If you're a woman, you've more than likely been frustrated by the offensive and outdated terminology medical professionals often use to describe you and your body. This is especially true if you're a mother or have tried to conceive.
For example, if you were pregnant over 35, you were likely told you had a "geriatric pregnancy."
And if you were having trouble conceiving, your uterus may have been described as "hostile," or your ovaries may have been called "lazy."
Well, Peanut — a social network dedicated to connecting women throughout all stages of motherhood — has started an important campaign called the Renaming Revolution with the goal of updating these hurtful and shame-inducing terms.
To do this, they enlisted the help of thousands of mothers from around the world and a team of linguists, OBGYNs, and psychologists to create The #RenamingRevolution Motherhood & Fertility Glossary.
Here are some of the glossary's updated terms that are honestly so much better now:
Instead of GERIATRIC PREGNANCY for a pregnancy at the age of 35 years or older:
Instead of BARREN for when someone is facing fertility challenges and hasn’t had children yet:
Instead of INFERTILE for struggles to conceive after 12 months of unprotected intercourse:
Instead of BIOLOGICAL CLOCK for the time period when people may consider starting a family:
Instead of HOSTILE UTERUS for when cervical mucus makes the movement of sperm challenging:
Instead of INCOMPETENT CERVIX for when the cervix shortens and opens early without any other
symptoms of labor:
Instead of INHOSPITABLE WOMB for when uterine conditions make it difficult to become or stay pregnant:
Instead of IRRITABLE UTERUS for when non-labor-inducing contractions occur frequently:
Instead of LAZY OVARY for when ovaries stop functioning sooner than expected:
Instead of a SHY CERVIX for a cervix that tilts back toward the spine:
Instead of POOR OVARIAN RESERVE for when the number and development of eggs is lower than expected:
Instead of a VIABILITY SCAN to determine if embryos are present and if the pregnancy is progressing:
Instead of CHEMICAL PREGNANCY for when an egg is fertilized but never fully implants in the uterus:
Instead of FETAL DEMISE for loss of life in the uterus at or after the twentieth week of gestation:
Instead of FAILURE TO DESCEND for when a baby gets stuck in the birth canal:
Instead of a NON-VIABLE PREGNANCY for when the fetus or baby is unable to be born alive:
Instead of FAILED PREGNANCY for a pregnancy that will not carry through to term:
Instead of LATE MISCARRIAGE for loss of a pregnancy between 14 and 24 weeks:
Instead of a SILENT MISCARRIAGE for when the embryo has died but hasn't been released yet:
Instead of SPONTANEOUS ABORTION for a loss of pregnancy naturally before 20 weeks:
Instead of a VANISHING TWIN for a multiple gestation pregnancy that results in a single delivery due to loss:
Instead of INCOMPATIBLE WITH LIFE for when an unborn child is diagnosed with life-limiting conditions:
Instead of a LAZY UTERUS for when the uterus does not contract back on its own after pregnancy:
Instead of MORNING SICKNESS for nausea and sickness at any time during pregnancy:
Instead of an UNEVENTFUL PREGNANCY for when the second half of pregnancy is without medical complications or challenges:
Instead of BIRTH DEFECT for a physical or biochemical difference present at birth:
Instead of BIRTH PLAN for plans, priorities, and wants for one's labor experience:
Instead of FAILED TRIAL OF LABOR for when a challenging attempt at vaginal delivery suggests that cesarean birth will
be safer:
Instead of RUPTURE THE MEMBRANES for when the amniotic fluid is released from around the fetus at any time before labor starts:
Instead of FAILURE TO PROGRESS for when labor slows and delays delivery of the baby:
Instead of POOR MATERNAL EFFORT for when maternal exhaustion/labor fatigue interferes with fetal descent:
Instead of BIRTH MOTHER for the person who carried the child but is not their mother figure:
Instead of BREAST IS BEST:
Instead of FAILURE TO THRIVE for when a baby is under a certain percentile:
Instead of INSUFFICIENT MILK SUPPLY for lower milk production when breastfeeding:
Instead of STAY-AT-HOME MOM for a mother who cares for their children full-time:
Michelle Kennedy, Founder & CEO of Peanut, told BuzzFeed, "Words matter. Changing the harmful discourse and verbiage that's become so normalized as a way to describe women's bodies is long overdue.”
You can read the complete #RenamingRevolution Motherhood & Fertility Glossary here. Peanut is also sending out printed copies to clinics, classes, and more. You can request one here.
