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Glossary

Glossary — plain-language definitions of the pregnancy, fertility, and PregnancyPal terms you'll come across, so the words never get in the way of understanding.

Pregnancy comes with its own vocabulary, and so does any app that tracks it. This A-Z keeps the definitions short and friendly. It's here for quick reference — to make a term click, not to give medical guidance. When a definition touches something clinical, your provider is always the right place to take the question.

A–E​

Braxton Hicks — Practice contractions: occasional, usually painless tightenings of the uterus that come and go without a regular pattern. They're common in later pregnancy and are not the same as true labor contractions.

Cohort / community — In PregnancyPal, a group of people at a similar stage (for example, due around the same time). Community features let you connect with others on a similar timeline. They're for shared experience, not medical input.

Conception — The moment a sperm fertilizes an egg, marking the biological start of pregnancy. The fertile window is timed around it.

Dashboard — Your PregnancyPal home screen, which brings together your current week, recent entries, reminders, and quick links to tools.

EDD / Estimated Due Date — The estimated date your baby is "due," typically calculated as about 40 weeks from your last menstrual period (LMP). It's an estimate — most babies arrive in a window around it, not exactly on it.

Embryo — The term for the developing baby in the earliest weeks of pregnancy (through roughly the eighth week), before it's called a fetus.

F–K​

Fertile window — The span of days in a cycle when conception is most likely — generally the days leading up to and including ovulation. PregnancyPal's conception tools help you estimate this window.

Fetus — The term for the developing baby from around the ninth week of pregnancy until birth.

Fundal height — The measured distance from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus (the fundus), often tracked at prenatal visits as a rough check on growth. It's a clinical measurement your provider takes.

Gestational age — How far along a pregnancy is, usually counted in weeks and days from the first day of the last menstrual period (LMP). It's the standard way pregnancy progress is described.

Kick count — A tally of your baby's movements over a period of time, used as a personal awareness habit in later pregnancy. PregnancyPal's kick counter helps you record them; how to interpret them is a conversation for your provider.

L–O​

LMP / Last Menstrual Period — The first day of your most recent period before pregnancy. Many estimates, including gestational age and due date, are counted from this date.

Luteal phase — The part of the menstrual cycle after ovulation and before the next period. Its length helps in understanding cycle timing and the fertile window.

Maternal changes — The physical and emotional changes your body goes through during pregnancy, week by week. PregnancyPal's content explains what's common at each stage.

Miscarriage — The loss of a pregnancy before it's far enough along to survive. It's a sensitive, personal topic; support and information should come from your provider and trusted resources.

Ovulation — The release of an egg from the ovary, the key event the fertile window is built around. Tracking it helps with timing conception.

P–T​

Postpartum — The period after birth, as your body recovers and adjusts. Mood, healing, and feeding are common postpartum topics.

Prenatal care — The ongoing medical care you receive during pregnancy from a doctor or midwife — checkups, screenings, and guidance. PregnancyPal complements this; it never replaces it.

Quickening — The first time you feel your baby move — often described as flutters — typically somewhere in the second trimester. The timing varies a lot from person to person.

Symptom log — Where you record how you're feeling over time in PregnancyPal — nausea, fatigue, and other symptoms — so you can notice patterns and share them at appointments.

Trimester — One of the three roughly three-month phases pregnancy is divided into: first (early development), second (often the most settled), and third (final growth before birth).

Trimester milestones — Notable developmental and personal markers within each trimester, used to give you a sense of what's typical at your stage.

U–Z​

Ultrasound — An imaging scan, done by a provider, used to check on the baby's growth and wellbeing at points during pregnancy.

Vitals — Basic health measurements you can track in PregnancyPal, such as those tied to your weight, mood, and symptoms, gathered together in the Health Report.

Week-by-week — PregnancyPal's stage-based content that follows your pregnancy one week at a time, explaining what's commonly happening for you and your baby.

Weight tracking — Logging your weight over the course of pregnancy so you can see the trend and bring it to your appointments. What's "right" for you is something your provider advises on.

Frequently asked questions​

Are these definitions medical advice?​

No. They're plain-language explanations to help you understand terms you'll encounter. They are not clinical guidance.

My provider used a term that's not here.​

Bring it straight to your provider — they can explain it in the context of your specific situation, which a glossary can't.

Why are due dates only estimates?​

Because they're calculated from dates like your LMP and refined by scans, but biology varies. The EDD is a best estimate, not a guarantee.

What this glossary does NOT do​

This glossary defines words — it does not diagnose, treat, or give medical guidance, and PregnancyPal itself does not diagnose, treat, monitor, or replace prenatal care. Definitions are general and may not fit your specific situation.

For anything clinical — interpreting a measurement, a symptom, a due date, or a term in your own context — consult your doctor, midwife, or another qualified healthcare professional. Nothing in PregnancyPal or this documentation is medical advice.

Updated 2026-06-23 by Ahsan Mahmood — aoneahsan.com — LinkedIn — GitHub