Reprinted and adapted with permission from Sweet Secrets: Stories of Menstruation by Kathleen O'Grady and Paula Wansbrough (Sumach Press, 1997). <http://www.sumachpress.com/sweetsec.htm>

Glossary

A note on slang terms: Some of the definitions in this glossary include slang words. Sometimes people are so shy of their bodies and of sex that they make up silly words, or other times they just don't know what the correct words are. People also use slang when they think the correct words sound boring or too medical. This can create a lot of confusion!

There are many, many slang words for our bodies and sex, so we've only been able to include a few. Slang is often disrespectful and offensive, so we highly recommend using the real words when you talk about your body.

AMENORRHEA

The medical term that is used when a woman or a girls' periods stop altogether. Amenorrhea may be caused by a number of things: too much dieting, poor eating habits, illness, being on the birth control pill, pregnancy or menopause.

ANEMIA

People with anemia feel weak and tired all of the time and have problems with concentration. Anemia occurs when there is not enough of the mineral iron in your body. Heavy menstrual periods or poor eating habits can make you anemic.

ANOREXIA (ANOREXIA NERVOSA)

A very dangerous medical condition that occurs when a person diets so much that she's no longer healthy. People with anorexia are very afraid of getting fat and, while often very, very thin, see themselves as overweight. Anorexic women and girls often stop having their menstrual periods. Anorexia is life-threatening.

ANUS

It's from this opening between your legs that you have bowel movements (poo). The anus is between the buttocks of both men and women. Slang: butt hole, bum.

BLOATING

A condition that makes areas of the body swell. Bloating is caused by water retention. Before your period, hormonal changes may cause your body to hold back some of the water that you would usually pee or sweat out. Your belly, breasts, even your fingers can bloat.

CERVIX

The narrow opening that acts as the gateway between the vagina and the uterus. When a pregnant woman gives birth, the cervix must dilate, or open up, so that the baby can come out.

CLITORIS

This tiny, bud-shaped organ is located outside of a woman's body at the top of her labia. It's protected by folds of skin and when touched in certain ways will feel pleasurable. See also : MASTURBATION. Slang: clit, button, hood.

CRAMPS

Pains in the lower abdomen (just below your tummy) that can occur during or before menstruation. No one knows for certain why this happens, but doctors think that it may be linked to poor eating habits (too much fatty food and not enough fibre and vegetables in our diets) and too little exercise. See also DYSMENORRHEA.

CYCLE (MENSTRUAL CYCLE)

A cycle is a process that repeats itself over and over again. The menstrual cycle is made up of a number of different stages, all of which are directed by the body's hormones. The length of a menstrual cycle varies from woman to woman and can be from twenty to forty days long. The average cycle is twenty-eight days.

DISCHARGE (SECRETIONS)

The sticky white or clear mucus that you may find on your underwear. Each day it's produced by your cervix and vagina to wash your internal organs, keeping them clean and free of infection. A woman's vagina also produces a clear discharge when she gets sexually excited. This discharge acts as a lubricant during sex.

DYSMENORRHEA

The medical term for cramps.

EGG (OVUM)

The female reproductive cell. The ovaries contain tiny eggs (ova – plural for ovum). Once menstruation begins, an egg is released from one of the ovaries each cycle. Pregnancy occurs when an egg meets up with a sperm after sexual intercourse.

EJACULATION

The release of sperm from a man's penis. Slang: to come, coming.

EMBRYO

The medical term for the developing cells during the first eight weeks of pregnancy. If the pregnancy continues, these cells will later become a baby.

ENDOMETRIUM

The blood and mucus lining that grows in the uterus during the first stage of the menstrual cycle. Menstrual “blood” is a mixture of mucus and secretions from the vagina and the cervix with the blood and mucus of the endometrium.

ERECTION

When a boy or a man has an erection, his penis expands in size and becomes hard so that it sticks out from his body. This usually happens when he is sexually excited. But boys who are going through puberty can have erections even when they are not sexually excited. An erection can last for a few minutes or up to an hour. Slang: boner, hard-on.

FALLOPIAN TUBE

The passageway between each ovary and the uterus. Following ovulation, the egg leaves the ovary and travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus.

GENITALS

This word is used in a general way to describe the sexual and reproductive organs that are on the outside of a person's body. This word is used for both men and women. A woman's genitals include her clitoris, labia and the opening of her vagina (See also VULVA). A man's genitals include his scrotum and penis. Slang: private parts, down there, crotch.

HIV/AIDS

AIDS is a life-threatening disease that affects people's immune system, making them vulnerable to certain illnesses. AIDS is believed to be caused by the HIV virus, which is transmitted through the bodily fluids: semen, blood, including menstrual blood, vaginal discharge or breast milk. People can protect themselves from HIV/AIDS by using condoms when they have oral sex or penetrative sex. You cannot get HIV/AIDS from kissing or hugging.

