Abortifacient: A drug, herb, or device that can cause an abortion.
Abortion: The termination of pregnancy before birth.
Abstinence: Withholding sex until a period of time.
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome): A set of conditions associated with the last stages of HIV disease.
Calendar Method: A method for predicting fertility for women with regular menstrual cycles to attempt to predict their fertility by charting their menstrual cycles on a calendar.
Chlamydia: A common sexually transmitted organism that can cause sterility in women and men.
Ectopic Pregnancy: A life-threatening pregnancy that develops outside the uterus, often in a fallopian tube.
Embryo: The organism that develops from the pre-embryo and begins to share the woman's blood supply about nine days after fertilization.
EDC: Estimated date of delivery
FAM (Fertility Awareness Methods):Barrier methods of birth control for vaginal intercourse during the "unsafe days" of a woman's fertile phase.
Fertilization:The joining of an egg and sperm.
Fetus: The organism that develops from the embryo at the end of about seven weeks of pregnancy and receives nourishment through the placenta.
HBV (Hepatitis B Virus): An infection that can be sexually transmitted and may cause severe liver disease and death.
HPV (Human Papilloma Virus): Any of 90 different types of infection, some of which may cause genital warts. Others may cause cancer of the cervix, vulva, or penis.
Heart Rate: The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually expressed as beats per minute.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus): An infection that weakens the body's ability to fight disease and can cause AIDS. Implantation: The attachment of the pre-embryo to the lining of the uterus.
LMP: Last Menstrual Period
LAM (Lactational Amenorrhea Method): Breast-feeding as birth control for up to six months after childbirth.
Menstrual Cycle: The time from the first day of one period to the first day of the next period; a repeating pattern of fertility and infertility.
Menstrual Flow: Blood, fluid, and tissue that are passed out of the uterus during the beginning of the menstrual cycle.
Menstruation: The flow of blood, fluid, and tissue out of the uterus and through the vagina that usually lasts from three to five days.
Method-Effectiveness: The reliability of a contraceptive method itself — when it is always used consistently and correctly.
Ovulation: The time when an ovary releases an egg.
Pap Test: A procedure used to examine the cells of the cervix in order to detect infection and hormonal conditions. It can also detect precancerous and cancerous cells.
Parental Consent: Requirement that one or both parents give written permission for a minor child to receive medical attention or to enter into a legal contract.
Prenatal: previous to birth or to giving birth
STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease): A sexually transmitted infection that has developed symptoms
Syphilis: A sexually transmitted organism that can lead to disorders, or death
Toxic Shock Syndrome: A rare but very dangerous overgrowth of bacteria in the vagina. Symptoms include vomiting, high fever, diarrhea, and a sunburn-type rash
Transvaginal Ultrasound: Using a rod that is inserted into the vagina, can be used to detect a fetal heartbeat and images in its early stages.
Ultrasound: The use of ultrasonic waves for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, specifically to image an internal body structure, monitor a developing fetus, or generate localized deep heat to the tissues.
Virginity: Never having had sexual intercourse
