Infertility Glossary: U-Z
Description
This article is from the Health Articles series.
Infertility Glossary: U-Z
Ultrasound
See Sonogram.
Umbilical Cord
Two arteries and one vein encased in a gelatinous tube leading from the baby to the placenta. Used to exchange nutrients and oxygen from the mother for waste products from the baby.
Undescended Testicles (Cryptorchidism)
The failure of the testicles to descend from the abdominal cavity into the scrotum by one year of age. If not repaired by age six, may result in permanent fertility loss.
Unicornate Uterus
An abnormality in which the uterus is "one sided" and smaller than usual.
Ureaplasma (Mycoplasma)
An infection that may cause the formation of sperm antibodies and an inflammation of the uterine lining, either of which may interfere with implantation of the embryo.
Urethra
The tube that allows urine to pass between the bladder and the outside of the body. In the man this tube also carries semen from the area of the prostate to the outside.
Urologist
A physician specializing in the genitourinary tract.
Uterus
The hollow, muscular organ that houses and nourishes the fetus during pregnancy.
Vaginitis
Yeast, bacterial vaginosis, or trichomonas infections of the vagina. Frequent va-ginitis may indicate the presence of pelvic adhesions and tubal blockage from other infections, such as chlamydia. Vaginitis may interfere with sperm penetration of the cervical mucus, and the symptoms may even interfere with the ability and desire to have intercourse.
Varicocoele
A dilation of the veins that carry blood out of the scrotum. The resulting swollen vessels surrounding the testicles create a pool of stagnant blood, which elevates the scrotal temperature. A major cause of male infertility.
Vas Deferens
One of the tubes through which the sperm move from the testicles (epididymis) toward the seminal vesicles and prostate gland. These tubes are severed during a vasectomy performed for birth control.
Vasectomy
The accidental or elective surgical separation of the vasa deferential a procedure used for birth control.
Venereal Disease
Any infection that can be sexually transmitted, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, ureaplasma, and syphilis. Many of these diseases will interfere with fertility and some will cause severe illness. See also PID.
X Chromosome
The congenital, developmental, or genetic information in the cell that transmits the information necessary to make a female. All eggs contain one X chromosome, and half of all sperm carry an X chromosome. When two X chromosomes combine, the baby will be a girl.
Y Chromosome
The genetic material that transmits the information necessary to make a male. The Y chromosome can be found in one-half of the man's sperm cells. When an X and a Y chromosome combine, the baby will be a boy.
Zygote
A fertilized egg which has not yet divided.
Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer (ZIFT)
An ART in which eggs are removed from a woman's ovaries, fertilized with the man's sperm in a lab dish, and the resulting Zygotes are transferred into the woman's fallopian tubes during a minor surgical procedure.
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