Category: Pp-Pr

Occurring or existing before birth. Prenatal care is the regular health care women should receive from an obstetrician or midwife during pregnancy. Prenatal development is the growth of a single-celled zygote formed by the combination of a sperm and an egg into a baby. Prenatal diagnosis is diagnosis before birth by techniques such as ultrasound, chorionic villus sampling (CVS), and amniocente+D13sis. The word “prenatal” comes…

Short and slangy for a premature baby. A preterm infant. Also often spelled (for obscure reasons) preemie.

A combination of physical and mood disturbances that occur in the last half of a woman’s menstrual cycle after ovulation which normally end with the onset of the menstrual flow. Physical features of the premenstrual syndrome (PMS) include breast tenderness and bloating. Psychological changes include anger and depression. Monthly chemical changes may be responsible for PMS. The chemical changes…

An unusually severe form of premenstrual syndrome characterized by drastic mood swings, anger, depression, irritability, tension, sleep and appetite changes, fatigue, and physical problems such as pain or bloating. Abbreviated PMDD. Symptoms generally begin the week before menstruation and end a few days after menstruation has begun. Treatment can involve the use of antidepressant medications of the SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) type.

Just before the start of menstruation. As in a premenstrual headache.

A baby born before 37 weeks of gestation have passed. Historically, the definition of prematurity was 2500 grams (about 5 1/2 pounds) or less at birth. The current World Health Organization definition of prematurity is a baby born before 37 weeks of gestation, counting from the first day of the Last Menstrual Period (the LMP). Premature birth carries greater risks…

Pertaining to tissue that is not yet malignant but is poised to become malignant. Appropriate clinical and laboratory studies are designed to detect premalignant tissue while it is still in a premalignant stage. A battery of techniques are available to remove or kill the tissue, thereby preventing the development of cancer. The proper treatment method depends on the particular…

The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body. The word “pregnant” comes from the Latin pre- meaning before + (g)natus meaning birth = before (giving) birth. The word “prenatal” has exactly the same origin.

The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. This condition can be indicated by positive results on an over-the-counter urine test, and confirmed through a blood test, ultrasound, detection of fetal heartbeat, or an X-ray. Pregnancy lasts for about nine months, measured from the date of the woman’s last menstrual period (LMP). It…

Medical words are often put together, cobbled from two or more building blocks. Among these building blocks are the prefixes. Examples of prefixes used in medicine include: