Reproductive, Pregnancy and Breast Health Terms

Surgery to remove most, but not all, of the vulva (the external female genital organs, including the clitoris, vaginal lips, and the opening to the vagina).

A molar pregnancy occurs when abnormal fertilization causes placental tissue to overgrow into fluid filled cysts instead of a viable embryo.

A substance found on certain epithelial cells (cells that cover organs, glands, and other body surfaces) and on breast cells involved in making milk.

Mucus is a viscous, protective fluid that coats and moistens internal surfaces, trapping particles and helping shield the tissue beneath it.

A rare cancer of the uterus, ovary, or fallopian tubes.

Breast cancer in which there is more than one tumor, all of which have formed separately from one another.

Breast cancer in which there is more than one tumor, all of which have arisen from one original tumor.

The myometrium is the thick muscular wall of the uterus that contracts during labor and menstruation and gives the organ its structural strength.

A drug used to treat breast cancer that has spread or that has come back within 6 months after chemotherapy.

The raised opening at the center of the breast where the milk ducts reach the surface, ringed by darker skin.

Nitric acid is a strong, corrosive industrial chemical, distinct from nitric oxide, the body's own blood vessel signaling molecule.

A group of testicular cancers that begin in the germ cells (cells that give rise to sperm).

A drug that decreases the production of sex hormones (estrogen or testosterone) and slows the growth of tumors that need sex hormones to grow.

Oophorectomy is the surgical removal of one or both ovaries, performed for conditions such as ovarian masses, cancer risk, or disease.

An operation to remove part or all of the prostate gland through an incision in the lower abdomen or perineum (the area between the anus and scrotum).

A daily hormone tablet that prevents pregnancy chiefly by keeping the ovary from releasing an egg at all.

Organic food is grown and processed under defined regulatory standards that restrict synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and similar inputs used in conventional agriculture.

The final part of the sex act, which involves contraction of sexual organs and a sudden release of endorphins, leading to a feeling of pleasure.

The ovaries sit deep in the pelvis with no surface to feel, so ovarian problems tend to announce themselves indirectly.

Surgery, radiation therapy, or a drug treatment to stop the functioning of the ovaries.