| A | B |
|---|
| Abortion | The premature termination of pregnancy. Voluntary abortion is one done at the request of the mother. Spontaneous abortion, called a miscarriage, is a natural termination of pregnancy due to some abnormal development of the fetus. |
| Abstinence | Voluntarily refraining from sexual intercourse. |
| Adolescence | The period of time during which the boy or girl leaves childhood and develops the physical, mental, and spiritual tools to live as an adult. |
| Adultery | Sexual relations between two people, one or both of whom are married to someone else. |
| Amenorrhea | The medical name for a missed menstrual period. |
| Amniocentesis | A procedure in which a sample of fluid surrounding the fetus is drawn and analyzed to detect possible birth defects. |
| Androgen | A substance that influences the growth and sex drive in the male and produces masculine secondary characteristics (e.g. voice, hair, growth, etc.). |
| Anus | The opening between the buttocks at the lower end of the large intestine, from which waste matter is expelled. |
| Birth control | Prevention of birth by any method, including contraception, sterilization, or abortion. |
| Bisexual | A person equally attracted to males and females and may have sex with either. |
| Breech birth | The birth position of the baby, feet or bottom first, instead of the usual head-first position. |
| Buttocks | The part of the body you sit down on. The "backside" or "behind." |
| Caesarean section | A surgical incision (cutting through the abdomen into the uterus) to deliver the baby when normal delivery is difficult. |
| Castration | The removal of the testicles in males or the ovaries in females. |
| Cervix | The narrow neck or entrance into the woman's uterus (womb). |
| Chastity | The proper use of sex; for example, refraining from sexual relatiosn when not married, or, if married, having sex only with one's spouse. |
| Chromosome | The thread-like material in the egg and sperm that contain the genes. |
| Circumcision | Cutting away the loose skin, called the foreskin, around the tip of the male penis. |
| Climax | See Orgasm. |
| Clitoris | A small and sensitive penis-like organ of the female located within th evagina. The seat of sexual stimulation. |
| Coitus | Another name for sexual intercourse. |
| Conception | The beginning of a new life in the womb, when egg and sperm join. |
| Condom | A rubber or latex sheath (like a rubber balloon) placed over the penis in order to catch the sperm before it gets into the vagina. A contraceptive, but may also be used to prevent sexually transmitted disease. |
| Contraception | Various methods that prevent conception (contra-against, ception=conceive). |
| Cunnilingus | Applying one's mouth or tongue to the genitals in order to sexually stimmuate the female. (One form of oral sex.) |
| Douche | The cleansing of the vagina with a stream of liquid solution or water. |
| Dysmenorrhea | Medical term for cramping or other discomfort during menstruation. |
| Ejaculation | The discharge of the seed fluid, or semen, from the penis. Having a male orgasm. |
| Embryo | The new life in the mother's womb, up to eight weeks. |
| Erection | The enlargement and stiffening of the penis as its tissues fill with blood. |
| Erotic | Sexually stimulating. |
| Estrogen | A hormone that affects the female cycle and secondary sex characteristics (breast development, hair, growth, etc.). |
| Fallopian tube | The tube through which the egg passes on its way to the uterus. |
| Fellatio | Applying the mouth to the penis to sexually stimulate the male (another form of oral sex). |
| Fertilization | The entrance of the male sperm into the egg. |
| Fetus | A name given the unborn baby from the third month in the mother's womb till birth. |
| Foreplay | The touches, kisses, etc. before intercourse to get each other ready. |
| Fornication | Sexual intercourse between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. |
| Foreskin | The skin covering the glans, or tip of the penis; often cut away by circumcision. |
| Gene | The unit of heredity. |
| Genitalia | The external sex organs. |
| Glans | The very tip or head of the penis. |
| Heterosexual | One who is sexually attracted to and/or active with persons of the opposite sex. |
| Homosexual | One who is sexually attracted to and/or active with persons of the same sex. |
| Hysterectomy | Surgical removal of the uterus. |
