Beverley Henderson

Grasping medical terminology starts with knowing the body’s systems, recognizing medical root words commonly used, understanding the Greek influence in medical terminology, and learning those pesky hard-to-spell medical words.Your Body’s SystemsYour body is made up of many systems, each having their own vital parts that work together.

What makes up the inside of your body, from cells to organs and everything in between, lends itself to an abundance of body part-related medical terms. All the root words and combining forms can morph into all kinds of different words that explain everything from everyday common conditions and procedures to pathology and pharmacology.

The urinary system is made up of the kidneys (you have two), ureters (also two), bladder, and urethra (one). This system’s main function is to remove urea, the waste product of metabolism, from the bloodstream and excrete the urea (in the urine) from the body.So, how does that big steak dinner you ate last night turn into the next morning’s output in the form of urine?

Although bones, muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons all work together, they each have a special job. Bones provide the framework for your body but ligaments and tendons provide the attachments for muscles to contract and relax.Bones store mineral salts, and the inner core of a bone is composed of hematopoietic (blood cell–forming) red bone marrow.

Your skin (the body’s largest organ), glands, nails, and hair — also known as the integumentary system — serve as the “public face” of your body. Consider it your marketing team, letting the world know by their condition how healthy the rest of your body is. Healthy skin, along with accessory organs glands, hair, and nails, are the hallmarks of healthy insides, so care for them accordingly.

The musculoskeletal system is made up of muscles and joints. The muscles — all 600 of them and more — are responsible for movement. The skeleton provides attachment points and support for muscles, but it’s the muscle tissue’s ability to extend and contract that makes movement happen. So, for every climb of the elliptical machine, you can thank muscular tissue for making it possible.

Body parts and their accompanying medical terms don’t make a whole lot of sense until you can put them in the context of their general location within the body. Your body can be defined in several different ways, from groups and regions to cavities and planes.Body regions are used to specifically identify a body area.

Reproduction is a touchy subject, complete with an extensive vocabulary of medical terminology. Make sure you take the time to familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of the female reproductive system. Common female reproductive conditions There’s more to the female reproductive system than making babies. With all that equipment, there’s bound to be a fair share of technical difficulties ranging from the downright annoying to the long-lasting: Amenorrhea: Absence of menstrual period Cervicitis: Inflammation of the cervix Dysmenorrhea: Painful menstrual periods Dyspareunia: Painful or difficult intercourse Endometritis: Inflammation of endometrium Gynatresia (atresia): Absence of normal body opening (an occlusion); gynatresia usually refers to part of female genital tract, the vagina HRT (hormone replacement therapy): Replacement of hormones to treat menopausal symptoms Hydrosalpinx: Water in fallopian tube Mastitis: Inflammation of the breast occurring during breastfeeding, usually bacterial in nature Menometrorrhagia: Excessive menstrual flow both during and between menstrual periods Menorrhagia: Heavy menstrual period Oophoritis: Inflammation of ovary PMD (premenstrual dysphoric syndrome): Used to describe severe premenstrual syndrome, which results in a week or two of hormonally triggered clinical depression every month PMS (premenstrual syndrome): Cyclic disorder involving physical and emotional symptoms in the premenstrual phase; symptoms include fatigue, bloating, tension, and irritability Vaginitis: Inflammation of the vagina Some conditions of the female reproductive system are specifically related to pregnancy and childbirth: Abruptio placentae: Premature separation of placenta from the uterine wall causing bleeding and a rigid, painful abdomen and requiring emergency cesarean section Dystocia: Difficult or abnormal labor Eclampsia: Severe complication of pregnancy involving convulsions and/or coma in a pregnant female Ectopic pregnancy: Pregnancy occurring outside the uterus (tubal pregnancy) requiring emergency surgery Intrauterine fetal death: Fetal death occurring before expected date of birth Missed abortion: A fetal demise has occurred but miscarriage by expulsion has not taken place Placenta previa: Placenta develops in the lower uterine wall and may cover the cervix, blocking the birth canal and requiring a C-section; can be diagnosed by ultrasound Preeclampsia: Condition during pregnancy or shortly after delivery with high blood pressure, edema (swelling), and protein in the urine Salpingocyesis: Pregnancy occurring in fallopian tube or ectopic pregnancy Spontaneous abortion: A miscarriage, usually occurring before 12 weeks of gestation Stillbirth: Fetal death in utero, occurring before delivery Female reproductive diseases and pathology A woman’s mental and sexual health are intricately interwoven with physical health.