Premenstrual syndrome
A combination of physical and mood disturbances that occur in the last half of a woman’s menstrual cycle after ovulation which normally end with the onset of the menstrual flow. Physical features of the premenstrual syndrome (PMS) include breast tenderness and bloating. Psychological changes include anger and depression.
Monthly chemical changes may be responsible for PMS. The chemical changes may involve sex hormones, neurotransmitters, and opioid peptides.
PMS can be mimicked and must be distinguished from other disorders. The most helpful diagnostic tool for PMS is a menstrual diary. Treatment of PMS includes exercise, dietary changes, emotional support from family and friends, and medications. The medications for PMS include diuretics, pain killers, oral contraceptives, drugs that suppress ovarian function and antidepressants. Abbreviated PMS.
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Short and slangy for a premature baby. A preterm infant. Also often spelled (for obscure reasons) preemie.
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Occurring or existing before birth. Prenatal care is the regular health care women should receive from an obstetrician or midwife during pregnancy. Prenatal development is the growth of a single-celled zygote formed by the combination of a sperm and an egg into a baby. Prenatal diagnosis is diagnosis before birth by techniques such as ultrasound, […]
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Health care that a pregnant woman receives from an obstetrician or a midwife. Services needed include dietary and lifestyle advice, weighing to ensure proper weight gain, and examination for problems of pregnancy such as edema and preeclampsia.
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The process of growth and development within the womb, in which a single-cell zygote (the cell formed by the combination of a sperm and an egg) becomes an embryo, a fetus, and then a baby. The first two weeks of development are concerned with simple cell multiplication. This tiny mass of cells then adheres to […]
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Diagnosis before birth. Methods for prenatal diagnosis include ultrasound of the uterus, placenta, and/or developing fetus; chorionic villus sampling (CVS) to obtain tissue for chromosome or biochemical analysis; and amniocentesis to obtain amniotic fluid for the analysis of chromosomes, enzymes, or DNA. A growing number of birth defects and diseases can be diagnosed prenatally and […]