Health Encyclopedia

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

  • Early Ejaculation - Ejaculation occurring before a man wants it to occur.

  • Eating Disorder - Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder, involve serious problems with eating. This could include an extreme decrease of food or severe overeating, as well as feelings of distress and concern about body shape or weight.

  • Ectopic Pregnancy – A life-threatening pregnancy that is not in the uterus. It happens when a fertilized egg settles and grows in a place other than the inner lining of the uterus. Most happen in the fallopian tube, but can happen in the ovary, cervix, or abdominal cavity.

  • Egg - The reproductive cell in women; the largest cell in the human body.

  • Ejaculation – The moment when penis ejects whitish discharge, called semen.

  • Ejaculatory Inevitability - The moment during sexual excitement when a man cannot stop his ejaculation. The prostate begins contracting and pulsing out seminal fluid.

  • Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) - an external, noninvasive test that records the electrical activity of the heart.

  • Electrolysis - An electrical current is used to remove unwanted hair.

  • Electrolyte Imbalance - when the amounts of sodium and potassium in the body become too much or too little.

  • Emancipated Minor - A minor who has legal autonomy and usually lives on her or his own without financial support from parents or guardians.

  • Embryo –The organism that develops from the pre-embryo and begins to share the woman's blood supply about nine days after fertilization.

  • Emergency Contraception – Emergency contraception, or emergency birth control, is used to help keep a woman from getting pregnant after she has had unprotected sex (sex without using birth control).

  • Emergency Hormonal Contraception - The use of oral contraceptives to prevent pregnancy after unprotected intercourse.

  • Emphysema - A disease than involves damage to the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs. The air sacs have trouble deflating once filled with air, so they are unable to fill up again with the fresh air needed to supply the body. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of emphysema.

  • Endometriosis – Endometriosis is a common health problem in women. It gets its name from the word endometrium, the tissue that lines the uterus (womb). In women with this problem, tissue that looks and acts like the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus in other areas. These areas can be called growths, tumors, implants, lesions, or nodules. Symptoms include sharp abdominal pains as well as menstrual cramps and painful sexual intercourse.

  • Endometrium –The inner lining of the uterus - the part of the uterus that engorges with blood each month and is shed form the body during menstruation

  • Endorphins - Opium-like chemicals made in the brain. They may contribute to a person’s sense of well-being

  • Endoscopy - a diagnostic procedure in which a thin, flexible tube is introduced through the mouth or rectum to view parts of the digestive tract.

  • Endurance - The measure of your body’s ability to keep up an activity without getting tired. The more endurance you have, the longer you can swim, bike, run or play a sport before tiring out.

  • Engorgement - condition in which breasts become overly full of milk. Engorged breasts may feel swollen, hard, and painful. Engorgement can lead to blocked milk ducts.

  • Enriched - When vitamins or minerals are added to a food to make it more nutritious. An example is calcium-enriched orange juice.

  • Epididymis - The tube in which sperm mature. It is tightly coiled on top of and behind each testis. The plural of epididymis is epididymides.

  • Epididymitis - An inflammation of the epididymis.

  • Epidural - During labor a woman may be offered an epidural, where a needle is inserted into the epidural space at the end of the spine, to numb the lower body and reduce pain. This allows a woman to have more energy and strength for the end stage of labor, when it is time to push the baby out of the birth canal.

  • Epilepsy - a physical disorder that involves recurrent seizures. It is caused by sudden changes in how the brain works.

  • Episiotomy - This is a procedure where an incision is made in the perineum (area between the vagina and the anus) to make the vaginal opening larger in order to prevent the area from tearing during delivery.

  • Erectile Dysfunction – The inability to achieve and keep a penile erection.

  • Erection - A "hard" penis when it becomes full of blood and stiffens.

  • Erogenous Zone - Any area of the body very sensitive to sensual touch.

  • Erotic - That which is sexually arousing.

  • Erotica - Sexually arousing imagery that is not considered pornographic, obscene, or offensive to the average person.

  • Erotophilia - Appreciation of the erotic.

  • Erotophobia - Fear and anxiety about the erotic.

  • Erythrocytes - Red blood cells.

  • Esophagus - Tube that connects the throat with the stomach.

  • Estrogen – a group of female hormones that are responsible for the development of breasts and other secondary sex characteristics in women. Estrogen is produced by the ovaries and other body tissues. Estrogen, along with progesterone, is important in preparing a woman's body for pregnancy. Estrogen's major effects are seen during puberty, menstruation, and pregnancy.

  • Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) – ERT refers to a woman taking supplements of hormones such as estrogen alone or estrogen with another hormone called progesterone (progestin in its synthetic form). ERT replaces hormones that a woman’s body should be making or used to make.

  • Estrus - The period of fertility and sexual arousal in the female animal.

  • Ethnocentric - The belief that one's own country, culture, or ethnic group is superior to others'.

  • Excitement - The body's physical response to desire and to stimulation. The second stage of the sexual response cycle.

  • Exhibitionism – When someone exposes him/herself in public. A paraphilia in which sexual arousal becomes dependent on exposing the sex organs to those who will be surprised.

  • Exhibitionists - Women or men who expose their sex organs to other people without their consent, usually in public places.

  • External Sex and Reproductive Organs - The sex organs and structures on the outside of the body that are primarily used during sexual activity. These include the vulva in a woman and the penis and scrotum in a man.

  • Extramarital Sex - Sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than his or her spouse.