A–Z Fertility Glossary

Uterine-lining-like tissue growing into the muscular wall of the uterus.

An ultrasound-based estimate of ovarian reserve.

A blood marker of ovarian reserve.

A specialist in male reproductive health.

The absence of ovulation in a menstrual cycle.

A short IVF stimulation protocol using GnRH antagonists.

Laboratory thinning of the embryo's outer shell.

Treatments in which eggs or embryos are handled outside the body.

No sperm present in the ejaculate.

Blood test measuring the pregnancy hormone hCG.

An embryo that has developed for about five to six days after fertilization.

A single cell within a cleavage-stage embryo.

Formal certification of a physician's specialty training.

Testing DNA to see whether you carry an inherited condition.

Fluid produced by the cervix that changes across the cycle.

An abnormal number or structure of chromosomes.

An oral medication used to induce ovulation.

A supplement studied in egg and sperm quality.

The structure formed after ovulation that produces progesterone.

Freezing eggs, sperm or embryos for future use.

A cleavage-stage embryo about three days after fertilization.

A hormone sometimes used to support ovarian response.

A lower-than-expected egg supply for your age.

An egg from another person used in IVF.

Sperm from a donor used in fertility treatment.

A pregnancy that implants outside the uterus.

The procedure to collect eggs during IVF.

A fertilized egg during early development.

A visual score for embryo quality.

Placing an embryo into the uterus.

A scientist who specializes in embryo development.

Uterine-lining-like tissue growing outside the uterus.

The lining of the uterus.

Endometrial receptivity analysis.

The statement your health plan sends after a claim is processed.

The tube connecting the ovary to the uterus.

The fusion of sperm and egg.

A fluid-filled sac in the ovary containing an egg.

Transfer of an embryo that was frozen in an earlier cycle.

Follicle-stimulating hormone.

Someone who carries a pregnancy for intended parents.

The first ultrasound-visible sign of pregnancy in the uterus.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone.

Injectable hormone medication used in fertility treatment.

Human chorionic gonadotropin.

An X-ray test of the uterus and fallopian tubes.

A fluid-filled, blocked fallopian tube.

Elevated levels of prolactin.

An underactive thyroid gland.

A single sperm is injected directly into an egg during IVF.

The embryo embedding into the uterine lining.

ICSI using high-magnification sperm selection.

A provider or laboratory that has a contract with your health plan.

Not conceiving after a defined period of regular unprotected intercourse.

Prepared sperm is placed directly into the uterus.

Eggs are retrieved and fertilized in a laboratory, and an embryo is transferred to the uterus.

A map of all of a person's chromosomes.

A first-line ovulation induction medication.

Luteinizing hormone.

The second half of the menstrual cycle.

A state law requiring certain health plans to cover fertility care.

A frozen transfer cycle prepared with hormone medication.

Pregnancy loss before 20 weeks.

The shape and structure of sperm.

The movement of sperm.

IVF performed without ovarian stimulation.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, an over-response to fertility medication.

An egg cell.

An estimate of the number of eggs remaining, not their quality.

Release of a mature egg from the ovary.

Medication used to stimulate ovulation.

Polycystic ovary syndrome.

Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy.

Preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic conditions.

Physiologic ICSI using hyaluronic acid binding.

A small gland at the base of the brain.

Approval a health plan requires before it will cover a service.

A hormone that supports the uterine lining.

A pituitary hormone involved in reproduction and lactation.

Two or more consecutive pregnancy losses.

An OB-GYN with additional fellowship training in fertility and hormone disorders.

The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, which publishes US clinic outcome reports.

A laboratory test of semen volume, sperm concentration, motility and morphology.

Transferring one embryo at a time to avoid the risks of twin pregnancy.

A pharmacy that dispenses injectable fertility medications.

Damage to the DNA inside sperm.

The injectable phase of IVF that grows multiple follicles.

Collecting sperm directly from the testes or epididymis.

The primary male sex hormone.

A blood test measuring thyroid hormones.

Continuous imaging of embryos inside the incubator.

The injection that matures eggs before retrieval.

The outer cell layer of a blastocyst.

The wait between transfer or ovulation and the pregnancy test.

Serial scans during an IVF or IUI cycle.

Infertility with no cause identified on standard testing.

The organ where pregnancy develops.

Enlarged veins in the scrotum.

Ultra-rapid freezing of eggs and embryos.

The outer shell of the egg and early embryo.

A fertilized egg before it divides.