Maternal and Childbearing Clinical Care Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core definitions and clinical terms from maternal and childbearing nutrition, prenatal diagnostic testing, special needs populations, and fertility management.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

A standardized measure of body fat based on height and weight, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared ($kg/m^2$), or weight in pounds divided by height in inches squared multiplied by 703 ($\frac{lb}{in^2} \times 703$).

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

The average daily dietary intake level sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all ($97\%$ to $98\%$) healthy individuals in a group.

Adequate Intake (AI)

A recommended intake level based on observed or experimentally determined approximations when an RDA cannot be determined.

Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)

The highest level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects to almost all individuals.

Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)

The intake value estimated to meet the requirement of half the healthy individuals in a group.

Kilocalorie (Calorie)

A unit of heat used to express the energy value of foods, where carbohydrates and proteins yield $4\,\text{calories/gram}$ and fats yield $9\,\text{calories/gram}$.

Nutrient Density

The quantity and quality of essential nutrients supplied by a food relative to the number of calories it contains (nutrients per 100 calories).

Empty Calories

Foods high in calories (often from fats and simple sugars) but low in essential vitamins, minerals, and protein.

Physiological Anemia of Pregnancy

A normal decrease in hematocrit and hemoglobin concentrations resulting from a disproportionate expansion of plasma volume relative to the expansion of red blood cell mass during the second trimester.

Pica

The practice of consuming nonfood substances (e.g., clay, dirt, laundry starch, ice) or unusual food components devoid of nutritional value.

Gynecologic Age

The number of years between the onset of menarche and the time of conception, used to evaluate physical maturity in pregnant adolescents.

Complete Proteins

Proteins that contain all essential amino acids, derived from animal products and soy.

Incomplete Proteins

Plant-derived proteins that lack one or more essential amino acids.

Lactose Intolerance

Gastrointestinal distress caused by an insufficiency of the enzyme lactase, which is required to digest the milk sugar lactose.

Crown-Rump Length (CRL)

Measurement from the top of the fetal head to the outer margin of the rump, providing the most accurate estimation of gestational age during the first trimester.

Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP)

The predominant plasma protein synthesized by the fetal liver, excreted in fetal urine into amniotic fluid, and crossed into maternal circulation.

Multiple-Marker Screening

Maternal serum blood testing combining MSAFP, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), unconjugated estriol, and inhibin A to screen for chromosomal trisomies (Trisomy 21 and Trisomy 18).

Lecithin/Sphingomyelin (L/S) Ratio

An amniotic fluid assessment evaluating fetal pulmonary surfactant development, where a ratio $> 2:1$ indicates adequate surfactant and lower risk for Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS).

Reactive Nonstress Test (NST)

An EFM tracing showing adequate fetal oxygenation, characterized by $\ge 2$ FHR accelerations peaking $\ge 15\,bpm$ above baseline and lasting $\ge 15\,seconds$ within a 20-minute window at $\ge 32$ weeks gestation.

Contraction Stress Test (CST)

An antepartum surveillance test evaluating FHR responses to 3 induced uterine contractions within a 10-minute window via nipple stimulation or oxytocin infusion.

Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI)

An ultrasonic calculation summing the maximum vertical fluid pocket in four uterine quadrants, with a reassuring range of $10\text{--}24\,cm$, oligohydramnios at $< 5\,cm$, and hydramnios at $> 24\text{--}25\,cm$.

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)

A complex of systemic physiological signs (neurologic irritability, GI dysfunction, respiratory distress) exhibited by newborns undergoing withdrawal from intrauterine exposure to opioids or other substances.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

The most severe form of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, characterized by prenatal/postnatal growth restriction, CNS impairment (intellectual impairment, microcephaly), and distinctive facial dysmorphology.

Perinatal Loss

Fetal death or infant loss occurring from early pregnancy through the neonatal period.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

A pattern of coercive behavior involving physical, sexual, emotional, social, or economic abuse by an intimate partner.

Reproductive Coercion

Behaviors that interfere with contraception use or force pregnancy.

Cycle of Violence

A predictable three-phase pattern of intimate partner violence comprising the Tension-Building Phase, Acute Battering Incident, and Honeymoon Phase.

Transvaginal Ultrasound (TVUS)

A first-trimester ultrasound performed up to 12 weeks with a transducer probe encased in a sheath inserted into the vagina in lithotomy position to confirm intrauterine pregnancy, evaluate embryo viability, and measure CRL.

Transabdominal Ultrasound (TAUS)

A second- and third-trimester ultrasound performed in supine position with a full bladder in the second trimester to evaluate fetal anatomy, growth parameters, placental location, and AFI.

Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)

A first-trimester (10–13 weeks) diagnostic procedure aspirating chorionic villi transcervically or transabdominally for karyotyping, metabolic, or DNA testing, carrying a $\sim 2.5\%$ miscarriage risk.

Amniocentesis

An ultrasound-guided diagnostic procedure performed in mid-trimester (15–20 weeks) or third trimester drawing $\sim 20\,mL$ of amniotic fluid for karyotyping, AFAFP, or fetal lung maturity testing.

Percutaneous Umbilical Blood Sampling (PUBS)

An ultrasound-guided diagnostic procedure inserting a needle into the uterine cavity and into the umbilical vein near the placental insertion site for direct fetal blood sampling.

Vibroacoustic Stimulation (VAS)

A sound/vibrational stimulus applied over the fetal head on the maternal abdomen for up to 3 seconds to evoke FHR accelerations and distinguish sleep states from hypoxia.

Biophysical Profile (BPP)

An antepartum surveillance method combining 4 real-time ultrasound evaluations and an NST, scoring 5 parameters (0 or 2 points each) to assess fetal oxygenation and well-being.

Spinnbarkeit

The clear, slippery, stretchy quality of cervical mucus that indicates high fertility during the ovulatory window in the Billings cervical mucus method.

ACHES Warning Signs

A mnemonic for severe combined hormonal contraceptive complications: Abdominal pain, Chest pain, Headaches, Eye problems, and Severe leg pain.

PAINS Warning Signs

A mnemonic for intrauterine device (IUD) emergency warning signs: Period late, Abdominal pain, Infection exposure, Not feeling well, and String length changes.