Nursing for Maternal/Newborn Health - Exam 1 Key Terms

Amenorrhea

p. 100: An abnormal absence of menstruation.

Primary dysmenorrhea

p. 101: Defined as cramping pain in the lower abdomen occurring just before or during menstruation, in the absence of other diseases such as endometriosis.

Dysmenorrhea

p. 101: Refers to the symptom of painful menstruation.

Secondary dysmenorrhea

p. 103: Pain that is caused by a disorder in the woman's reproductive organs, such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, or infection. Usually begins earlier in the menstrual cycle and lasts longer than common menstrual cramps.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)

p. 104: A condition when a woman has severe depression symptoms, irritability, and tension before menstruation.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

p. 104: Physical and emotional symptoms that occur in the one to two weeks before a woman's period. Symptoms include acne, tender breast, bloating, feeling tired, irritability, and mood changes. Usually resolves around the start of menses.

Endometriosis

p. 105: A condition resulting from the appearance of endometrial tissue outside the uterus and causing pelvic pain.

Hypomenorrhea

p. 106: Extremely light menstrual flow.

Menorrhagia

p. 106: Heavy or prolonged vaginal bleeding with the menstrual cycle.

Oligomenorrhea

p. 107: Infrequent or very light menstruation. Cycles greater than 35 days.

Metrorrhagia

p. 107: Uterine bleeding at irregular intervals, particularly between the expected menstrual periods.

Postmenopause

p. 109: Having undergone menopause or occurring after menopause.

Dysfunctional uterine bleeding

p. 110: Abnormal bleeding from the vagina that is due to changes in hormone levels.

Hot flash

p. 110: Caused by a complex of hormone changes due to menopause. A sudden feeling of warmth.

Hot flush

p. 110: Due to vasomotor instability and is usually related to female menopause. Also known as "hot flash."

Surgical menopause

p. 110: Induced menopause due to an unusual event, when ovaries are surgically removed. Also when the ovaries are damaged by radiation, chemotherapy, or other medication.

Osteoporosis

p. 111: Condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue, typically as a result of hormonal changes, or deficiency of calcium or vitamin D.

Menopausal hormonal therapy (MHT)

p. 112: Uses female hormones estrogen and progesterone to treat common symptoms of menopause and aging.

Phytoestrogens

p. 115: Plant-derived xenoestrogen is not generated within the endocrine system but consumes by eating phytoestrogen plants.

Contraception

p. 144: The deliberate use of artificial methods or other techniques to prevent pregnancy as a consequence of sexual intercourse. Intentional prevention of conception or impregnation through the use of various devices, agents, drugs, sexual practices, or surgical procedures.

Family planning

p. 144: The practice of controlling the number of children in a family and the intervals between their births, particularly using artificial contraception or voluntary sterilization.

Birth control

p. 144: The practice of preventing unwanted pregnancies, typically by the use of contraception.

Fertility awareness-based (FAB) methods

p. 146: Refers to a set of practices used to determine the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle.

Infertility

p. 167: A disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.

Semen analysis

p. 171: Also known as sperm count, analyzes the health and viability of sperm.

Assisted reproductive technology (ART)

p. 174: Technology used to achieve pregnancy I procedures such as fertility medication, invitro fertilization, and surrogacy.

Zygote

p. 229a: A diploid cell resulting from the fusion of two haploid gametes, a fertilized ovum.

Meiosis

p. 229a: A type of cell division that results in four daughter cells each with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell.

Mitosis

p. 229a: A type of cell division that results in two daughter cells having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus.

Conception

p. 229a: The initiation of pregnancy; when an egg and sperm form a union. Occurs in the ampulla of the uterine tube.

Oogenesis

p. 229a: The production of an ovum.

Spermatogenesis

p. 229a: The production of sperm.

Trophoblast

p. 231: A layer of tissue on the outside of a blastula, supplying the embryo with nourishment and later forming the major part of the placenta.

Morula

p. 231: A solid ball of cells resulting from the division of a fertilized ovum, and from which a blastula is formed.

Blastocyst

p. 231: A structure formed in the early development in the early development of mammals. Possessing an inner cell mass, which forms the embryo.

Embryoblast

p. 231: Any of the germinal disk cells of the inner cell mass in the blastocyst that form the embryo.

Fertilization

p. 231: The action or process of fertilizing an egg, involving the fusion of male and female gametes to form a zygote.

Amniotic fluid

p. 232: A clear, slightly yellow liquid that surrounds the unborn fetus during pregnancy.

Embryo

p. 232: An unborn offspring in the process of development, approx. the second to the eighth week after fertilization.

Fetus

p. 232: An unborn offspring, more than eight weeks after conception.

Chorionic villi

p. 232: Numerous branching projections from the external surface of the chorion that provide for exchange between the maternal and fetal circulation.

Decidua basalis

p. 232: The area of the endometrium between the implanted chorionic sac and the myometrium, which develops into the maternal part of the placenta.

Amnion

p. 232: The innermost fetal membrane; a thin, transparent sac that holds the fetus suspended in the amniotic fluid.

Chorionic

p. 232: The outermost of the extraembryonic membranes contributing to the formation of the placenta.

Implantation

p. 232: The very early stage of pregnancy at which the conceptus adheres to the wall of the uterus. At this stage of prenatal development, the conceptus is a blastocyst.

Oligohydramnios

p. 233: A deficiency of amniotic fluid. <300 ml

Placenta

p. 236: A flattened circular organ in the uterus of pregnant women, nourishing and maintaining the fetus through the umbilical cord.

Nuchal cord

p. 236: Occurs when the umbilical cord becomes wrapped around the fetal neck 360 degrees.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)

p. 237: a hormone produced by the placenta after implantation.

