C-Section (Cesarean Childbirth) Glossary of Terms

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Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the...

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abdominal pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Analysis: In psychology, a term for conversation-based therapeutic processes used to gain ...

Anemia: The condition of having a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells or quantity ...

Anesthesia: Loss of feeling or awareness, as when an anesthetic is administered before sur...

Antibacterial: Anything that destroys bacteria or suppresses their growth or their ability...

Artery: A vessel that carries blood high in oxygen content away from the heart to the far...

Benign: Not malignant. A benign tumor is one that does not invade surrounding tissue or sp...

Bladder: A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste f...

Bladder infection: Infection of the urinary bladder. Some people are at more risk for blad...

Blood clot: A mass of coagulated blood. A blood clot can block a major blood vessel, causi...

Blood clots: Blood that has been converted from a liquid to a solid state. Also called a t...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Breech: The buttocks.

C-section: Short for Cesarean section.

Cardiac: Having to do with the heart.

Catheter: A thin, flexible tube.

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

Cesarean section:See C-section.

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Complication: In medicine, an unanticipated problem that arises following, and is a result...

Conception: 1. The union of the sperm and the ovum. Synonymous with fertilization.
...

Contraction: The tightening and shortening of a muscle.

Cuts: Severed skin. Washing a cut or scrape with soap and water and keeping it clean and d...

Dilation: The process of enlargement, stretching, or expansion. The word "dilatation" mean...

Discharge: 1.The flow of fluid from part of the body, such as from the nose or vag...

Elective: In medicine, something chosen (elected). An elective procedure is one that is ch...

Embolism: The obstruction of a blood vessel by a foreign substance or a blood clot that tr...

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Epidural: Outside the dura, the outermost, toughest, and most fibrous of the three membran...

Essential: In medicine, of unknown cause, as in essential hypertension (high blood pressur...

Fetus: An unborn offspring, from the embryo stage (the end of the eighth week after concep...

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

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

Genital herpes: An infection by human herpes virus that is transmitted through intimate co...

Gynecology: The branch of medicine that is particularly concerned with the health of the f...

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heart rate: The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually per minute. The heart rate ...

Herpes: A family of viruses. Herpes also refers to infection with one of the human herpesv...

HIV: Acronym for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodefi...

Horizontal: In anatomy, a plane passing through the standing body. A person lying on a bed...

Hysterectomy: An operation to remove the uterus. Hysterectomies are most commonly performe...

Ileus: Obstruction of the intestine due to its being paralyzed. The paralysis does not nee...

Incidence: The frequency with which something, such as a disease or trait, appears in a pa...

Incision: A cut through skin or other tissue performed by a health care professional.

Indication: 1. In medicine, a condition which makes a particular treatment or proce...

Infant: A young baby, from birth to 12 months of age.

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Kidney: One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen. The kid...

Labor: Childbirth, the process of delivering a baby and the placenta, membranes, and umbil...

Laparoscopic: 1. Pertaining to the procedure of laparoscopy.
2. Pert...

Leg: In popular usage, the part of the body from the top of the thigh down to the foot, an...

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

Malignant: 1. Tending to be severe and become progressively worse, as in malignant ...

Maternal: 1. Pertaining to the mother as, for example, the maternal mortality rate....

Maternal age: The age of the mother at the time of delivery. Advanced maternal age is usua...

Numb: Numb, or numbness is a loss of the sensation of feeling in an area of the body. Numb...

Obstetrics: The art and science of managing pregnancy, labor, and the puerperium (the time...

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

Operation: In medicine, a surgical procedure. Many operations are named after persons. The...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Pelvic: Having to do with the pelvis, the lower part of the abdomen, located between the h...

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

Postoperative: After surgery. As opposed to preoperative, before surgery.

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

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Pulmonary embolism: Sudden closure of a pulmonary artery or one of its branches, caused by...

Red blood cells: The blood cells that carry oxygen. Red cells contain hemoglobin and it is...

Resuscitation: The procedure of restoring to life, as in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CP...

Rupture: A break or tear in any organ (such as the spleen) or soft tissue (such as the ach...

Skull: The skull is a collection of bones which encase the brain and give form to the hea...

Superficial: In anatomy, on the surface or shallow. As opposed to deep. The skin is superf...

Surgeon: A physician who treats disease, injury, or deformity via operative or manual meth...

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

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

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

Tubes: The "tubes" are medically known as the Fallopian tubes. There are two Fallopian tub...

Umbilicus: The vestige left behind on a newborn's belly when the umbilical cord is cut. A...

Ureter: One of the two tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. Each ureter...

Urinary: Having to do with the function or anatomy of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or ur...

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

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

Uterine rupture: A tear in the uterus. A uterine rupture is a very serious situation. Caus...

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 ...

Vaginal discharge: Vaginal discharge is a fluid produced by glands in the vaginal wall and...

Vertical: In anatomy, upright. As opposed to horizontal.