HORMONES

Hormones are messages that your body and brain send back and forth so that each part of your body knows what to do. Hormones are always flowing through your body, but there are many more of them during puberty when your body is maturing and learning new processes and sensations.

HYMEN

The thin membrane that protects the vagina when a girl is quite young. Most girls' hymens are usually separated or “torn” during sports or by using tampons, while others' hymens are stretched during heavy petting or sexual intercourse.

LABIA

The fold of skin that protects the vagina (the fleshy skin between your legs). As you physical mature, the labia become softer and looser. Slang: lips.

MASTURBATION

The term used when people give themselves sexual pleasure by touching their genitals. A girl or a woman masturbates by touching her clitoris, vagina and breasts. A boy or a man touches his penis and testicles. Masturbation is normal and most people do it even though the topic is often considered embarrassing or bad in our society. Slang: (for a woman) playing with yourself, getting off; (for a man) beating off; jacking or jerking off.

MENARCHE

Pronounced “men-ark-ie”; this is the medical term for first menstruation.

MENOPAUSE

The end of menstruation, which generally occurs when a woman is in her early fifties. Women can no longer become pregnant once they reach menopause. Slang: the change.

MENSES

Another word for menstruation or periods.

MENSTRUATION

For a few days each month a woman will bleed from her vagina. This bleeding time is called menstruation and can last 2-7 days. Menstruation will happen when a girl begins to mature into adulthood, anywhere from age 9-16. Once a girl begins menstruating, the bleeding will usually return every 20 to 40 days. Slang: period, visitor, friend, that time of the month, the curse.

OVARIES

The thumb-nail sized organs that produce eggs (ova). There are two ovaries, one on the left and one of the right side of the uterus. Once a month one ovary releases an egg that travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus.

OVULATION

The medical term for the time during each menstrual cycle when an ovary releases an egg (ovum). Ovulation usually occurs about fourteen days before your menstrual period.

OVUM

See egg.

PAP SMEAR/PAP TEST

During an annual checkup by a doctor, a sample or “smear” of the secretions and cells of the vagina and cervix are tested for disease or abnormalities.

PERIOD

The common term for menstruation.

PRE-MENSTRUAL SYNDROME/PMS

PMS is a term used to describe the sensations a woman may get before her menstruation begins: cramps, backache, increased emotions (anger, sadness, happiness).

PUBERTY

This is the crazy time in a person's life when a person rapidly changes from a child into an adult. Puberty happens to everyone sooner or later. In girls, puberty can begin as early as eight or nine, while in boys, puberty doesn't usually begin until age eleven or twelve.

For a young woman, puberty will mean she will get her menstrual period, grow breasts and her hips will widen. For a young man, puberty will cause this voice to deepen, hair to grow on his face and his penis will grow too. Both girls and boys grow taller, grow hair in their armpits and around their genitals, may develop pimples, and will have new feelings about sex. It usually takes about three or four years for these changes to occur. Because it's a time of great physical change, puberty can be kind of confusing emotionally!

SEMEN

The liquid (made up of millions of sperm) that comes out of a man's penis during ejaculation.

SEX/SEXUAL INTERCOURSE

When two people choose to give each other pleasure by touching, kissing and rubbing one another's bodies, particularly the genitals. Sexual intercourse occurs when a man's penis is inserted into a woman's vagina, while penetrative sex can include anal as well as vaginal sex. When a person kisses or licks another person's genitals, it's called oral sex.

Any sexual activity that is forced on someone against her (or his) will is considered sexual assault and is against the law.

Slang: making love, having sex, doing it. Slang for oral sex: blow job, going down.

SPERM

The male reproductive cell. Both the egg and the sperm are needed to create a baby.

TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME

A rare but life-threatening illness that has been linked to using tampons. Most often women get TSS by wearing tampons too long (they must be changed every four to five hours) or from using tampons that are too absorbent.

URETHRA

It's from this opening that you urinate (pee). In women, the urethra is located between your labia, just ahead of your vaginal opening. In men, the urethra opening is at the end of the penis.

UTERUS (WOMB)

The uterus is a very strong and muscular hollow organ about the size of your fist. It's located inside your body, just below your belly button. This is where menstrual blood comes from, and it's also the place where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant.

VAGINA

The spongy tunnel that connects the uterus and cervix with the outside of your body. Your vaginal opening is between the folds of your labia.

VULVA

The word for the area between your legs. Your vulva is made up of your external sex organs, the labia and clitoris, and the vaginal opening. Your public hair covers and protects this area.

Copyright © 1997 by Kathleen O'Grady and Paula Wansbrough