This document provides information on medical terminology, anatomy, pathology, diagnostic procedures, imaging procedures, surgical procedures, and therapeutic procedures related to the female reproductive system. It defines anatomical structures, pathological conditions, diagnostic tests, imaging techniques, surgeries, and a contraceptive method. Key topics covered include the organs and tissues of the reproductive system, common infections and cancers, procedures like colposcopy and mammography, and surgeries such as hysterectomy and breast reconstruction.

1. Medical
Terminology
The Female reproductive
system
Chapter 12

2. MEDICAL WORD ELEMENTS
COMBINING FORMS MEANING
Amni/o Amnion (amniotic sac)
Cervic/o Neck, cervix uteri
Colp/o
Vagin/o
Vagina
Galact/o
Lact/o
Milk
Gynec/o Woman, Female
Hyster/o
Metri/o
Uter/o
Uterus (womb)
Mamm/o
Mast/o
Breast

3. MEDICAL WORD ELEMENTS
COMBINING FORMS MEANING
Men/o Menses, menstruation
Metr/o Uterus (womb), measure
Nat/o Birth
Oophor/o
Ovari/o
Ovary
Perine/o Perineum
Salping/o Tube (usually fallopian or eustachian)

4. Suffixes
SUFFIXES MEANING
-arche Beginning
-cyesis Pregnancy
-gravida Pregnant Woman
-para to Bear (offspring)
-salpinx Tube (usually fallopian or
Eustachian)
-tocia Childbirth, labor
-version Turning

5. Prefixes
PREFIXES MEANING
Ante- Before, in front of
Dys- Bad, painful
Endo- In, within
Multi- Many, much
Post- After
Primi- First

6. Pathology
 Causes may be infection, injury or hormonal
dysfunction
 Signs & symptoms include pain, itching, lesions,
abnormal discharge, & menstrual abnormalities
 Pelvic examination is an important preventative
measure
 Gynecology is the branch of the medicine concerned
with diseases of the female reproductive organs and
the breast.
 Obstetrics is the branch of medicine that manages the
health of a woman and her fetus during pregnancy,
childbirth, and the puerperium (time period right after
birth)

7. Endometriosis
 Presence of functional endometrial
tissue in areas outside the uterus
 The tissue develops into implants, lesions, or
growths
 Can cause pain, infertility, & other problems
 Ectopic tissue is usually found in the pelvic area, but
may appear anywhere in the abdominopelvic cavity
 Tissue responds to normal
fluctuations in the menstrual
cycle
http://www.physio-
pedia.com/index.php/Endometriosis

8. Pelvic & Vaginal Infections
 Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
 Inflammation of the uterus, fallopian tubes,
ovaries, & adjacent pelvic structures
 Usually caused by a bacterial infection
 Can affect one to all reproductive organs
 Pathogens generally enter the vagina during
coitus, induced abortion, childbirth, or the
postpartum period
 Most common causes are gonorrhea &
chlamydial infection (STDs)
 May result in sterility or fatal
septicemia
http://www.mdguidelines.com/pelvic-inflammatory-disease

9. Oncology
 Breast cancer (carcinoma of the
breast)
 Appears to be associated with
ovarian hormonal function
 Risk factors: diet high in fats,
family history of the disease, HRT
(hormone replacement therapy),
nulliparous (women who have not
had children), early onset of
menstruation, & late onset of
menopause
 With early detection the
malignancy is highly responsive to
treatment
 Important to do self examinations, and
to receive periodic mammograms after
the age of 40
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/17021.htm

10. Oncology
 Cervical Cancer
 Risk factors: first coitus at a young
age, large number of sex partners,
infections with certain sexually
transmitted viruses, & frequent sexual
intercourse with men whose previous
partners had cervical cancer
 Pap test, a cytological examination of
the cervix, allows for early detection
 Treatment: surgery, radiation, &
chemotherapy
 Left untreated it can lead to death
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/19262.htm

11. Diseases and Conditions
Female Reproductive DEFINITION
Atresia Congenital absence or closure of
normal body opening, such as the
vagina
Choriocarcinoma Malignant neoplasm of the uterus
or at the site of an ectopic
pregnancy
Dyspareunia Occurrence of pain during sexual
intercourse

12. Diseases and Conditions
Female Reproductive DEFINITION
Menstrual disorders Abnormal condition in the menstrual cycle, also
called dysfunctional uterine bleeding
Amenorrhea Absence of a menstrual period in a woman of
reproductive age
Dysmenorrheal Cramps or painful menstruation
Menorrhagia Abnormally heavy, prolonged menstrual period
Metrorrhagia Irregular uterine bleeding between menstrual
periods or after menopause
Oligomenorrhea Abnormally light or infrequent menstrual periods
Premenstrual syndrome
(PMS)
Symptoms that occur between ovulation and the
onset of menstruation

13. Diseases and Conditions
FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE DEFINITION
Sterility Inability of the female to become pregnant or the
male to impregnate the female
Uterine fibroids Benign tumors composed of muscle and fibrous
tissue that develop in the uterus, also called
leiomyomas, myomas or fibroids

