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| Pregnancy Terms |
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Pregnancy terms starting with C
Get quick definitions of many of the most common pregnancy terms here! From fertility
treatment terminology to common pregnancy conditions to the stages of labor, find
out more about the hundreds of new words you will be hearing.
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Cerclage
Category:
Labor and birth
A surgical stitch of the cervix, intended to help keep the cervix closed for the duration of
the pregnancy. Used to prevent miscarriage and/or preterm labor.
Cervical fluid
Category:
Conception and fertility
Cervical fluid/mucus is a vaginal discharge that appears throughout the various stages of
the menstrual cycle, sometimes thick and whitish, sometimes sticky, and, close to ovulation,
clear and stretchy (looking much like raw egg white, and coined "egg white cervical mucus,"
or EWCM).
Cervix
Category:
General pregnancy
The neck, or opening of the uterus, from which the baby emerges. During dilation, the
opening of the cervix enlarges enough for the baby to emerge.
Cesarean
Category:
Labor and birth
A cesarean section ("c-section") is the delivery of a baby via an abdominal surgical
incision. Most common is a transverse (or "bikini") incision that is performed along the top
of the pubic hairline. Vertical ("classical") incisions are less common but may be required
in certain circumstances.
Candida
Category:
Mom's health
Yeast infections are caused by various species of Candida, especially Candida albicans.
These organisms are part of the germs normally found in various parts of the body and
ordinarily do not cause any symptoms. Certain conditions, such as antibiotic use or
excessive moisture, may upset the balance of microbes and allow an overgrowth of Candida.
Caput
Category:
Labor and birth
When the mother experiences a long labor before the cervix is fully dilated, the area of the
baby's scalp pressing against the cervical opening may swell. This swelling is called a
caput succedaneum, and should disappear sometime during the first week after birth.
Cell
Category:
General pregnancy
The basic unit of any living organism. It is a small, watery, compartment filled with
chemicals and a complete copy of the organism's genome.
Cephalic
Category:
Labor and birth
Pertaining to the baby's head. A cephalic presentation means the baby is head-down. This is
the desired presentation, and happens in approximately 97% of all births.
Cephalopelvic disproportion
Category:
Labor and birth
The relationship of the size, presentation, and position of the fetal head to the maternal
pelvis prevents dilation of the cervix and/or descent of the fetal head (too large to pass
through the birth canal).
Cesarean, elective
Category:
General pregnancy
Sometimes called a "planned cesarean" or "scheduled cesarean," this is a cesarean section
delivery which has been scheduled even before labor begins. Reasons for a physician choosing
a planned cesarean may include multiple gestation, breech positioning, a previous delivery
by cesarean section, the presence of certain birth defects, convenience, and/or numerous
other factors.
Chadwick's sign
Category:
General pregnancy
Bluish coloration of cervix, vagina and vulva at 6-8 weeks, an early indicator of pregnancy.
Charting
Category:
Conception and fertility
Fertility awareness can help a woman to become more familiar with her own body, and enhance
her health and feelings of control over her health care. Fertility charting uses a woman's
naturally-occurring physical and emotional fertility signposts to determine when she is most
fertile. Simply by recording her signs of fertility and the feelings associated with each
part of her cycle, a woman becomes more in tune with her body. Any woman can easily learn to
identify her fertile and infertile phases by observing her basal body temperature (BBT) as
well as any changes in her cervix and cervical fluid (mucus).
Chickenpox
Category:
Mom's health
Chickenpox is a very common and highly contagious disease. Although the symptoms can be
annoying and uncomfortable and limit normal activities, the disease is usually mild and
rarely serious. In otherwise healthy children, chickenpox lasts two weeks or less and does
not cause complications. In adults, newborn babies, and children with weakened immune
systems, however, it can be a serious, long-lasting disease. Chickenpox is caused by a type
of herpes virus called varicella-zoster virus (VZV).
Childbirth educator
Category:
Labor and birth
Teacher who is knowledgeable in the areas of pregnancy, childbirth and labor, and postpartum
issues. Usually, they teach expectant parents how to have a healthy pregnancy, deal with the
pains of labor and care for herself and her newborn just after birth.
Chloasma
Category:
Mom's health
A patchy brownish discoloration of the skin on the face, caused by pregnancy hormones
causing an increased production of the pigment melanin. It's also called "the mask of
pregnancy." Chloasma usually disappears after delivery.
Chromosomes
Category:
General pregnancy
Structures found in the nucleus of a cell, which contain the genes. Chromosomes come in
pairs, and a normal human cell contains 46 chromosomes, 22 pairs of autosomes and two sex
chromosomes, x and y.
Circumcision
Category:
Baby's health
Removal of the foreskin of the penis, performed for medical, religious or cosmetic reasons.
May be performed by a doctor or by a mohel, an expert on religious circumcision.
Club foot
Category:
Birth defects
Deformities of the foot, which is twisted out of shape or position.
Cnm
Category:
Mom's health
A Certified Nurse Midwife is a nurse who has completed one or two more years of midwifery
education. She is a caregiver, who is medically trained to care for low-risk and
uncomplicated pregnancies.
Colostrum
Category:
Postpartum
Early breastmilk, rich in nutrients and antibodies. Colostrum may be apparent even as early
as the second trimester of pregnancy. It is replaced by milk a few days after birth.
Conception
Category:
Conception and fertility
The successful union of a sperm and an ovum.
Contractions
Category:
Labor and birth
A tightening of the uterus. During labor, contractions become stronger, longer and rhythmic,
and help the baby progress down the birth canal. Not all contractions cause cervical change
- see Braxton Hicks contractions.
Cord prolapse
Category:
Labor and birth
Premature expulsion of the umbilical cord in labor before the fetus is delivered.
Cot death
Category:
Baby's health
British term for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Crowning
Category:
Labor and birth
When the baby's head appears at the vaginal opening, shortly before delivery.
Couvade
Category:
Pregnancy/Birth/Other
A "sympathetic pregnancy" (or false pregnancy), usually experienced by the father. From the
French term for "to hatch," sometimes the partner experiences symptoms such as morning
sickness, weight gain, fatigue and other signs of pregnancy. According to some studies,
couvade may be an expression of anxiety, identification with the baby, ambivalence about
impending fatherhood, and certain other psychological stresses.
Cryopreservation
Category:
Conception and fertility
A technique for preserving tissue through freezing that is used to preserve embryos for
transfer at a later date. In this report, cryopreserved embryos are referred to as frozen
embryos.
More definitions
Click on any of the letters below to read more:
A B
C D
E F
G H
I J
K L
M N
O P
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