Learn Terminology

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose.

Obstetric ultrasound uses sound waves to produce pictures of a baby (embryo or fetus) within a pregnant woman, as well as the mother's uterus and ovaries. It does not use ionizing radiation, has no known harmful effects, and is the preferred method for monitoring pregnant women and their unborn babies.

A chromosomal abnormality, chromosomal anomaly, chromosomal aberration, chromosomal mutation, or chromosomal disorder is a missing, extra, or irregular portion of chromosomal DNA. These can occur in the form of numerical abnormalities, where there is an atypical number of chromosomes, or as structural abnormalities, where one or more individual chromosomes are altered. Chromosome mutation was formerly used in a strict sense to mean a change in a chromosomal segment, involving more than one gene. Chromosome anomalies usually occur when there is an error in cell division following meiosis or mitosis. Chromosome abnormalities may be detected or confirmed by comparing an individual's karyotype, or full set of chromosomes, to a typical karyotype for the species via genetic testing.
Sometimes chromosomal abnormalities arise in the early stages of an embryo, sperm, or infant. A mother's age is one of the many environmental factors that might lead to genetic abnormalities. The implications of chromosomal abnormalities depend on the specific problem, they may have quite different ramifications. Some examples are Down syndrome and Turner syndrome.

Internal medicine, also known as general internal medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of internal diseases in adults. Medical practitioners of internal medicine are referred to as internists, or physicians in Commonwealth nations. Internists possess specialized skills in managing patients with undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes. They provide care to both hospitalized (inpatient) and ambulatory (outpatient) patients and often contribute significantly to teaching and research. Internists are qualified physicians who have undergone postgraduate training in internal medicine, and should not be confused with "interns", a term commonly used for a medical doctor who has obtained a medical degree but does not yet have a license to practice medicine unsupervised.

In the United States and Commonwealth nations, there is often confusion between internal medicine and family medicine, with people mistakenly considering them equivalent.

Internists primarily work in hospitals, as their patients are frequently seriously ill or require extensive medical tests. Internists often have subspecialty interests in diseases affecting particular organs or organ systems. The certification process and available subspecialties may vary across different countries.

Genetic counseling is a process that helps people understand and adapt to the medical, psychological, and familial implications of genetic disorders. A genetic counselor is a specialized healthcare professional who can provide information about how a genetic condition could aspect an individual or family. They can also interpret genetic tests to help estimate the risk of a disease.

If you have high blood pressure, the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls is consistently too high. The heart has to work harder to pump blood. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). In general, hypertension is a blood pressure reading of 130/80 mm Hg or higher.

A high-risk pregnancy is one where the mother or fetus has a higher chance of health problems during pregnancy or labor than in a typical pregnancy. Risk factors can include:
• Maternal health conditions: Such as diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV, cancer, or lupus
• Pregnancy factors: Such as being underweight or overweight, carrying multiples, or having had complications in a previous pregnancy
• Other factors: Such as age, infections, or lifestyle factors

Prenatal testing is a tool that can be used to detect some birth defects at various stages prior to birth. Prenatal testing consists of prenatal screening and prenatal diagnosis, which are aspects of prenatal care that focus on detecting problems with the pregnancy as early as possible. These may be anatomic and physiologic problems with the health of the zygote, embryo, or fetus, either before gestation even starts (as in preimplantation genetic diagnosis) or as early in gestation as practicable. Screening can detect problems such as neural tube defects, chromosome abnormalities, and gene mutations that would lead to genetic disorders and birth defects, such as spina bifida, cleft palate, Down syndrome, trisomy 18, Tay–Sachs disease, sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and fragile X syndrome. Some tests are designed to discover problems which primarily affect the health of the mother, such as PAPP-A to detect pre-eclampsia or glucose tolerance tests to diagnose gestational diabetes. Screening can also detect anatomical defects such as hydrocephalus, anencephaly, heart defects, and amniotic band syndrome.

A doctor may recommend vaginal procedures for a variety of reasons, including to treat gynecological issues or for vaginal reconstruction.

• Vaginal surgeries:
These minimally invasive procedures can include repairing bladder or rectal prolapse, perineal repair, or urethral sling support. Recovery is often quick, with patients able to go home the same day or the next morning.
• Vaginal reconstruction:
These procedures can include tightening the vagina (vaginoplasty), reshaping the labia (labiaplasty), or reshaping the vulva (vulvaplasty). Women who may be eligible for vaginal reconstruction include cancer patients, women with vaginal wall prolapse, or women who have experienced physical trauma to the vaginal region.
• Other gynecological procedures:
These procedures can include cutting scar tissue (adhesiolysis), repairing the vaginal wall (colporrhaphy), or inserting a lighted telescope into the uterus to diagnose or treat uterine problems (hysteroscopy).