The Sama Fertility Glossary

The Sama Fertility Glossary

• Fertility Pretesting is a gamut of testing that is performed prior to commencing fertility treatment

• In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a assisted reproductive treatment that involves the retrieval of mature eggs from a patient's ovaries, which are then fertilized in a laboratory setting to create embryos.

• Cryopreservation or Vitrification is a method of freezing eggs, sperm or embryos to store for future use.

• Egg retrieval is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that involves removing eggs from a patient's ovaries to be used in in vitro fertilization (IVF)

• Follicles are fluid-filled sacs that contain immature eggs.

• Insemination is the introduction of semen (sperm) into the egg.

• Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): A sperm is injected directly into each egg to fertilize it. ICSI is pronounced: ick-C.

• Monitoring: Monitoring or in-cycle monitoring is a repeated series of bloodwork and ultrasounds to ensure that the fertility treatment protocol is progressing as expected.

• Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used for infertility diagnosis and treatment. A laparoscope (small telescope with light and camera) may be used to examine the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.

• Ovarian reserve is the total number of healthy, immature eggs in the ovaries and can vary based on age and other factors.

• A trigger shot is a hormone injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) used with some infertility procedures to stimulate (or “trigger”) the final stage of egg maturation.

• Tubal (ectopic) pregnancy: An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside the uterus, most often occuring in a fallopian tube.

• Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) is the pathway for people who already have embryos in storage. A frozen embryo can be thawed and transferred into the uterus.

• The Uterus (or womb) is the female reproductive organ where babies are conceived and in which they gestate before birth.

• Vitrification of Freezing is a flash-freezing process at -196ºC to preserve embryos, eggs and sperm by replacing the water in the cells by cryoprotectant molecules (that enable preservation at -196ºC)

• Thawing is a process by which frozen eggs, embryos or sperm are brought to the physiological temperature by replacing the cryoprotectant molecules (that enabled preservation at -196ºC) with water in the cells. This makes the eggs, embryos and sperm biologically active again, and ready for next steps.