Medical Term Week 5

Preeclampsia

This is a rare condition in which the mother's blood pressure increases substantially and puts her health and that of the unborn baby at risk. Symptoms include swollen ankles, feet and hands, blurred vision, fatigue, headache and nausea. Medications are used to lower the blood pressure.

laparo

abdominal wall

amnio

amniotic sac. This is the membrane around the fetus.

hypo

below, low amount

Dysmenorrhea

Difficult or painful menstruation. This term literally translates as "difficult menstrual flow." This is the most common complaint women see their gynecologists for. It's usually caused by an excessive build up of endometrium, which occurs when there is a lot of progesterone being secreted (it builds the lining up). If a woman has a long luteal phase (the half of the cycle after ovulation) she will produce extra progesterone, which will cause the lining to build up. Often there is so much lining that the cervix actually has to dilate, or open a tiny bit to let it all out. This causes severe cramps.

D & C

Dilatation and Curettage. In this procedure the cervix is opened (dilated) and the endometrium is scraped off to remove any foreign growths or perhaps the remnants of an incomplete miscarriage.

metry

process of measuring

ptosis

prolapse, downward displacement

pexy

surgical fixation

centesis

surgical puncture (usually to remove fluid)

oma

tumor, mass, or collection of blood or other fluid.

utero

uterus

metro

uterus. Metro is from the ancient Greek word for "mother, and life." We also get words like "metropolis" from the same root word, meaning where life resides.

vagino/colpo

vagina

gyneco

woman

LMP

Last Menstrual Period. The doctor will ask you this to determine where you are in your cycle when deciding which medications to prescribe for various conditions. Often if you are in the second half, after ovulation, he or she will not prescribe anything which could cause birth defects, even if you are taking oral contraceptives.

LNMP

Last Normal Menstrual Period. The doctor wants to know when your last normal period was if you are being seen because of a change in your periods.

OBGYN

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Placenta Previa

Placenta Previa is a condition where the placenta lies low in the uterus and partially or completely covers the cervix. The placenta may separate from the uterine wall as the cervix begins to dilate (open) during labor. This causes excessive bleeding and puts the baby and mother at risk. Women with this condition are put on bed rest during pregnancy so the placenta does not tear with activity. The baby is delivered via Cesarean Section at the end of the pregnancy.

Gravida

Pregnancy. We either shorten this to Grav and put a number with it to indicate how many times a woman has been pregnant, like Grav 3, or we use a prefix to indicate a first pregnancy or no pregnancies, as in "primigravida," and "nulligravida." (Primigravida=first pregnancy, and nulligravida=never pregnant)

Menopause

The ending of menstruation. The average age for this is between 47 and 54. We used to refer to the phase of "perimenopause" as actual "menopause." Now we recognize menopause as the time after which a woman does not have a period for one year.

primi

first

trophy

development

hyper

excessive, high amount

Endometriosis

A condition in which the endometrial tissue (lining of the uterus) grows outside of the uterus, such as on the ovaries, inside Fallopian tubes, or even on the small intestine. Each month when progesterone is being secreted by the ovaries the endometrial tissue grows, regardless of where it is located. Once progesterone levels drop the tissue sloughs off. This causes internal bleeding with severe pain in patients who have endometriosis. Treatments include hormonal therapy in the form of low dose birth control pills to keep progesterone levels low, and surgery to laser off the areas of tissue growing outside the uterus, if necessary.

Reproductive Endocrinologist

A fertility specialist. Fertility drugs act on the pituitary gland and make it produce more follicle stimulating hormone so more ovarian follicles holding immature eggs develop.

Menarche

A girl's first period. The average age for the beginning of menstruation is from 10-15 years old.

Para

A live birth. If a woman has given birth twice we would say "para 2." If she had been pregnant twice and had one live birth and one miscarriage we would say "grav 2, para 1, ab 1."

Hysterosalpingogram

A record of the uterus and Fallopian tubes. This test is performed to check for any obstructions in the Fallopian tubes that may be leading to fertility issues. Contrast dye is dispersed from the top of the uterus and is watched on an x-ray to see if it travels freely down each Fallopian tube.

Tubal Ligation

A sterilization procedure in which the Fallopian tubes are cut and tied, thus preventing the ovum from moving down the tubes and the sperm from moving up the tubes. The menstrual cycle is not affected after a tubal ligation because the hormones governing it are released into the bloodstream from the follicle within the ovary. The egg still matures and is ovulated, but the sperm do not have access to it.

Uterine Ablation/Endometrial Ablation

A surgical procedure in which the endometrium is destroyed, thus preventing a woman from having periods. This is done in cases of severe menorrhagia which does not respond to hormonal therapy. The lining may be surgically removed or destroyed by burning or laser use.

Climacteric

A woman's last period, ever.

Amenorrhea

Absence of menstruation. This is can be the result of a low body weight, or rapid weight loss, or an underlying illness. It can also be caused by hormonal issues.

Cesarean Section

Delivering a baby by making an incision in the abdominal wall and the uterus.

Metrorrhagia

Bleeding from the uterus NOT associated with menstruation. This can be a sign of uterine cancer and needs to be addressed by a physician, although it's usually just hormonal in nature. Bleeding after menopause or between periods would be an example.

