| amenorrhea | The absence of menses. 94
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| amniocentesis | Penetration of the abdominal and uterine walls and amniotic sac with a needle in order to remove amniotic fluid. 434
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| amnion | The innermost fetal membrane, serving as the amniotic sac and containing amniotic fluid; also called the bag of waters. 412
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| amniotic fluid | The watery contents of the amniotic sac. 412
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| amniotic sac | See amnion.
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| birth defect | Fetal developmental defect present at birth; congenital defect. 434
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| blastocyst | An early stage in embryonic development in which the embryo consists of a hollow ball of cells. 411
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| capacitation | See sperm capacitation. 410
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| certified nurse-midwife (CNM) | A registered nurse who has been specially trained in the delivering of babies. 419
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| cesarean section (C-section) | Surgical childbirth through the abdominal wall. 428
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| chorion | The outermost membrane in the early embryo. 412
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| chorionic villi | Fingerlike vascular projections of the chorion that become a part of the fetal placenta. 412
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| chorionic villus sampling (CVS) | Needle removal of small amounts of placental tissue for prenatal detection of fetal abnormalities. 434
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| cleavage stage | The first cell divisions of the fertilized ovum, or zygote. 411
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| colostrum | The thin yellowish premilk fluid produced by the mother's breasts within a few days following childbirth. 432
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| conception | The union of a sperm and an ovum. 410
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| egg | The sex cell of a woman; see also ova. 410
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| embryo | The unborn child through the eighth week of development after conception. 273, 411
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| embryonic stage | The second week through the eighth week of embryo development. 411
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| episiotomy | An incision made in the perineum during childbirth to enlarge the vaginal opening to ease delivery. 227, 426
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| fertilization | The union of a sperm and an ovum. 410
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| fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) | The cluster of physical effects seen in children due to the mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy. 420
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| fetus | The unborn child from the ninth week of development until birth. 276, 412
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| human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) | A hormone produced by the chorion of the embryo-fetus. 88, 412
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| implantation | The early pregnancy embedding of the blastocyst in uterine wall. 411
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education