Glossary

Women's health glossary

Short, plain explanations of the words you hear about periods, fertility, pregnancy, hormones and menopause.

Updated October 19, 2026

In short

What do common women's health terms mean?

Most women's health terms describe your cycle, your hormones or a life stage. The luteal phase is the time between ovulation and your next period. hCG is the pregnancy hormone that tests detect. TSH is a blood test that checks your thyroid. Perimenopause is the transition before your periods stop. This glossary explains each term in one or two plain sentences.

Adenomyosis: A condition where tissue like the lining of the uterus grows into the uterus's muscle wall. It can cause heavy, painful periods and a larger, tender uterus.Read the guide: Adenomyosis
Amenorrhea: The medical word for having no periods. It can mean periods haven't started by age 15, or they've stopped for 3 months or more after you've had them before.Read the guide: Amenorrhea
AMH (anti-Mullerian hormone): A hormone made by small follicles in the ovaries. An AMH blood test gives a rough idea of how many eggs you have left, but it can't predict whether you can get pregnant naturally.Read the guide: AMH (anti-Mullerian hormone)
Amniotic fluid: The fluid that surrounds and cushions the baby inside the amniotic sac during pregnancy. When people say your waters have broken, it means this sac has opened and the fluid is leaking out.Read the guide: Amniotic fluid
Androgens: Hormones such as testosterone that everyone makes. Women make small amounts in the ovaries and adrenal glands; higher levels can cause acne, extra facial or body hair and irregular periods.Read the guide: Androgens
Anemia: Having fewer healthy red blood cells than normal, so less oxygen reaches your body. Iron deficiency anemia is common with heavy periods and in pregnancy, and can make you tired, pale and short of breath.Read the guide: Anemia
Anovulation: A cycle in which your ovaries don't release an egg. It is a common cause of irregular periods and of trouble getting pregnant, for example with PCOS or thyroid problems.Read the guide: Anovulation
Baby blues: Mood swings, tearfulness and worry that many people feel in the first days after giving birth. They usually pass within about 2 weeks; feelings that last longer or feel heavier can be postpartum depression.Read the guide: Baby blues
Bacterial vaginosis (BV): A common imbalance of the bacteria that normally live in the vagina. It can cause thin, gray-white discharge with a fishy smell, often stronger after sex. It isn't a sexually transmitted infection.Read the guide: Bacterial vaginosis (BV)
Basal body temperature (BBT): Your body's temperature at full rest, taken as soon as you wake up. It rises slightly, by about 0.5 to 1°F (0.3 to 0.5°C), after ovulation, so it confirms ovulation after it has happened.Read the guide: Basal body temperature (BBT)
Bone density scan (DEXA): A quick, low-dose X-ray that measures how strong your bones are, usually at the hip and spine. It is the main test used to find osteoporosis and to judge your risk of breaking a bone.Read the guide: Bone density scan (DEXA)
Braxton Hicks contractions: Practice tightenings of the uterus that can start in the second trimester. They are usually irregular, painless or mildly uncomfortable, and ease when you rest or change position, unlike true labor contractions.Read the guide: Braxton Hicks contractions
Cervical mucus: Fluid made by the cervix that changes through your cycle. Just before ovulation it often becomes clear, slippery and stretchy, like raw egg white, which helps sperm travel to the egg.Read the guide: Cervical mucus
Cervix: The narrow lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina. Period blood flows out through it, and it softens and opens during labor so the baby can be born.