Menorrhagia

Excessive bleeding during menstruation. This is perfectly normal for some women, especially if they have longer luteal phases. However if it suddenly happens when periods were light before it needs to be addressed by a physician. It is most often caused by hormonal changes, such as perimenopause.

salpingo

Fallopian tubes

Leiomyomata

Fibroid tumors. These are non-cancerous tumors found in the uterus. The problem with some fibroid tumors is they get big and are growing out of the endometrium, so when the lining sloughs off during menstruation the tumors can bleed, resulting in heavy and painful periods. The treatment consists of either removing the tumors or performing a hysterectomy, in which case just the uterus is removed but the cervix, Fallopian tubes, and ovaries remain.

Abortion

In medicine the word "abortion" means "the ending of a pregnancy." This would include any type of trauma or illness which causes death to an embryo or fetus, or a miscarriage, in which the pregnancy does not survive during the first three months of gestation.

Episiotomy

Incision of the perineum, which is the area between the vaginal opening and the anus. This is done to form a larger opening for the baby to pass through during birth. A physician will perform an episiotomy if he or she fears tearing from the baby's head. If tearing occurs it can damage the cervix and uterus and will require suturing.

Endometritis

Inflammation of the endometrium. The most common cause of this is infection after childbirth. The symptoms are fever, pain, and vaginal discharge or bleeding. Antibiotics are prescribed.

PMS

Premenstrual Syndrome. This is caused either by a woman being sensitive to having increased amounts of progesterone in her system, or by being sensitive to the drop in progesterone in the system. In the first case the woman will have symptoms during the entire luteal phase of her cycle each month ( that's two weeks or more!) These include things like insomnia, depression, mood swings, irritability, headaches, digestive issues, joint pain, bloating, breast tenderness, forgetfulness, fatigue, and others. If a woman is sensitive to the drop in progesterone at the end of her cycle she will experience the same symptoms but usually only for a few days until her period begins.

Hysterosalpingo-oophorectomy

Removal of the uterus, Fallopian tubes, and ovaries.

Hysterectomy

Removal of the uterus. The cervix is left in place.

PAP

Short for Papanicolaou test. This procedure tests for cervical cancer cells. A cyto brush is used to collect a sample of cells from the outside and inside of the cervix.

Obstetrician

Specialist in pregnancy and childbirth

Amniocentesis

Surgical puncture of the amniotic sac. A sample of amniotic fluid is taken for chromosomal analysis. This is not a routine procedure. Fetal skin cells have been sloughing off inside the amniotic sac (the membrane surrounding the fetus). These cells are collected for DNA analysis.

Cervix

The cervix is located at the very bottom of the uterus and connects the uterus to the vagina.

Menstruation

The monthly shedding of the uterine lining.

Perimenopause

The time "around" menopause, or the time leading up to menopause. This can take anywhere from 4-10 years and usually begins in a woman's 40s, although it may begin earlier in some women. Basically what happens is the ovaries are running out of viable follicles, so it's hit and miss as far as whether one will develop each month. When no follicle develops no hormones are produced. The symptoms of perimenopause are caused by these hormone fluctuations. During this time a woman may have heavier periods than usual, lighter periods, periods of depression, irritability, mood swings, insomnia, hot flashes, night sweats, "brain fog," joint pain, dry skin, dry hair, brittle nails, loss of bone density, heart palpitations, and fatigue, to name a few. Yes there are more! Some women have very mild physical symptoms. Others have many of the symptoms. Hormone replacement therapy can be an option for some women, and many find natural supplements extremely helpful.

Fallopian Tubes

The two tubes which connect the ovaries to the uterus are called Fallopian tubes. They are transport tubes for the eggs, and are also referred to as "oviducts." The tubes are thin and tight, and not muscular. They are lined with tiny hair like structures called cilia which grab onto the ovum and move it along the tube. The ends of the Fallopian tubes contain finger-like structures called fimbriae. These "grab" the ovulated egg as it leaves the ovary and help pull it into the tube. Since the ovum is covered with mucus it is easily grabbed by both the fimbriae and the cilia. The cilia are able to move the ovum, or egg, down the Fallopian tube towards the uterus.

Total Hysterectomy

The uterus and the cervix are removed. The Fallopian tubes and ovaries remain.

Acute Salpingitis

This is the first sign of an ectopic pregnancy. The Fallopian tubes are not designed to stretch, so when the implanted embryo gets to a certain point the tube becomes inflamed. The woman will experience a sharp, consistent pain on one side of the abdomen. Any sudden or persistent pain in early pregnancy must be checked out immediately by a physician. An ectopic pregnancy, if left untreated, can be life threatening.

Ectopic Pregnancy:

This occurs when a fertilized egg implants somewhere other than the uterus, most often in a Fallopian tube. If the traveling egg gets stuck, or comes upon endometrial tissue in the tube it may implant there. Unfortunately the pregnancy cannot be saved. A drug called methotrexate is given. It stops cell growth and dissolves existing cells.

Adnexa

This term refers to any "accessory" organs to a body system. In this system the Fallopian tubes and ovaries are the Adnexa. In the Digestive System the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder are the Adnexa.

endometro

endometrium, the lining of the uterus

megaly

enlargement

Endometrium

lining of the uterus

multi

many

meno

menstruation

nulli

none

episio

perineum. This is the area between the anus and the vaginal opening.