Medical Glossary: F

Face Presentation

An obstetrical term used to describe the postion of the baby in the uterus prior to labor when the face of the fetus is closest to the cervical os and expected to be born first.

Fallopian Tubes

Also called the oviduct, it is one of a pair of ducts that lead from the peritoneal cavity over the ovary to the uterus. The tubes serve to lead the ovum to the uterus and the spermatozoa to the ovaries. The fallopian tubes are located in the lower abdomen by a broad ligament called the mesosalpinx.

False Labor

Irregular contractions of the uterus that begins during the first trimester and increases in frequency and intensity throughout pregnancy in reheasal for labor.

When the pregnancy is near term, false labor contractions are hard to distinguish from true labor. It is also referred to as Braxton Hicks Contractions.

Fasting Blood Sugar

A test which is used to measure the level of sugar in the bloodstream after a prescribed period of fasting.

Ferrous Gluconate

A medical term for iron supplement.

Ferrous Sulfate

A medical term for iron supplement.

Fertilization

The point during conception during which the male gamete, or sperm, joins with the female gamete or ova.

Fertilization Age

The age of the fetus as determined from the date of conception, usually 266 days. The fertilization age of the fetus is usually about two weeks younger than the gestational age. Also called the ovulatory age.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

A condition in which alcohol ingested by the mother crosses the placenta and enters the baby's bloodstream in the same dilution as the mother's blood causing problems in utero.

Fetal Abnormality

A term used to describe any abnormality with the fetus in utero.

Fetal Arrythmia

A term used to describe any variation from the normal pattern of the fetal heartbeat.

Fetal Distress

A condition, usually discovered in labor, in which the fetal heartbeat follows an abnormal pattern. The fetal heartbeat is recorded using electronic fetal monitoring.

The acid balance of the fetal blood is measured, and labor is allowed to continue if it falls within prescribed ranges, and the abnormal heartbeat does not recur or persist.

If nescessary, attempts will be made to stabilize the fetus by administering oxygen to the mother, increasing her fluid intake or prescribing an agent to help the uterus relax. In some cases a cesarean section may be required.

Fetal Goiter

An enlargement of the thyroid in the fetus.

Fetal Monitor

A method used to measure the unborn baby's heartbeat, the mother's heartbeat, and contractions of the mother's uterus.

To measure the baby's heartbeat, an ultrasound transducer is placed on the mother's abdomen, close to the baby's heart.

To monitor contractions of the mother's uterus, a pressure sensor is placed on the mother's abodomen. Amplitude, frequency and duration are monitored with an interuterine catheter.

Monitoring of the baby's heartbeat can also be accomplished internally by placing an electrode through the cervix onto the baby's scalp. Also known as an electronic fetal monitor.

Fetal Period

The name given to the developing life within the female body following the embryonic period. The embryonic period lasts from conception to about Week 12 in the Diary (10th week of gestation).

Fetal Growth Retardation

An abnormal condition in pregnancy in which the fetus is small for its gestational age. Causes of delayed development and maturation include genetic factors, maternal disease or fetal malnutrition caused by unsufficent placental growth. It is also known as Intrauterine Growth Retardation or IUGR.

Fetoscopy

A procedure in which a fetoscope is introduced into the uterus through a small incision in the abdomen under a local anesthetic. Photographs or video may be taken to directly view the growing baby, and samples of amniotic fluid, fetal cells or blood may be sampled to test for congenital abnormalities or genetic defects.

Fetus

A term used to describe the unborn baby in utero after it enters the fetal period, from about Week 12 in the Diary to birth.

FH

Medical abbreviation for fetal heart.

Fiber Optics

The ability to transmit light and images through very thin flexible glass fibers. Used in medicine to video images from inside the human body.

Fibrin

An insoluble protein with stringy characteristics that is responsible for the clotting action of blood.

Fluid Retention

The accumulation of fluid within the tissue, causing puffiness; often in the legs and feet.

Fluid retention may be caused by increased capillary fluid pressure, or restriction of the veins, pressure from casts or tight bandages.

Treatment may include the administration of potassium-sparring diuretics to promote the excretion of fluid and sodium. Also known as edema.

FMF

Medical abbreviation for fetal movements felt.

Folic Acid

A water soluble vitamin with a yellow crystalline construction of the B complex group. Folic acid is necessary for cell growth and reproduction. It works with vitamins B12 and C to breakdown and use proteins, and helps form nucleic acids and heme in hemoglobin.

Folic acid also stimulates the appetite and the production of hydrochloric acid in the digestive tract. It is stored in the liver. Important in pregnancy, natural sources include green leafy vegetables, liver, kidney, asparagus, lima beans, nuts and whole grain cereals. It may also help alleviate menstrual problems. Also known as folacin.

Fontanels

The fetal cranium contains two spaces between the bones covered by tough membranes. The anterior fontanel on the top of the head is approximately diamond shaped and does not become solid until the child reaches about two years of age. The posterior fontanel at the back of the head closes about two months after birth.

The fontanels may become tense or bulge if there is a change in intracranial pressure. They may also become soft and depressed if there is any dehydration.

Forceps

A medical instrument of which there are many varieties which consists of two handles and two flat sides. They are sometimes used to deliver a baby, especially when speed is necessary to overcome fetal distress, or dystocia. A forceps delivery will leave superficial marks on the baby's head and face which will disappear in a few days.

Foremilk

A term used to describe the milk that accumulates in the milk ducts behind the nipple and secreted before the main release of milk.

Frank Breech

A position of the baby in the uterus in which the buttocks present at the pelvic inlet, with the legs straight up the front of the body and the feet at the shoulders. Babies born in a frank breech position often hold their feet near their heads for a few days after delivery.

Fraternal Twins

Twins which were developed from two separate eggs, released from the ovary and fertilized at the same time. They may or may not be of the same sex, differ physically and genetically and have separate placentas, and separate amnionic and chorionic membranes.

They are sometimes called binovular twins, dissimilar twins, false twins, dizygotic twins or heterologous twins.

Twins developed from the same egg, are knowns as monozygotic or identical twins.

Full Term Infant

A baby that has reach full term, usually described as the period from Week 37 to Week 42. Only five percent of babies are born on their due dates. Babies born before Week 37 are called pre-term and those after Week 42, post-term.

Fundal Palpitation

A method used during prenatal care in which the doctor feels for the top of the uterus through the abdominal wall in order to measure its height and the progress of its growth.

Fundus

A medical term used to describe the top of the uterus. Used by doctors as a point of measurement to determine the growth of the uterus during pregnancy.

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