Cesarean section (C-section): Surgery to deliver a baby through cuts in the belly and the uterus. It may be planned ahead or done during labor when it is the safer way to give birth.Read the guide: Cesarean section (C-section)
Chemical pregnancy: A very early pregnancy loss that happens soon after implantation, before an ultrasound can see the pregnancy. You may get a positive test and then bleeding around when your period was due. It is common and real.Read the guide: Chemical pregnancy
Corpus luteum: What is left of the follicle after it releases an egg. It makes progesterone to prepare the uterine lining and, if no pregnancy starts, breaks down after about 2 weeks, which brings on your period.Read the guide: Corpus luteum
Diastasis recti: A gap between the two long muscles down the middle of your belly, caused by stretching during pregnancy. It often narrows in the weeks and months after birth, and gentle core exercises can help.Read the guide: Diastasis recti
Due date: The estimated date your baby will be born, counted as 40 weeks (280 days) from the first day of your last period. Only a small share of babies arrive on that exact day.Read the guide: Due date
Dysmenorrhea: The medical word for painful periods. Primary dysmenorrhea is common cramping with no other cause; secondary dysmenorrhea comes from a condition such as endometriosis, adenomyosis or fibroids.Read the guide: Dysmenorrhea
Ectopic pregnancy: A pregnancy that implants outside the uterus, most often in a fallopian tube, and cannot continue. One-sided belly pain, shoulder tip pain, bleeding or fainting need emergency care: call 911 or your local emergency number.Read the guide: Ectopic pregnancy
Endometriosis: A long-term condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it, for example on the ovaries. It can cause very painful periods, pelvic pain, pain during sex and trouble getting pregnant.Read the guide: Endometriosis
Endometrium: The inner lining of the uterus. It thickens each cycle to get ready for a possible pregnancy, and if no pregnancy starts, it sheds as your period.Read the guide: Endometrium
Estrogen: A group of hormones made mainly by the ovaries. Estrogen helps run the menstrual cycle, builds the uterine lining and protects your bones, and its levels fall around menopause.Read the guide: Estrogen
Ferritin: A blood test that shows how much iron your body has stored. Low ferritin is common with heavy periods and in pregnancy, and it can cause tiredness even before anemia shows up.
Fertile window: The days in each cycle when sex can lead to pregnancy: about 5 days before ovulation and the day of ovulation. Predicting it is not a reliable form of birth control.Read the guide: Fertile window
Fibroids: Noncancerous growths of muscle in or on the wall of the uterus. They are very common; many cause no symptoms, while others cause heavy periods, pelvic pressure or needing to pee often.Read the guide: Fibroids
Follicle: A small, fluid-filled sac in the ovary that holds a developing egg. Each cycle several follicles start to grow, and usually one releases its egg at ovulation.Read the guide: Follicle
Follicular phase: The part of your cycle from the first day of your period until ovulation. Follicles grow and estrogen rises; its length varies more than any other phase, which is why cycle lengths differ.Read the guide: Follicular phase
FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone): A hormone from the pituitary gland in your brain that helps follicles grow. FSH rises during perimenopause, but levels swing so much that a single test can't confirm menopause.Read the guide: FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone)
Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM): Changes caused by low estrogen around and after menopause, such as vaginal dryness, burning, pain during sex, needing to pee urgently and more urinary infections. It often doesn't improve without treatment.Read the guide: Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)
Gestational age: How far along a pregnancy is, counted in weeks from the first day of your last period. It runs about 2 weeks ahead of the time since conception.Read the guide: Gestational age
Gestational diabetes: High blood sugar that first appears during pregnancy, usually found by a test between 24 and 28 weeks. It usually goes away after birth but raises your later risk of type 2 diabetes.Read the guide: Gestational diabetes
Glucose tolerance test: A blood test taken after you drink a sweet glucose drink, to see how your body handles sugar. In pregnancy it is used to check for gestational diabetes.Read the guide: Glucose tolerance test
Graves' disease: An autoimmune condition in which the immune system makes the thyroid overactive. It is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism and can also affect the eyes.Read the guide: Graves' disease
Hashimoto's thyroiditis: An autoimmune condition in which the immune system slowly damages the thyroid. It is the most common cause of an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) in the US.Read the guide: Hashimoto's thyroiditis
hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin): The pregnancy hormone, made by the developing placenta after implantation. Home pregnancy tests detect it in urine, and blood tests can measure the exact amount.Read the guide: hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin)
Heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia): Periods heavy enough to affect daily life, such as soaking a pad or tampon every hour for several hours, bleeding longer than 7 days or passing clots larger than a quarter.Read the guide: Heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia)
Hirsutism: Coarse, dark hair growing where men usually grow it, such as the face, chest or back. It is often linked to higher androgen levels, for example in PCOS.Read the guide: Hirsutism
Hormone therapy (HRT or MHT): Medicine that replaces estrogen, plus a progestogen if you have a uterus, to ease menopause symptoms like hot flashes. Its benefits and risks depend on your age, health and time since menopause.Read the guide: Hormone therapy (HRT or MHT)
Hot flash: A sudden feeling of heat in the face, neck and chest, often with flushing, sweating and a fast heartbeat. It usually lasts a few minutes and is the most common symptom of menopause.Read the guide: Hot flash
HPV (human papillomavirus): A very common virus passed by skin contact during sex. Most infections clear on their own, but some high-risk types can cause cell changes that may lead to cervical cancer, which screening and vaccines help prevent.