14. Diseases and Conditions
OBSTETRICS DEFINITION
Abortion Termination of pregnancy before the embryo or fetus is
capable of surviving on its own
Abruption placentae Premature separation of the placenta from the uterine wall
before the third stage of labor, also called placental
abruption
Breech presentation Common abnormality of delivery in which the fetus buttocks
or feet present first rather than the head
Down syndrome Genetic condition in which there is an extra copy of
chromosome 21(trisomy), alterine physical and mental
development of the child, also called trisomy 21
Eclampsia Most serious form of toxemia during pregnancy

15. Diseases and Conditions
OBSTETRICS DEFINITION
Ectopic pregnancy Pregnancy in which the fertilized ovum
becomes implanted on any tissue other
than the lining of the uterine cavity
Placenta previa Obstetric complication in which the
placenta is attached close to or covers the
cervical canal and that results in bleeding
during labor when the cervix dilates

16. Diagnostic Procedures
Procedure Description
Amniocentesis Transabdominal puncture of the amniotic sac under
ultrasound guidance using a needle and syringe to
remove amniotic fluid
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) Sampling of placental tissues for prenatal diagnosis
of potential genetic defects
Colposcopy Visual examination of the vagina and cervix with an
optical magnifying instrument (colposcope)
Cordocentesis Diagnostic prenatal test in which a sample of the
baby’s blood is removed from the umbilical cord for
testing, also called percutaneous umbilical blood
sampling
Endometrial biopsy Removal of a sample of uterine endometrium for
microscopic study

17. Diagnostic Procedures
Procedure Description
Insufflation Delivery of pressurized air or gas into a
cavity, chamber, or organ to allow visual
examination, remove an obstruction, or
apply medication
Papanicolaou (Pap) test An exfoliative cytology test to detect
abnormal cells that are scraped from the
cervix, usually obtained during routine
pelvic examinations
Pelvimetry Measurement of pelvic dimensions to
determine whether the head of the fetus will
be able to pass through the bony pelvis to
allow vaginal delivery

18. Imaging Procedures
Procedure Description
Hysterosalpingography Radiography and usually, fluoroscopy of the
uterus and uterine tubes following an injection of
a contrast medium
Mammography Radiographic examination of the soft tissues of
the breast to screen for breast cancer
Transvaginal ultrasonography Ultrasonography of the pelvic area performed
with a probe inserted into the vagina, which
provides sharper images of pathological and
normal structures of the pelvis

19. Surgical Procedures
Procedure Description
Cerclage Suturing of the cervix to prevent it from dilating
prematurely during pregnancy, thus decreasing the
chance of a spontaneous abortion or preterm birth
Cesarean section (C-Section) Incision of the abdomen and uterus to remove the
fetus
Colpocleisis Surgical closure of the vaginal canal
Conization Excision of a cone-shaped piece of tissue, such as
mucosa of the cervix, for histological examination
Cryosurgery Process of freezing tissue to destroy cells, also called
cryocautery
Dilation and curettage (D&C) Widening of the cervical canal with a dilator and
scraping of the uterine endometrium with a curette

20. Surgical Procedures
Procedure Description
Hysterectomy Excision of the uterus
Subtotal Hysterectomy in which the cervix, ovaries, and
fallopian tubes remain
Total Hysterectomy in which the cervix is removed but the
ovaries and fallopian tubes remain, called complete
hysterectomy
Total plus bilateral salpingo-
oophorectomy
Total (complete) hysterectomy, including removal of
the uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, and ovaries
Laparoscopy Visual examination of the abdominal cavity with a
laparoscope through one or more small incisions in
the abdominal wall, usually at the umbilicus
Lumpectomy Excision of a small primary breast tumor (a lump)
and some of the normal tissue that surrounds it

21. Surgical Procedures
Procedure Description
Mammoplasty Surgical reconstruction of the breast(s) to change the size,
shape or position
Augmentation Insertion of a breast prosthesis (filled with silicone gel or saline)
beneath the pectoralis major muscle
Reduction Breast reduction to reduce the size of a large, pendulous breast
Mastectomy Removal of the breast
Total (simple) Excision of the entire breast, areola, and the involved overlying
skin
Modified radical Excision of the entire breast, including the lymph nodes in the
underarm (axillary dissection) but with the chest muscles left
intact
Radical Excision of the entire breast, all underarm lymph nodes, and the
chest wall muscles under the breast

22. Surgical Procedures
Procedure Description
Reconstructive breast
surgery
Creation of a breast-shaped mound to replace a breast
that has been removed as a result of cancer or other
disease
Tissue (skin) expansion Common breast reconstruction technique in which a
balloon expander is inserted beneath the skin and chest
muscle, saline solution is gradually injected to increase
size, and the expander is then replaced with a more
permanent implant
Transverse rectus abdominis
muscle (TRAM) flap
Surgical creation of a skin flap using skin and fat from
the lower half of the abdomen, which is passed under
the skin to the beast area; the abdominal tissue (flap) is
then shaped into a natural-looking breast and sutured
into place
Tubal ligation Procedure that ties (ligates) the fallopian tubes to
prevent pregnancy

23. Therapeutic Procedure
Procedure Description
Intrauterine device (IUD) Small, T-shaped device inserted by a
physician inside the uterus to prevent
pregnancy