PRENATAL GLOSSARY
• Perineal laceration – A tear in the soft tissue structures that separate the vagina from the anus , usually as a result of childbirth
• Placenta – A vascular organ that is present in the female only during pregnancy . It supplies food and oxygen from the mother to the fetus and passes back waste . It is implanted in the wall of the uterus and links to the fetus through the umbilical cord . It is expelled after birth .
• Placenta previa – When the placenta is inserted partially or completely in the lower segment of the uterus ( covering the opening of the cervix )
• Placental abruption – A tearing away of the placenta from the uterus or the breaking apart of the placenta before delivery of child
• Preeclampsia – A complication of pregnancy characterized by hypertension , protein in the urine , and damage to the linings of the blood vessels in the brain , liver , lungs , and kidney . The cure is delivery .
• Premature rupture of membranes ( PROM ) – Premature rupture of membrane is an event that sometimes occurs during pregnancy when the sac containing the developing baby ( fetus ) breaks or develops a hole prior to the start of labor .
• Preterm labor – Labor that occurs before the fetus has reached the 37th week of gestation
• Progesterone – A steroid hormone secreted by the ovaries that prepares the uterus for the implantation of a fertilized ovum and helps maintain pregnancy
• Pudendal block – A form of regional anesthetic block administered to relieve pain in the perineum , which is particularly useful during pushing
• Pudendal nerve – The main nerve in the perineum , located between the vagina and anus in females and between the scrotum and anus in males
• QUAD screen test – A prenatal lab screen ( blood test ) for Down syndrome , which is drawn at 16-22 weeks of gestation
• Respiratory distress syndrome ( RDS ) – An acute lung disease present at birth that often affects premature babies
• Rh-negative – A blood type that requires Rhogam in pregnancy
• RhoGAM – A sterilized solution of rhod immune globulin human , which is made from human blood and used to prevent an immune response to Rh-positive blood in people who are Rh-negative uabmedicine . org 79