Hyperemesis gravidarum: Severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, much stronger than usual morning sickness. It can cause dehydration and weight loss, and it needs medical treatment.Read the guide: Hyperemesis gravidarum
Hyperthyroidism: An overactive thyroid that makes too much thyroid hormone. It can cause a fast heartbeat, weight loss, anxiety, shaky hands, feeling hot and lighter or less frequent periods.Read the guide: Hyperthyroidism
Hypothyroidism: An underactive thyroid that doesn't make enough thyroid hormone. It can cause tiredness, feeling cold, weight gain, constipation, dry skin and heavier or irregular periods.Read the guide: Hypothyroidism
Implantation: When a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus, usually about 6 to 10 days after ovulation. The body starts making hCG soon after.Read the guide: Implantation
Implantation bleeding: Light spotting that some people notice when a fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining, often around when a period is due. It is usually pink or brown and much lighter than a period.Read the guide: Implantation bleeding
Infertility: Not getting pregnant after 12 months of regular sex without birth control, or after 6 months if you are 35 or older. It affects people of every sex, and many causes can be treated.Read the guide: Infertility
Insulin resistance: When your body's cells don't respond well to insulin, so the pancreas has to make more to keep blood sugar steady. It is common in PCOS and raises the risk of type 2 diabetes.Read the guide: Insulin resistance
IUD (intrauterine device): A small, T-shaped device placed in the uterus to prevent pregnancy for several years. Hormonal IUDs often make periods lighter, while copper IUDs can make them heavier at first.
IUI (intrauterine insemination): A fertility treatment in which washed sperm is placed directly into the uterus through a thin tube around the time of ovulation. It is simpler and less invasive than IVF.Read the guide: IUI (intrauterine insemination)
IVF (in vitro fertilization): A fertility treatment in which eggs are collected from the ovaries, fertilized with sperm in a lab and then placed in the uterus as an embryo.Read the guide: IVF (in vitro fertilization)
Kegel exercises: Exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor by squeezing and lifting the muscles you use to stop peeing, then relaxing them. They can help with leaks during pregnancy, after birth and around menopause.Read the guide: Kegel exercises
Last menstrual period (LMP): The first day of your most recent period. Doctors use it to count how many weeks pregnant you are and to estimate your due date.Read the guide: Last menstrual period (LMP)
LH (luteinizing hormone): A hormone from the pituitary gland that controls ovulation. A sharp rise in LH, called the LH surge, tells the ovary to release an egg.Read the guide: LH (luteinizing hormone)
LH surge: A quick rise in luteinizing hormone that triggers ovulation, usually about 24 to 36 hours later. Ovulation test strips detect this surge in urine.Read the guide: LH surge
Lochia: The bleeding and discharge from the vagina after giving birth, as the uterus heals. It is heaviest and red at first, then turns pink, brown and yellow-white over about 6 weeks.Read the guide: Lochia
Luteal phase: The part of your cycle after ovulation and before your next period, usually lasting about 12 to 14 days. The corpus luteum makes progesterone, which can cause PMS symptoms.Read the guide: Luteal phase
Menarche: Your very first period. It usually happens between ages 10 and 15, often about 2 years after breasts start to develop.Read the guide: Menarche
