by growing follicles.
Low count, poor movement and abnormal shape together.
A low sperm count.
A fluid-filled sac in or on an ovary.
An over-response to fertility medication causing swollen, painful ovaries.
The number of eggs remaining in the ovaries.
Injections used to grow several follicles at once.
The release of a mature egg from an ovary.
Medication used to trigger the release of an egg where ovulation is irregular or absent.
A urine test detecting the hormone surge that precedes ovulation.
P
Polycystic ovary syndrome, a common cause of irregular or absent ovulation.
Infection of the upper reproductive tract.
A scan of the uterus and ovaries.
Percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration.
Testing embryos before transfer.
Testing embryos for the wrong number of chromosomes.
Testing embryos for a specific inherited condition in the family.
Testing embryos where a parent has a chromosome rearrangement.
Fewer eggs than expected despite adequate stimulation.
Ovaries stopping normal function before age 40.
A medicine that may legally only be supplied on a clinician's prescription.
Never having conceived.
A privately owned clinic offering fertility care and often IVF.
The hormone that prepares and maintains the uterine lining.
Progesterone given after transfer to help the lining support a pregnancy.
Sperm moving purposefully forwards.
A pituitary hormone which, if raised, can stop ovulation.
R
Repeated miscarriages, usually two or three or more.
A written request from one clinician asking another to assess or treat you.
A medicine that must be kept cold, usually 2–8°C.
The written rules on what money is returned, and when.
A pharmacy legally licensed to dispense medicines.
Semen passing backwards into the bladder.
S
An ultrasound taken while sterile fluid outlines the uterine cavity.
Difficulty conceiving after a previous pregnancy.
Paying for treatment yourself rather than through insurance.
A laboratory test of sperm number, movement and shape.
The amount of fluid produced in one ejaculate.
An inherited blood disorder, most often SS or SC.
Carrying one sickle gene (AS); usually healthy.
The Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria.
The number of sperm per millilitre of semen.
Damage to the genetic material inside sperm.
Storing sperm for later treatment.
Paying in instalments linked to stages of treatment.
Testing for sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea.
The recurring charge for keeping frozen eggs, sperm or embryos.
Reduced fertility rather than an inability to conceive.
A fibroid bulging into the cavity of the uterus.
A fibroid on the outer surface of the uterus.
Collecting sperm directly from the testis or epididymis.
Another woman carrying a pregnancy for intended parents.
T
A university-affiliated public hospital where fertility assessment is often started.
A high proportion of abnormally shaped sperm.
A specialist referral hospital, such as a federal medical centre or teaching hospital.
Testicular sperm aspiration — sperm drawn from the testis with a needle.
Testicular sperm extraction — a small tissue sample taken from the testis.
A uterine lining that does not thicken as expected.
The total number of sperm in the whole sample.
Long-established healing practices used widely across Nigeria.
An internal scan using a slim probe placed in the vagina.
A bundled price covering a defined list of services.
An injection that matures the eggs and sets the timing for collection or insemination.
Actively attempting pregnancy, commonly abbreviated TTC.
A blood test of thyroid function.
A procedure to open a blockage at the point where the tube joins the uterus.
Infertility caused by blocked or damaged fallopian tubes.
Whether the fallopian tubes are open.
The period between embryo transfer or ovulation and a reliable pregnancy test.
U
A battery unit that keeps equipment running for the seconds or minutes during a changeover.
A bacterium that often lives harmlessly in the genital tract.
A surgeon specialising in the urinary tract and male reproductive organs.
A benign muscular growth in the wall of the uterus.