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Halitosis - Offensive or bad breath.
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Hazing - A humiliating or degrading act expected of someone joining a group. It may cause physical or emotional harm, regardless if they want to participate or not. Hazing occurs with sports teams, social groups, and /or fraternities/sororities (to name a few). Examples: Being forced to wear embarrassing or humiliating clothing in public; being forced to drink alcohol or other bad substances; being sworn at or insulted.
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Heart Disease - a number of abnormal conditions affecting the heart and the blood vessels in the heart. The most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease, which is the gradual buildup of plaques in the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that bring blood to the heart. This disease develops slowly and silently, over decades. It can go virtually unnoticed until it produces a heart attack.
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Hemoglobin - Substance containing iron found in red blood cells, which helps the blood carry and deliver oxygen to body tissues.
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Hemophilia - A disease that makes it difficult for the blood to clot, which is how the blood sticks together to stop flowing. Without clots, a simple cut can cause someone to lose a dangerous amount of blood. This disease affects mostly boys.
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Hemorrhoids - veins around the anus or lower rectum that are swollen and inflamed.
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Hepatitis – Hepatitis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It means liver inflammation. Viral hepatitis means that a person has liver inflammation due to a virus. Viral infections of the liver make the liver swell up and stop working well. The liver is an important organ. It helps your body with these functions: Digests food, Stores energy and Removes poisons. There are five types of viral hepatitis. Some people with viral hepatitis have no signs of the infection.
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Hepatitis B - a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. The virus, which is called hepatitis B virus (HBV), can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death. You get hepatitis B by direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person; for instance, you can become infected by having sex or sharing needles with an infected person. A baby can get hepatitis B from an infected mother during childbirth.
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Hepatitis C - a liver disease, caused by a virus that makes the liver swells and stops it from working correctly.
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Herbal supplements - Herbal supplements are different types of medicines that come in a variety forms, such as teas, vitamin pills, or creams. There has not been a lot of research done on herbal supplements to really know how well they work or how safe they are, so it is important that you ask your doctor before taking anything that he or she has not given you.
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Hermaphrodite - Someone with both female and male sex organs.
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Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) - An infection that can be sexually transmitted and cause a recurring rash with clusters of blistery sores on the vagina, cervix, penis, mouth, anus, buttocks, or elsewhere on the body. It produces recurrent blisters and ulcers. In general, HSV I infects the mouth and HSV II is a genital infection.
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Heterosexism - The bias that everyone is or should be heterosexual.
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Heterosexual - Someone who has sexual desire for people of the other gender.
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- Also known as hypertension. Blood pressure is considered high when greater than 140 over 90 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). Long-term high blood pressure can damage blood vessels and organs, including the heart, kidneys, eyes, and brain. Fewer than 10 percent of long-term high blood pressure cases are due to another medical condition, such as kidney disease or certain tumors. The remainder is caused by disruptions in the factors that regulate blood pressure. These include hormones, nervous system control of blood vessel constriction, and kidney control of salt and water levels in the blood.
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Homicide - The killing of one person by another. Homicide is not legal and is a punishable crime.
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Homophobia - Fear and hatred of people who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
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Homosexual - Someone who has sexual desire for people of the same gender.
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Homosocial - Including only one gender.
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Hormonal Contraceptives - Prescription methods of birth control that use hormones to prevent pregnancy. These include the pill, implants, and injectables.
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Hormone – Substance produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to affect a function of the body, such as growth or metabolism.A chemical substance that regulates the activity of certain cells and/or organs; comes from the Greek word meaning "to set in motion." Hormones are made and secreted by glands.
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Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) - Replaces the hormones that a woman's ovaries stop making at the time of menopause, easing symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness. HRT combines the female hormones estrogen and progesterone and is usually given in pill form. [A recent study has found that HRT can cause more harm than good in healthy women, and can increase a woman's risk for breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, and pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung). Talk with your health care provider to find out if HRT is best for you and about other ways to control menopause symptoms.]
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Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) - HIV is the virus that causes AIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. HIV infection can produce no symptoms for many years. When certain symptoms develop, a person has AIDS. HIV infection is life-long, there is no cure. A viral infection contracted through the exchange of bodily fluids most commonly during sexual intercourse, as well as oral sex. It may be transferred to an unborn baby in utero. It is weakening the body's ability to fight disease and can cause AIDS.
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Hymen - A thin, delicate membrane (a membrane is like skin, but much thinner). It partially covers the opening of the vagina in most girls.
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Hyperfemininity - The exaggeration of gender-stereotyped behavior that is believed to be feminine.
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Hypermasculinity - The exaggeration of gender-stereotyped behavior that is believed to be masculine.
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Hyperphilia - Having sex more often than most people.
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Hypertension - See high blood pressure.
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Hypoactive Sexual Desire - The lack of sexual desire.
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Hypophilia - Having sex very infrequently, or not at all.
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Hypothalamus - A small area in the brain that regulates basic animal functions.
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Hysterectomy - A hysterectomy is an operation to remove a woman's uterus (womb). The uterus is where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant. In some cases, the ovaries and fallopian tubes also are removed. These organs are located in a woman’s lower abdomen. The cervix is the lower end of the uterus. The ovaries are organs that produce eggs and hormones. The fallopian tubes carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus.