Menopause: The point when you have gone 12 months in a row without a period, because the ovaries have stopped releasing eggs. In the US it happens at an average age of 51.Read the guide: Menopause
Menstrual cycle: The monthly cycle of hormone changes that prepares your body for a possible pregnancy. It is counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next, usually 21 to 35 days in adults.Read the guide: Menstrual cycle
Menstruation: Your period: the monthly shedding of the uterine lining, which leaves the body as blood through the vagina. It usually lasts 2 to 7 days.Read the guide: Menstruation
Miscarriage: The loss of a pregnancy before 20 weeks. Most happen in the first trimester, often because of chromosome problems that nothing could have prevented, and they are not caused by anything you did.Read the guide: Miscarriage
Mittelschmerz: One-sided pain low in the belly that some people feel around ovulation. It is usually mild and lasts from a few minutes to a day or two.Read the guide: Mittelschmerz
Morning sickness: Nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy, which can happen at any time of day. It usually starts around week 6 and eases for most people by weeks 16 to 20.Read the guide: Morning sickness
Night sweats: Hot flashes that happen during sleep, sometimes strong enough to soak your clothes or sheets. They are common in perimenopause and menopause and can disturb your sleep.Read the guide: Night sweats
Oligomenorrhea: The medical word for infrequent periods, usually meaning cycles longer than 35 days or fewer than 9 periods a year. PCOS is a common cause.Read the guide: Oligomenorrhea
Osteoporosis: A condition in which bones become thin and weak and break more easily. The risk rises after menopause, because estrogen helps protect bone strength.Read the guide: Osteoporosis
Ovarian cyst: A fluid-filled sac on or in an ovary. Most are harmless and go away on their own within a few cycles, but sudden, severe pelvic pain needs urgent care.
Ovarian reserve: The number of eggs left in your ovaries, which falls naturally with age. Tests like AMH and an ultrasound follicle count give an estimate, not a guarantee about fertility.Read the guide: Ovarian reserve
Ovulation: When an ovary releases an egg, usually about 12 to 14 days before your next period. The egg lives for about 12 to 24 hours unless sperm fertilizes it.Read the guide: Ovulation
Ovulation test: A home urine test that detects the LH surge. A positive result means ovulation is likely within the next day or two, which helps time sex when trying to conceive.Read the guide: Ovulation test
Pap test: A cervical screening test that collects cells from the cervix to look for changes that could turn into cancer. It is often done together with an HPV test.
PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome): A common hormone condition that can cause irregular or missed periods, higher androgen levels with acne or extra hair, and many small follicles on the ovaries. A doctor diagnoses it using these signs.Read the guide: PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)
Pelvic floor: A sling of muscles across the bottom of your pelvis that supports the bladder, uterus and bowel. Pregnancy, birth and menopause can weaken it, which may cause leaks.Read the guide: Pelvic floor
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID): An infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes or ovaries, often from untreated sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia or gonorrhea. It can cause pelvic pain, fever and later fertility problems.
