early-term       
adjective [ before noun ] uk/ˌɜː.liˈtɜːm/ us/ˌɝː.liˈtɝːm/
 初期
happening near the beginning of a process
  After our early-term difficulties, things are now much better. 我们在初期经历了一些困难,现在情况好多了。 
 an early-term miscarriage (= near the beginning of a pregnancy) 怀孕初期自然流产