Daniel Chukwuemeka Okwum
There was a very funny story my late mum shared with me about her mum, i.e. my grandmum. My grandma said she kept going about with her pregnancy scan report throughout her pregnancy, not knowing she was going to have a twin! Why? She was not medically informed. This is the reason for this article - to bring a little of medicine closer you than ever.
Although scan results may contain familiar words, but being medical information, the presence of some strange words is not unusual. Being a layman to the medical arena, your inability to read and digest your result may be disturbing sometimes. Due to this inability, some patients have really wished they studied medically related course in college. I think everyone would not have been in the medical field either. This article is therefore aimed to help you demystify certain mysteries in our terminology so you could understand what your sonographer/sonologist implies by the terms s/he uses.
Common Fetal Dating Parameters
NB: Placenta Previa
is dangerous as it leads to vaginal bleeding. It calls for a caesarean section
(CS). For low lying placenta, regular ultrasound scan is advised to ensure the
placenta has moved farther from cervix.
Terms Relating to Early Pregnancies
Terms Relating to Lower Abdominal Swellings or Tumors
NB: These cysts
may assume various sizes and complexities. If it gets that complex, it may call
for an operation.
My
answer is at 20weeks gestation. Being so much in a haste to know the gender of
your baby before 20wks is the commonest cause of error in gender determination.
Though it could be known from about 14wks using transvaginal probe,
patience is yet a virtue that should not be thrown to the wind when you get so
anxious about it.
I hope with these few points we have been able to dymystify some mysteries in medical confusing terminologies, especially those used in ultrasound reports.
 |
Source: Uncle Scan ultrasound album.
Image showing a baby of 20wks GA
|
There was a very funny story my late mum shared with me about her mum, i.e. my grandmum. My grandma said she kept going about with her pregnancy scan report throughout her pregnancy, not knowing she was going to have a twin! Why? She was not medically informed. This is the reason for this article - to bring a little of medicine closer you than ever.
Although scan results may contain familiar words, but being medical information, the presence of some strange words is not unusual. Being a layman to the medical arena, your inability to read and digest your result may be disturbing sometimes. Due to this inability, some patients have really wished they studied medically related course in college. I think everyone would not have been in the medical field either. This article is therefore aimed to help you demystify certain mysteries in our terminology so you could understand what your sonographer/sonologist implies by the terms s/he uses.
In the tables below, terms relating to
obstetrics are majorly taken care of. Do enjoy your learning.
Terms relating to number of babies
TERMS
|
LAYMAN MEANING
|
Singleton
|
Single baby
|
Twins
|
Two babies
|
Triplet
|
Three babies
|
Quadruplet
|
Four babies
|
Quintuplets
|
Five babies
|
Sextuplets
|
Six babies
|
Septuplets
|
Seven babies
|
Octuplets
|
Eight babies
|
Nonuplets
|
Nine babies
|
Terms relating to your baby’s position
Terms
|
Meaning
|
Unstable
|
Temporary position
|
Cephalic presentation
|
Your baby’s head is down at the
pelvic
|
Breech presentation
|
Your baby’s head is at the upper
abdomen close to the mothers chest
|
Transverse lie
|
Your baby is lying across your
tummy with the head at your right or left
|
Longitudinal lie
|
Your baby is lying vertically i.e.
either cephalic or breech
|
Oblique lie
|
Your baby is lying such that the head is at an angle of
about 45-degrees, whether either with the head up or down.