Perimenopause: The years leading up to menopause, when hormone levels rise and fall unevenly. Periods become irregular and symptoms like hot flashes, poor sleep and mood changes often start, usually in your 40s.Read the guide: Perimenopause
Placenta: The organ that grows in the uterus during pregnancy and connects to the baby through the umbilical cord. It passes oxygen and nutrients to the baby and is delivered after birth.Read the guide: Placenta
PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder): A severe form of PMS in which mood symptoms such as depression, anxiety, anger or irritability seriously affect daily life in the 1 to 2 weeks before a period.Read the guide: PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder)
PMS (premenstrual syndrome): Physical and emotional symptoms, such as bloating, sore breasts, tiredness and mood changes, that appear in the 1 to 2 weeks before a period and ease once it starts.Read the guide: PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
Postmenopause: All the years after menopause. Hot flashes and other symptoms often ease, but lower estrogen raises the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.Read the guide: Postmenopause
Postpartum: The time after giving birth, as your body heals and hormones settle. The first 6 weeks are the most intense, but recovery and changes can continue for a year or more.Read the guide: Postpartum
Postpartum depression: Depression after having a baby that lasts longer than 2 weeks, with sadness, anxiety, hopelessness or trouble bonding. It is common and treatable; if you think about harming yourself, call or text 988 (the US crisis line).Read the guide: Postpartum depression
Postpartum hemorrhage: Heavy bleeding after giving birth. Soaking a pad in an hour or less, passing large clots or feeling faint is an emergency: call 911 or your local emergency number.Read the guide: Postpartum hemorrhage
Preeclampsia: A serious condition after 20 weeks of pregnancy or soon after birth, with high blood pressure and signs of strain on organs. A severe headache, vision changes or sudden swelling need urgent care.Read the guide: Preeclampsia
Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI): When the ovaries stop working normally before age 40. Periods become irregular or stop, and you may have menopause symptoms; some people with POI still ovulate now and then.Read the guide: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)
Preterm labor: Labor that starts before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Regular contractions, a change in discharge, pelvic pressure or a low, dull backache before 37 weeks are reasons to call your care team right away.Read the guide: Preterm labor
Progesterone: A hormone made mostly after ovulation by the corpus luteum. It steadies the uterine lining and supports early pregnancy; when it drops at the end of the cycle, your period starts.Read the guide: Progesterone
Prostaglandins: Hormone-like chemicals made by the uterine lining that make the uterus contract during a period. Higher levels cause stronger cramps and can also cause diarrhea or nausea.Read the guide: Prostaglandins
Spotting: Light bleeding outside your normal period, often just a few drops of pink or brown blood. It can come from ovulation, birth control, early pregnancy or a condition that needs checking.Read the guide: Spotting
T4 (thyroxine): The main hormone made by the thyroid gland. A free T4 blood test measures the part your body can use, and it is usually read together with TSH.Read the guide: T4 (thyroxine)
TPO antibodies: A blood test for antibodies against thyroid peroxidase, an enzyme in the thyroid. High levels suggest an autoimmune thyroid condition, most often Hashimoto's thyroiditis.Read the guide: TPO antibodies
Trimester: One of the three stages of pregnancy. The first trimester runs to the end of week 13, the second from week 14 to week 27, and the third from week 28 until birth.Read the guide: Trimester
TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone): A hormone from the pituitary gland that tells your thyroid how much hormone to make. A TSH blood test is the main thyroid check: high TSH usually means an underactive thyroid, low TSH an overactive one.Read the guide: TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone)
Two-week wait: The roughly 2 weeks between ovulation, or an IUI or embryo transfer, and the day a pregnancy test can give a reliable result. Many people find this wait stressful.Read the guide: Two-week wait
Urinary tract infection (UTI): An infection, usually in the bladder, that causes burning when you pee, needing to pee often and cloudy or strong-smelling pee. Fever or back pain can mean it has reached the kidneys.Read the guide: Urinary tract infection (UTI)
Uterus: The hollow, muscular organ in the pelvis where a pregnancy grows, also called the womb. Its lining sheds each month as your period.
Vaginal atrophy: An older name for thinning, drying and irritation of vaginal tissue caused by low estrogen, most often after menopause. Doctors now usually call it genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM).Read the guide: Vaginal atrophy
Vaginal discharge: Fluid made by the cervix and vagina that keeps the vagina clean and moist. It changes through your cycle; a new smell, color, itching or soreness can be a sign of infection.Read the guide: Vaginal discharge
Yeast infection: An overgrowth of Candida, a yeast that normally lives in the vagina. It causes itching, soreness and thick white discharge like cottage cheese, usually without a strong smell.Read the guide: Yeast infection

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