Amenorrhea Glossary of Terms

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Acromegaly: Condition due to the production of too much growth hormone by the pituitary gl...

Amenorrhea: Absence or cessation of menstruation. Amenorrhea is conventionally divided ...

Androgen: A male sex hormone that promotes the development and maintenance of the male s...

Anorexia: An eating disorder characterized by markedly reduced appetite or total aversion...

Anorexia nervosa: See Anorexia.

Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as pa...

Aplasia: Failure to develop. If something develops and then wastes away, that is atrophy.See the entire definition of Aplasia

Autoimmune: Pertaining to autoimmunity, a misdirected immune response that occurs when the...

Birth control: Birth control is the use of any practices, methods, or devices to prevent p...

Bone density: Bone density is the amount of bone tissue in a certain volume of bone. It ca...

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Brain tumor: A benign or malignant growth in the brain. Primary brain tumors initially for...

Breastfeeding: Feeding a child human breast milk. According to the American Academy of Ped...

Bulimia: Also called bulimia nervosa. An eating disorder characterized by episodes of secr...

Cervix: The cervix is the lower, narrow part of the uterus (womb). The uterus, a hollow, ...

Chemotherapy: 1. In the original sense, a chemical that binds to and specifically k...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Chronic disease: A disease that persists for a long time. A chronic disease is one lasting...

Craniopharyngioma: A benign brain tumor that develops from embryonic tissue that forms par...

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

Cushing syndrome: The constellation of symptoms and signs caused by an excess of cortisol ...

Depression: An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Dopamine: An important neurotransmitter (messenger) in the brain.

Dysfunction: Difficult function or abnormal function.

Endocrine: Pertaining to hormones and the glands that make and secrete them into the blood...

Endocrinology: The study of the medical aspects of hormones, including diseases and condit...

Endometrium: The inner layer of the uterus.

Estrogen: A female steroid hormone that is produced by the ovaries and, in lesser amounts,...

Fracture: A break in bone or cartilage. Although usually a result of trauma, a fracture ca...

Galactorrhea: The spontaneous flow of milk from the nipple at any time other than during n...

Galactose: A sugar found in milk. Galactose is a disaccharide that is made up of two sugar...

Galactosemia: An inherited disorder of galactose metabolism that occurs in newborns and ca...

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

Genital: Pertaining to the external and/or internal organs of reproduction.

Gland: A group of cells that secrete a substance for use in the body. For example, the thy...

Headache: A pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the he...

Hirsutism: Having excessive facial and bodily hair. Hirsutism can be a side effect of cert...

Hormone: A chemical substance produced in the body that controls and regulates the activit...

Hot flashes: A sudden wave of mild or intense body heat caused by rushes of hormonal chang...

Hymen: A thin membrane that may completely or partially cover the vaginal opening before f...

Hypothalamus: The area of the brain that secretes substances that influence pituitary and ...

Hysteroscopy: A procedure to see inside the uterus (the womb) using a viewing scope that i...

Intracranial: Within the cranium, the bony dome that houses and protects the brain.

Intrauterine: In the uterus.

Lactation: The process of milk production. Human milk is secreted by the mammary glands, w...

Luteinizing hormone: A gonadotropin (a hormone that affects the function of the sex organs...

Malnutrition: A term used to refer to any condition in which the body does not receive eno...

Membrane: A very thin layer of tissue that covers a 'surface.

Menarche: The time in a girl's life when menstruation first begins. During the menarche pe...

Menopause: The time in a woman's life when menstrual periods permanently stop; it is also...

Menstrual: Pertaining to menstruation (the menses), as in last menstrual period, menstrua...

Menstrual cycle: The monthly cycle of changes in the ovaries and the lining of the uteru...

Menstruation: The periodic blood that flows as a discharge from the uterus. Also called me...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

Necrosis: The death of living cells or tissues. Necrosis can be due, for example, to ische...

Night sweats: Severe hot flashes that occur at night and result in a drenching sweat. Nigh...

Onset: In medicine, the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness as, for ex...

Oophoritis: Inflammation of the ovary, or egg sac.

Organ: A relatively independent part of the body that carries out one or more special func...

Ovarian: Of or pertaining to the ovary.

Ovary: The female gonad, one of a pair of reproductive glands in women. The ovaries are lo...

Ovulation: The release of the ripe egg (ovum) from the ovary. The egg is released when the...

Pelvis: The lower part of the abdomen, located between the hip bones. Structures in the fe...

Peripheral: Situated away from the center, as opposed to centrally located.

Peripheral vision: Side vision. The ability to see objects and movement outside of the di...

Pituitary: 1. As an adjective, pertaining to the pituitary gland or its hormonal se...

Pituitary gland: The main endocrine gland. It is a small structure in the head. It is ca...

Polycystic ovary syndrome: Abbreviated PCOS. Polcystic ovary syndrome is a condition in wo...

Postpartum: The period just after delivery, as with postpartum depression. Postpartum refe...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

Primary amenorrhea: Absence of menstruation. Amenorrhea is conventionally divided into ...

Progesterone: A female hormone, the principal hormone that prepares the uterus to receive ...

Progestin: Any one of a group of steroid hormones that have the effect of progesterone.

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Prolactin: A hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that stimulates lactation (milk produ...

Psychiatric: Pertaining to or within the purview of psychiatry, the medical specialty conc...

Psychotropic drug: Any drug capable of affecting the mind, emotions, and behavior. Some le...

Puberty: Adolescence, the period in which the human body first becomes capable of reproduc...

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy ...

Radiation therapy: The use of high-energy rays to damage cancer cells, stopping them from ...

Saline: Relating to salt. As an adjective, "saline" means "salty, containing salt." As a n...

Sarcoidosis: A disease of unknown origin that causes small lumps (granulomas) due to chron...

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

Secondary amenorrhea: The cessation of menstruation for abnormal reasons. Causes include a...

Septum: A dividing wall or enclosure. For example, the septum of the nose is the thin cart...

Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Systemic: Affecting the entire body. A systemic disease such as diabetes can affect the wh...

Teratoma: A type of germ cell tumor that may contain several different types of tissue and...

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Thyroid: 1. The thyroid gland. Also, pertaining to the thyroid gland. 2. A p...

Transverse: In anatomy, a horizontal plane passing through the standing body so that the t...

TSH: Thyroid stimulating hormone.

Tuberculosis: A highly contagious infection caused by the bacterium called Mycobacterium ...

Tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue. Tumors are a classic sign of inflammation, and can be ...

Turner syndrome: The most common sex chromosome disorder in females, characterized by shor...

Uterine lining: The inner layer of the uterus (womb); the cells that line the womb; anatom...

Uterus: A hollow, pear-shaped organ that is located in a woman's lower abdomen, between th...

Vagina: The muscular canal that extends from the cervix to the outside of the body. It is ...

Weight loss: Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (die...

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...