|
Terms relating to the level of amniotic fluid
TERMS
|
LAYMAN MEANING
|
IMPLICATION
|
ADVISE
|
Polyhydramnious
|
Too much amniotic fluid around the baby
|
It’s a possible sign for an abnormality
|
Relax & do an anomaly scan
|
Oligohydramnious
|
Only little amniotic fluid around the baby
|
emergency situation, Possible suffocation of the baby,
restriction to body movement
|
Relax, calm your nerves & allow you gyna give you
options
|
Anyhydramnious
|
Nil amniotic fluid around your baby
|
Possible suffocation of the baby, restriction to body
movement, fetal demise (death)
|
maintain calm & allow you gyna give you options
|
Common Fetal Dating Parameters
Dating
parameters
|
Meaning
|
Layman
Meaning
|
Trimester
of Relevance
|
CRL
|
Crown
Rump Length
|
Length
of your baby,
|
1st
|
FL
|
Femur
Length
|
Length
of the femur
|
2nd-3rd
|
BPD
|
Bi-Parietal
Diameter
|
Side
diameter of the head
|
2nd
-3rd
|
HC
|
Head
Circumference
|
Size
of the head
|
2nd-3rd
|
AC
|
Abdominal
Circumference
|
Size
of the abdomen
|
2nd-
3rd
|
MGA
or GA
|
Mean
Gestation Age
|
Baby’s
age
|
1st
-3rd
|
EFW
|
Estimated
Fetal Weight
|
Baby’s
weight
|
2nd-3rd
|
EDD
|
Expected
Date of Delivery
|
Baby’s
birth day
|
1st-3rd
|
Terms Relating to Placenta Position and Number
TERMS
|
LAYMAN MEANING
|
Posterior placenta
|
The placenta serves as a bed sheet to your baby
|
Anterior placenta
|
It lies as a blanket to your baby
|
Fundal placenta
|
Lies at the peak of the uterus, closer to your chest
|
Low lying placenta
|
the placenta is less than 2cm from the cervix (internal
os)
|
Placenta Previa
|
Placenta lies over the cervix, partly or entirely covering
it.
|
Monochorionic
|
In a case of multiple pregnancy: A single placenta
|
Dichorionic
|
In a case of multiple pregnancy: Two placentas
|
In multiple pregnancies, other
terms like Monoamniotic, Diamniotic
|
Single and Double amniotic sacs
respectively.
|
Terms Relating to Early Pregnancies
TERMS
|
LAYMAN
MEANING
|
Acyesis
|
You are not yet pregnant
|
Cyesis
|
Pregnancy
|
live, viable and active
|
Your baby is alive, doing great
|
Missed miscarriage
|
The heart is no longer beating
|
Incomplete miscarriage
|
There is remnant of pregnancy in the
uterus
|
Complete miscarriage
|
The pregnancy is all out with no
remnant in the uterus
|
Inevitable miscarriage
|
This pregnancy would eventually be
aborted on its own
|
Blighted ovum
|
Presence of gestation sac larger
than 2.50cm yet without a fetal pole (tiny baby).
|
Ectopic pregnancy
|
Presence of pregnancy outside the
uterus
|
Terms Relating to Lower Abdominal Swellings or Tumors
TERMS
|
LAYMAN MEANING
|
Myoma, Leiyomyoma or Leiyomyomata
|
Fibroids
|
Functional ovarian cyst
|
An egg that did not burst during
ovulation.
|
Corpus luteal cyst
|
An ovarian cyst containing progesterone that supports
pregnancy
|
Endometriosis
|
An unusual ovarian cyst, does not
easily disappear
|
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
|
numerous small cysts in one or
both ovaries
|
Dermoid cyst
|
A cyst that contains human hair,
tooth and some other particles.
|
etc.
|
Extra that may interest you
When is best time to check my baby’s gender?
When is best time to check my baby’s gender?
 |
Image showing a male gender between the laps of a 16wks baby.
Source: Uncle Scan ultrasound album. |
·
What
about the issue of different EDD?
EDD
means Expected Date of Delivery or Estimated Due Date.
The
very first EDD obtained at early pregnancy is the best to reckon with. It’s not
meant to be constant all the time. As your baby develops, the EDD may vary, but
the difference between the first and others should not be more than 14days
apart. If it’s like three weeks apart, please ask your doctor to explain why or
possibly demand for a repeat. This may give you more insight into your baby’s
well being.
·
How
reliable is EFW?
EFW means Estimated Fetal Weight. Please understand that the
evaluation of your baby’s weight per time is meant to be an estimate, yet it
should not be too far from reality.
I hope with these few points we have been able to dymystify some mysteries in medical confusing terminologies, especially those used in ultrasound reports.
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