Pain During Intercourse Glossary of Terms

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

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 ...

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

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

Anatomy: The study of human or animal form, by observation or examination of the living be...

Antibiotic: A drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms. ...

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

Antifungal: A medication that limits or prevents the growth of yeasts and other fungal org...

Antifungal medication: A drug used to treat fungal infections.

Antispasmodic: A medication that relieves, prevents, or lowers the incidence of muscle spa...

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

Atrophy: A wasting away or diminution. Muscle atrophy is a decrease in muscle mass, often ...

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

Bacterial: Of or pertaining to bacteria, as in a bacterial lung infection.

Behavior therapy: A treatment program that involves substituting desirable behavior respon...

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

Cervical: Having to do with any kind of neck, including the neck on which the head is perc...

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

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

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

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

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

Cystitis: Inflammation of the bladder. Cystitis can be due for example to infection from ...

Cystoscopy: A procedure in which a lighted optical instrument called a cystoscope is inser...

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

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

Dilate: To stretch or enlarge. Also known as dilatate.

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

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

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

Douching: Using water or a medicated solution to clean the vagina and cervix or any other ...

Dysfunction: Difficult function or abnormal function.

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

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

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

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

Fungal: Pertaining to a fungus. For example, a fungal skin infection.

Gynecologist: A physician who specializes in treating diseases of the female reproductive ...

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

Hygiene: The science of preventive medicine and the preservation of health. Also commonly ...

Indicate: In medicine, to make a treatment or procedure advisable because of a particular ...

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 ...

Insertion: A chromosome abnormality that is due to insertion of a segment from one chromos...

Interstitial: Pertaining to being between things, especially between things that are norma...

Involuntary: Done other than in accordance with the conscious will of the individual. The ...

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

Labial: Pertaining to a lip.

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Medical history: 1. In clinical medicine, the patient's past and present which may ...

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

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

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

Ovarian: Of or pertaining to the ovary.

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

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

Pap Smear: A screening test for cervical cancer based on the examination of cells under th...

Parasitic: Having to do with a parasite, as in a parasitic infection; or acting like a par...

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

Pelvic pain: : Pain perceived in the area of the pelvis, the lower part of the abdomen loc...

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

Postmenopausal: After menopause, the period of time after a woman has experienced 12 conse...

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

Prevalence: The proportion of individuals in a population having a disease or characterist...

Probe: (1) In surgery, a probe is a slender flexible rod with a blunt end used to e...

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

Psychiatrist: A physician who specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of m...

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

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

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

STD: Sexually transmitted disease.

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.

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

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

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

Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves. Ultra-sound waves can be bounced off tissues by us...

Urethra: The tube that leads from the bladder and transports and discharges urine outside ...

Urethritis: Inflammation of the urethra, the tube that leads from the bladder to the outsi...

Urinalysis: A test that is done in order to analyze urine. Because toxins and excess fluid...

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

Urinary tract: The organs of the body that produce, store, and discharge urine. These orga...

Urinary tract infection: An infection of the kidney, ureter, bladder, or urethra. Abbrevia...

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

Urologist: A physician who specializes in diseases of the urinary organs in females and th...

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

Uterine retroversion: A slight to dramatic placement of the uterus that orients it toward...

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...

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

Vulvar: Pertaining to the vulva, the female external genitalia including the labia majora,...

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