Duct arteriosus

p. 239: A short broad vessel in the fetus that connects the pulmonary artery with the aorta and conducts most of the blood directly from the right ventricle to the aorta bypassing the lungs.

Foramen ovale

p. 239: A small hole located in the septum wall between the two upper atrial chambers of the heart in a fetus.

Ductus venosus

p. 239: Shunts a portion of the left umbilical vein blood flow directly to the inferior vena cava. Allows oxygenated blood from the placenta to bypass the liver.

Hematopoiesis

p. 239: The process of making new blood cells in the body.

L/S ratio

p. 243: A test of fetal amniotic fluid at assess for fetal lung immaturity.

Surfactants

p. 243: Compounds lower the surface tension between two liquids or between a liquid and a solid.

Vernix caseosa

p. 245: A greasy deposit covering the skin of a baby at birth.

Lanugo

p. 245: Fine, soft hair that covers the body and limbs of a fetus or newborn.

Multifetal pregnancies

p. 246: Culmination of one multiple pregnancies, the mother delivers two or more offspring.

Dizygotic twins

p. 246: Fraternal twins, two siblings who come from separate ova.

Monozygotic twins

p. 246: Twins resulting from one zygote that at an early stage of development separated into independently growing cell aggregation. Same-sex and identical genetic constitution.

Conjoined

p. 246: touching, joined, overlapping.

Teratogens

p. 247: An agent or factor that causes malformation of an embryo.

Lightening

p. 249: A drop in the level of the uterus during the last weeks of pregnancy as the head of the fetus engages in the pelvis.

Her sign

p. 249: The lower uterine segment just above the cervix becomes so soft that when compressed between two fingers its wall cannot be felt.

Braxton Hicks contractions

p. 249: tightening in the abdomen that comes and goes.

Funic souffle

p. 250: A blowing sound heard in synch with fetal heart sounds. May originate from the umbilical cord.

Uterine souffle

p. 250: A blowing sound, in synch with the cardiac systole of the mother

Ballottement

p. 250: A sharp upward push against the uterine wall with a finger inserted into the vagina for diagnosing pregnancy by feeling the return impact of the displaced fetus.

Goodell sign

p. 250: A significant softening of the vaginal portion of the cervix from increased vascularization.

Leukorrhea

p. 250: A white or yellow discharge of mucus from the vagina.

Chadwick sign

p. 250: Bluish discoloration of the cervix, vagina, and labia resulting from increased blood flow. Can be detected as early as 6-8 weeks after conception and is an early sign of pregnancy.

Operculum

p. 250: The cervical plug that blocks the cervix during pregnancy.

Friability

p. 250: Tissue that readily tears, fragments, or bleeds when manipulated.

Colostrum

p. 251: The first secretion from the mammary glands after giving birth, rich in antibodies.

Montgomery tubercles

p. 251: The glands make oily secretions to keep the areola and the nipple lubricated and protected. Also serves as an olfactory stimulus for newborn appetite.

Pyrosis

p. 256: A burning sensation in the lower chest area that normally occurs when the acid from the stomach regurgitates.

Ptyalism

p. 256: Excessive production of saliva.

Melasma

p. 258: A dark discolored patch on the skin. "Mask of pregnancy."

Linea nigra

p. 258: A dark vertical line that appears on the abdomen in about three-quarters of all pregnancies.

Palmar erythema

p. 258: reddening of the skin on the palmar aspect of the hands, usually over the hypothenar eminence.

Diastasis recti abdominis

p. 259: Abdominal separation, a gap of 2.7 cm or greater between the two sides of the rectus abdominus muscle.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

p. 260: Pain, tingling, and numbness in the hand from pressure on the median nerve in the wrist.

Nägele's rule

p. 264: Add one year, subtract three months and add seven days to the first day of the woman's last menstrual period.

Estimated date of birth (EDB)

p. 264: Pregnancy calculator equation parameters include current date, last menstrual period, ultrasound ate, and gestational age by ultrasound.

Trimesters

p. 264: Three months, especially as a division of the duration of pregnancy.

Supine hypotension

p. 273: low blood pressure while lying down.

Morning sickness

p. 284: nausea in pregnancy, typically occurring in the first few months.

Cultural prescriptions

p. 288: Establish taboos.

Cultural prescriptions

p. 288: Tell the woman what to do.

Birth plan

p. 294: A document that lets your medical team know how your preference for things like how to manage the labor process.

Doula

p. 294: A trained individual who assists a woman during childbirth and who may provide support to the family after the baby is born.

Home birth

p. 296: Natural childbirth that takes place in the residence.

body mass index (BMI)

p. 300: calculated by weight divided by height

dietary reference intakes (DRIs)

p. 300: include recommendations for daily nutritional intakes that meet the needs of almost all (97-98%) of the healthy members of the population

physiologic anemia of pregnancy

p. 307: a normal adaptation to pregnancy, relative excess of the plasma causes a modest decrease in the hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit

lactose intolerance

p. 307: a problem that can interfere with milk consumption, it is the inability to digest milk sugar (lactose) caused by the lactase enzyme in the small intestine

pica

p. 309: is the practice of consuming nonfood substances (e.g. clay, soil, and laundry starch) or excessive amounts of foodstuffs low in nutritional value (e.g., cornstarch, ice, baking powder, baking soda)

anthropometric (body) measurements

p. 310: provide short- and long-term information on a woman's nutritional status and are thus essential to the assessment

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)

p. 575: Substance made in a fetus' liver. Blood levels are checked by the mother to determine if the unborn fetus may have spina bifida and anencephaly.

Couvade syndrome

p. xxx A condition in which a partner experiences some of the same symptoms and behavior as an expectant mother.