Glossary

• Cardiovascular: This term refers to the heart (cardio) and the blood vessels (vascular).  The cardiovascular system includes arteries, veins, arterioles, venules, and capillaries.
• Conjugated estrogens: These estrogens are a blend of estrogens that can be chemically produced or derived from plant or animal sources.
• Estrogen:  Is one of the two dominant hormones secreted naturally by women’s bodies, the other being progestin.  The two, together, regulate the reproductive system and affect menstruation, pregnancy and menopause.
• 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. This condition can go undetected or can cause pain, infertility and other health problems. (Source: womenshealth.gov – The Federal Government Source for Women’s Health Information (United States) http://www.4woman.gov/faq/endomet.htm#a)
• Perimenopause:  Women experience perimenopause in the time before they have reached menopause.  This time frame, anywhere between two and ten years, is characterized by some of the physical and emotional changes associated with diminishing hormones.  In perimenopause, women still menstruate, but their cycle can vary and their menstrual periods may be heavier, or even more scant.  During this time, women may begin to have some hot flashes and their sleep may be disrupted.  Officially, the perimenopause phase includes the first year after menopause when menstruation has stopped.
• Pessary: A pessary is a small plastic or silicone medical device or form of pharmaceutical preparation which is inserted into the vagina or rectum and held in place by the muscles in the pelvic floor.  The weight and positioning of this device can assist with urinary incontinence.
• Menopause: Natural menopause occurs when a woman stops menstruating.  A woman is said to have reached menopause when she has not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months. At this stage in a woman’s life the levels of estrogen and progestin in her body become very low and she stops producing eggs.  At menopause a woman is no longer able to conceive and become pregnant.
• Osteoporosis: The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus conference defines osteoporosis as “…a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength predisposing a person to an increased risk of fracture.  Bone strength reflects the integration of two main features: bone density and bone quality>”
• Premenopause: This term describes the entire phase of a women’s reproductive life before menopause.
• Premature menopause: While this is no firmly established age, women who stop menstruating before the age of 40 are usually viewed as having premature menopause.  This can occur naturally or can be the result of an immune disorder, surgery, irradiation or medication.
• Progestin: Is one of the two dominant hormones secreted naturally by women’s bodies, the other being estrogen.  The two, together, regulate the reproductive system and affect menstruation, pregnancy and menopause.
• Post-menopause: This is the period after the final menstrual period, whether menopause was natural or due to surgery.
• Hormone therapy (HT): Hormone therapy is used to help replace the hormones that are naturally diminishing during perimenopause and menopause, namely estrogen and progestin. There is a difference between “hormone therapy (HT)” and “hormone replacement therapy (HRT)”.    Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the term used to describe the treatment applied when women have had a hysterectomy, or their ovaries have been removed, necessitating the true “replacement” of hormones usually secreted by the ovaries.  Hormone therapy can involve the use of the hormone estrogen alone or in combination with the progestin hormone.
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT): There is a difference between “hormone therapy (HT)” and “hormone replacement therapy (HRT)”.  Hormone therapy is used to help replace the hormones that are naturally diminishing during perimenopause and menopause.  Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the term used to describe the treatment applied when women have had a hysterectomy, or their ovaries have been removed, necessitating the true “replacement” of hormones usually secreted by the ovaries.
• Vasomotor:  Menopause symptoms, mainly hot flashes and night sweats, are referred to as vasomotor symptoms.
• Urogenital:  Urogenital symptoms are those that affect the function and health of the bladder and vagina. Urogenital atrophy is the term used to describe any deterioration of the tissues, muscles, structure and functions of the vagina and/or urinary tract.