Female Sexual Problems Glossary of Terms

1. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Slideshow Pictures
2. A Visual Guide to Erectile Dysfunction
3. Take the Quiz on STDs

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

Alzheimer disease: See: Alzheimer's disease.

Anorgasmia: Failure to achieve orgasm (climax) during sexual intercourse. Anorgasmia has m...

Antidepressant: Anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression.

Antidepressants: Anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression.

Antipsychotic: A medication (or another measure) that is believed to be effective in the t...

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

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

Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is...

Breast cancer: Breast cancer is diagnosed with self- and physician-examination of the brea...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, ...

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...

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

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

Chlamydia: The agent of a sexually transmitted disease, a type of bacteria found in the ce...

Cholesterol: The most common type of steroid in the body. Cholesterol has a reputation for...

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

Clitoral: Pertaining to the clitoris, the small elongated erectile body in the female homo...

Clitoris: A small mass of erectile tissue in the female that is situated at the anterior a...

Colon: The long, coiled, tubelike organ that removes water from digested food. The remaini...

Colon cancer: A malignant tumor arising from the inner wall of the large intestine (the co...

Congestion: An abnormal or excessive accumulation of a body fluid. The term is used broadl...

Contraction: The tightening and shortening of a muscle.

Cyst: A closed sac or capsule, usually filled with fluid or semisolid material.

Cysts: Cysts are abnormal, closed sac-like structures within a tissue that contain a liqui...

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

Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mell...

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

Dilator: A device used to stretch or enlarge an opening. Patients with scarring of the eso...

Dysfunction: Difficult function or abnormal function.

Dyspareunia: Pain during sexual intercourse. There are many causes of dyspareunia, includi...

Effective dose: The dose of a drug that will achieve the desired effect.

Endometriosis: The presence of tissue that normally grows inside the uterus (womb) in an ...

Erectile dysfunction: A consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual ...

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

Family therapy: A type of psychotherapy designed to identify family patterns that contribu...

Fatigue: A condition characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency ...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

Food and Drug Administration: An agency within the US Public Health Service that provides ...

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

Gonorrhea: A bacterial infection that is transmitted by sexual contact. Gonorrhea is one o...

Group therapy: 1) A type of psychiatric care in which several patients meet with one or m...

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

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

Heart attack: The death of heart muscle due to the loss of blood supply. The loss of bloo...

Heart disease: Any disorder that affects the heart. Sometimes the term "heart disease" is ...

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

High blood pressure: A repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. Chro...

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

Hormone therapy: Treatment of disease or symptoms with synthetic or naturally derived horm...

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

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

Impotence: A common problem among men characterized by the consistent inability to sustai...

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

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Kegel exercises: Exercises designed to increase muscle strength and elasticity in the fema...

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

Labia: Lips, the fleshy folds that surround the opening of the mouth (oral labia) or the v...

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

Libido: 1. Sexual drive. 2. In psychoanalysis, the psychic energy from all ...

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Liver disease: Liver disease refers to any disorder of the liver. The liver is a large org...

Low blood pressure: Any blood pressure that is below the normal expected for an individua...

Lubricant: An oily or slippery substance. A vaginal lubricant may be helpful for women who...

Mammogram: An X-ray of the breast that is taken with a device that compresses and flattens...

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

Nasal: Having to do with the nose.

Nerve: A bundle of fibers that uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit sensory an...

Obstruction: Blockage of a passageway. See, for example: Airway obstruction; Intestinal o...

Orgasm: A series of muscle contractions in the genital region that is accompanied by sudde...

Orgasmic disorder: See: Anorgasmia.

Osteoporosis: Thinning of the bones, with reduction in bone mass, due to depletion of calc...

Ovarian: Of or pertaining to the ovary.

Ovarian cancer: A malignant tumor of the ovary, the egg sac in a female. Women who have a ...

Ovarian cyst: A fluid-filled sac in the ovary.

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

Pap test: A screening test for cervical cancer that involves the microscopic examination o...

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

Perimenopause: The time in a woman's life when physiological changes occur that begin the...

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

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

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...

Psychotherapy: The treatment of a behavior disorders, mental illness, or any other conditi...

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 ...

Radiology: The medical specialty concerned with radiation for the diagnosis and treatment ...

Rape: Forced sexual intercourse; sexual assault; sexual intercourse between an adult and a...

Resolution: In genetics, the degree of molecular detail on a physical map of DNA. Resoluti...

Retinitis pigmentosa: A group of inherited disorders in which abnormalities of the photore...

Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

Sensitivity: 1. In psychology, the quality of being sensitive. As, for example, sen...

Sexually transmitted disease: Any disease transmitted by sexual contact; caused by microo...

Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

Spasm: A brief, automatic jerking movement. A muscle spasm can be quite painful, with the ...

SSRI: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, one of a family of antidepressant medication...

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

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

Stroke: The sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood...

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

Syphilis: A sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum, a microscopic orga...

Taste: A perception that results from stimulation of a gustatory nerve. Taste belongs to t...

Therapeutic: Relating to therapeutics, the branch of medicine that is concerned specifical...

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

Tiredness: See: Tired.

Tobacco: A South American herb (Nicotiana tabacum) whose leaves contain 2 to 8 percent nic...

Topical: Pertaining to a particular surface area. For example, a topical agent is applied ...

Uterine cancer: A malignant tumor of the uterus (womb), which occurs most often in women b...

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 opening: The exterior opening to the vagina, the muscular canal that extends from ...

Vaginismus: A sexual dysfunction in women characterized by a painful, involuntary tighteni...

Vaginitis: Inflammation of the vagina. The vagina is the muscular canal extending from th...

Vascular: Relating to blood vessels. For example, the vascular system in the body includes...

Voluntary: Done in accordance with the conscious will of the individual. The opposite of i...

Vulva: The female external genital organs, including the labia, clitoris, and entrance to ...