Menstrual Disorders and Fertilization Lecture Notes

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering menstrual disorders, reproductive health conditions, menopause, and the biological process of fertilization based on lecture notes.

Premenstrual Syndrome ("PMS" Syndrome)

Complex physical signs and behavioral symptoms that occur during the second half of the menstrual cycle and that resolve with the onset of menses.

Syncope

The medical term for fainting; a temporary, sudden loss of consciousness and muscle control usually lasting only a few seconds or minutes caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure.

Methylxanthines

A group of naturally occurring alkaloid stimulants and purine derivatives including caffeine (coffee, tea, soda), theobromine (chocolate), and theophylline (tea and prescription medications).

Tissue hypoxygenation (pathological)

A condition that if pathological can disrupt normal placental development, often leading to early pregnancy failure, preeclampsia, or fetal growth restriction.

Cystic fibrosis (CF)

A genetic disease causing the body to produce thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and blocks the pancreas, preventing the body from properly absorbing nutrients.

Amenorrhea

The absence of menstruation.

Primary Amenorrhea

A condition where menarche has never occurred in a client who has passed the expected age or undergone pubertal development without menses.

Secondary Amenorrhea

The cessation of menses for more than $3$ months after regular cycles are established, or for $6$ months in someone with irregular cycles; most commonly caused by pregnancy.

Dysmenorrhea

Painful menstruation, which usually corresponds to the secretory phase of the endometrium, indicating that ovulation has occurred.

Primary Dysmenorrhea

Common, recurrent menstrual cramps occurring in the absence of underlying anatomic abnormality, primarily triggered by natural chemicals called prostaglandins.

Prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors (PGSIs)

Commonly known as NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen, indomethacin, naproxen), these medications provide symptomatic relief for dysmenorrhea but are strongly restricted during pregnancy at $20$ weeks.

Secondary Dysmenorrhea

Painful menstrual cramps caused by an underlying structural abnormality or medical condition, such as IUD use, PID, endometriosis, or endometritis.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

An infection of the female upper reproductive organs, including the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, commonly caused by untreated STIs like chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Metrorrhagia

Abnormal vaginal or uterine bleeding that occurs between regular menstrual periods/menses (intercyclic bleeding).

Erosion

The superficial wearing away or destruction of the surface layer of tissue, such as skin or mucous membranes, or bone.

Menometrorrhagia

Excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding which may lead to or cause hypovolemia and anemia.

Hypovolemia

A medical condition characterized by a dangerous decrease in the volume of circulating blood and fluids in the body.

Anemia

A condition where the body lacks enough healthy red blood cells to carry sufficient oxygen to tissues, often resulting from iron deficiency or blood loss.

Dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB)

Abnormal vaginal bleeding that occurs due to hormonal imbalances, such as in anovulatory cycles, rather than structural uterine diseases.

Von Willebrand disease (VWD)

The most common inherited bleeding disorder, characterized by a defect in platelet adhesiveness and lower than normal levels of factor VIII.

Congenital coagulopathies

Inherited bleeding disorders caused by deficiencies or defects in specific blood-clotting proteins, such as Hemophilia A and Hemophilia B.

Menorrhagia

Menstrual periods with abnormally heavy or prolonged flow, clinically defined as losing more than $80\,ml$ of blood per cycle or bleeding for longer than $7$ days.

Oligomenorrhea

Infrequent menstrual periods characterized by cycles occurring at intervals longer than $35$ days, or having fewer than six to nine periods in a single year.

Polymenorrhea

A menstrual disorder characterized by too frequent menses.

Hypomenorrhea

Abnormally short menstrual cycle.

Hypermenorrhea

Abnormally long menstrual cycle.

Menopause

The biological point in time when a woman has gone $12$ consecutive months without a menstrual period, marking the end of reproductive years.

Climacteric (perimenopause)

The midlife phase (often appearing $4$ to $8$ years before and after the final period) when ovarian function declines and hormonal changes occur.

Hot flashes

A cluster of symptoms due to vasomotor disturbances characterized by heat arising on the chest and spreading to the neck and face, caused by vasodilation.

Dyspareunia

Discomfort or pain during sexual intercourse, often resulting from vaginal atrophy during menopause.

Fertilization

The biological union of a mature ovum and sperm cell happening in the ampulla of the fallopian tube, establishing the individual's biological sex and full set of $46$ chromosomes.

Zygote

The single-celled, genetically unique diploid cell created by the fusion of the male and female pronuclei.

Flagellar action

The whip-like or rotary movement of flagella that enables microorganisms and sperm cells to navigate liquid.

Sperm Capacitation

A process in the female reproductive tract where sperm undergo chemical changes to become hypermobile and strip away proteins to expose the acrosomal membrane.

Acrosomal Reaction

The release of digestive enzymes (like hyaluronidase) from the sperm head to burrow through the corona radiata and zona pellucida of the egg.

Corona radiata

A protective layer of follicular cells surrounding an egg during fertilization or a radiating sheet of white matter nerve fibers in the brain.

Hyaluronidase

The enzyme needed to dissolve the cement substance (hyaluronic acid) that holds together the cells covering the ovum.

Zona pellucida

A thick, transparent glycoprotein matrix surrounding the oocyte that facilitates species-specific sperm binding and prevents polyspermy.

Vitelline membrane

The innermost plasma membrane (oolemma) that directly encloses the egg's cytoplasm and contains receptors for sperm binding.

Male pronucleus

The haploid nucleus of a sperm cell after it enters an egg, which swells and decondenses before fusing with the female pronucleus.