MENSTRUAL CYCLE GLOSSARY

Days Post Ovulation

Days Post Ovulation, abbreviated DPO, refers to the number of days after ovulation has occurred.

Typically used when tracking ovulatory cycle and/or trying to conceive, early home pregnancy tests are generally considered reliable starting at around ten days post ovulation (depending on the test manufacturer's recommendation.)

Dilation and Curettage

Dilation and Curettage (D&C) is a medical (minor surgical) procedure wherein the cervix is dilated (opened) and the contents of the uterus are removed. Removal is performed with a curette, a long-handled instrument with a metal loop at the end. Some use the term 'D&C' to refer to the more common vacuum aspiration (suction curettage).

D&C is used in cases of early miscarriage or other pregnancy termination, usually only within the first trimester. D&C may also be performed to resolve abnormal uterine bleeding or excess endometrial lining.

Dysmenorrhea (Cramps)

Pain during menstruation that occurs in the lower abdomen just before or during menstruation; menstrual cramps.

Primary dysmenorrhea is menstrual pain occurring because of one's menstrual period and not as a result of a disease. It results from the production of prostaglandins, which are made by cells in the inner lining of the uterus. Prostaglandins make the uterine muscles contract to help the uterus shed the endometrial lining that has built up during the menstrual cycle.

Secondary dysmenorrhea is menstrual pain that is the result of an underlying medical condition or disease of the uterus, fallopian tubes or ovaries. The pain appears similar to menstrual cramps, but often last longer than the menstrual period, or may occur at other times of the month when one is not menstruating.

Egg White Cervical Mucus

Egg White Cervical Mucus (EWCM), a term often used in Fertility Awareness Methods, refers to the type of cervical mucus (CM) that is considered most beneficial to a woman's fertility. Named because of the CM's resemblance to raw egg white - wet, clearish, abundant, and very stretchy - particularly when compared to CM's consistency and amount on other days of the ovulatory cycle.

EWCM generally appears just before an egg cell has released from a woman's ovary (ovulation). Its purpose is to give sperm cells a smooth, quick journey to reach the waiting egg.

Endometriosis

A condition whereby endometrial tissue that should normally grow inside the uterus instead abnormally grows outside the uterus, in the abdominal cavity and often on other reproductive organs such as on the ovaries, fallopian tubes.

Endometrium

Mucous membrane tissue lining of the uterus. The endometrial lining grows thicker during the month and is shed monthly during the menstrual period if pregnancy does not occur.

Estrogen

Female hormone produced by the ovaries that promote the growth and maintenance of the female reproductive system.

Fallopian Tube

The fallopian tube transports the egg from the ovary to the uterus. There are two fallopian tubes, one connecting to the right ovary, the other to the left ovary. Generally, fertilization (joining of female egg with male sperm) takes place within the Fallopian tubes.

Named after Gabriele Falloppio, a 16th-century Italian anatomist, who was the first person to accurately describe these uterine tubes.

Follicle

An egg sac in the ovary inside which an ovum (egg) will mature.

Follicle Stimulating Hormone

(FSH) The hormone produced by the pituitary gland that stimulates the growth of eggs in the ovaries.

Follicular Phase

The first phase of the menstrual cycle. During this phase, a follicle containing an egg develops in the ovary.