Jennifer L. Dorsey

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.

You will need to know medical terminology for endocrine conditions and pathology. Most conditions associated with the endocrine system present more than just a common nuisance or annoyance. Effects like extreme weight gain or weight loss, extreme height issues, and even renal (kidney) failure are not uncommon when it comes to endocrine conditions.

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.

If you are just getting started learning medical terminology, prefixes and suffixes are a good launching point. Yes, there are lots more prefixes for medical terminology than you see listed here. But, to get you started, here is a quick look at some of the most common prefixes that play a huge role in both common, everyday English and medical terminology.

Most common medical terms used today are derived from Latin or Greek. After all, the Greeks were the founders of modern medicine. Examples of medical terminology used today based on the Greek language are The word semantics is derived from the Greek semantikos, meaning “significant.” Coccyx comes from the Greek word for “cuckoo” -- it resembles a cuckoo’s beak.

The roots, as always, are essential medical terminology knowledge because once you master these roots (those good ol’ Greek and Latin ones, that is), you can break down any skeletal-related word and discover its meaning. Once you’ve gotten to know the specific parts of the skeletal system a bit better, it’s time to put your expertise into practice by breaking down the root words into meanings and useful applications.

It’s time to familiarize yourself with medical terminology for the nervous system. It’s hard to believe the brain and spinal cord hold so much responsibility for the way your entire body functions. And like a supercomputer, one small glitch in how the neurons fire or how the messages are sent down the spinal cord can make the difference between, say, walking and being confined to a wheelchair.