Glossary | |
| Terms that are on use on this site. | |
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| There are 252 entries in the glossary. | |
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| Term | Definition |
| Chemotherapy | The prevention or treatment of cancer by the use of chemical substances. |
| Chickenpox | A highly infectious disease caused by a herpes virus that is transmitted by airborne droplets. |
| Chlamydia | A sexually transmitted infection. |
| Chronic | Description of a disease or illness lasting for a long time. |
| Circulatory | Relating to the circulation of blood. |
| Circumcision | Surgical removal of the foreskin of the penis. |
| Clitoris | Part of the female genitals located at the front end of the vulva. |
| Co-infection | When more than one infection is present. |
| Combination therapy | Taking a number of anti HIV drugs together. |
| Combination therapy (HepC) | Taking a number of anti hepatitis drugs together. |
| Coming out | A process of openly acknowledging your sexuality. |
| Compress | A pad pressed onto part of the body to relive inflammation, stop bleeding etc. |
| Condoms | A sheath worn over the penis to prevent unwanted pregnancy or infection. |
| Consensual | Something that both (or all) people agree to. |
| Consent | free agreement |
| Continence | Ability to control urination and defaecation. |
| Contraception | The intentional prevention of pregnancy. |
| Cross resistance | The phenomenon by which HIV and other disease-causing organisms become resistant to more than one drug after a single therapy. |
| Cysts | A sac or closed cavity filled with liquid or semi-solid matter. |
| Debilitating | When health is being adversely affected. |
| Decriminalisation | The act of ceasing to treat an action as criminal. |
| Defaecating | The act of discharging faeces from the body. |
| Dementia | The name for a group of diseases that affect the normal working of the brain. The changes in the brain slowly lead to memory loss and confusion and affect people’s personality and behaviour. |
| Dental dam | A rubberised oral shield used to cover a female’s genitals during oral sex. |
| Depression | A mental state characterised by excessive sadness / feeling down. |
| DES | Diethylstilbestrol – this was a synthetic form of oestrogen which was used in the 1950s and 1960s to stabilise problem pregnancies. It was later found to have an adverse effect on the foetus and was discontinued. |
| Diabetes | A chronic condition due to low levels of insulin in the body which leads to high levels of glucose. |
| Dialysis | A method separating particles of different dimensions in a liquid mixture. |
| Discharge | Can be a normal physiological process e.g. vaginal discharge or can be caused by other problems, e.g. infections. |
| Disclosure | The act of revealing, making something known. |
| Glossary V2.0 | |
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