| Illegitimate | Refers to a child born of parents who are not married. |
| Impotence | The inability of the male to have or maintain an erection during sexual intercourse. |
| Sexual intercourse | The insertion of the male penis into the female vagina. |
| Lesbian | A female homosexual. |
| Masturbation | Stimulating one's sexual organs, often to the point of orgasm. |
| Menopause | The end of the ovulation and menstruation cycle in women, usually between the ages of 45 and 55. Also called a change of life or climacteric. |
| Menstruation | The monthly flow of blood from the uterus, usually occurring every 28-30 days; the monthly period, having a period. |
| Nocturnal emission | The involuntary discharge of the extra, stored-up semen at night during sleep, sometimes in connection with a "sexy" dream. Also called a wet dream. |
| Obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) | Medical specialty that treats women in pregnancy or for female reproductive problems. |
| Oral sex | See Cunnilingus and Fellatio. |
| Orgasm | The peak of sexual excitement; for the male it is the spurting out of the semen from the penis; for the female, an overall body glow and relaxation. |
| Ovaries | The two female sex glands in which eggs are formed. |
| Ovulation | The release of a ripe egg into the Fallopian tube. |
| Ovum | The female egg (plural: ova). |
| Pap smear | Procedure to test for cancer, involving a scraping of cells from the vagina and cervix. |
| Pelvic exam | Routine exam doctors do to check for any abnormalities of a woman's reproductive organs. |
| Penis | The male, finger-like sex organ through which semen is discharged and urine is passed. |
| Pituitary gland | The "master gland" in the brain's "control center" that controls the functions of all the other glands, especially the sex glands. |
| Placenta | Sometimes called the afterbirth. This is the sponge-like organ that connects the fetus to the lining of the mother's uterus by means of the umbilical cord. It serves to exchange air, food, and waste matter between the mother to the fetus. |
| Procreation | Literally "to create for" God; to beget children as a delegate for God. |
| Prophylactic | Another term for condom. |
| Prostitute | One who has sex for money. |
| Puberty | The start of adolescence. |
| Pubic hair | The course hair that grows around the sexual organs usually in a triangular patch. |
| Rape | Forcible sexual intercourse against another's consent. |
| Rectum | See Anus. |
| Safe period | The interval in the female menstrual cycle when no ripe egg is present in the system and therefore she is unable to become pregnant. |
| Scrotum | The thick sac of skin between the male's legs containing the testicles. |
| Semen | Also called the seed or seed fluid or seminal fluid. It is made up of the life-giving sperm and is ejaculated or spurted through the penis when the male reaches an orgasm. |
| Sexuality | The state of being a sexual person all over and all the time. One's personality given push and dimension by sex. A person's all-over "posture" in life as a male or female. |
| Shaft | The long, finger-like part of the male sex organ; that part of the penis as distinct from the tip or head (called the glans). |
| Sodomy | Inserting the penis into the rectum. |
| Sperm | The male reproductive cell. |
| STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) | See Venereal Disease. |
| Sterility | The inability to reproduce. |
| Testicles | Also called testes (slang: "balls," "nuts," etc.). The two male sex glands within the scrotum sac which produce the sperm. |
| Tubal ligation | Cutting and tying the ends of a woman's fallopian tubes so that the egg can't get through. A form of sterilization. |
| Transsexual | One who undergoes surgery to obtain the outward appearance of the other sex. |
| Transvestite | One who has a compulsion to dress up in the clothes of the opposite sex. |
| Umbilical cord | The tube between the mother's placenta and the baby. |
| Urine | The liquid waste matter. |
| Uterus | Also called the womb. The small, pear-shaped organ of the female in which the baby develops. |
| Vagina | Also called the birth canal. The opening between the women's legs, between the uterus and the vulva, which receives the male penis and also through which the baby passes at birth. |
| Vasectomy | The duct that carries the male sperm is cut and tied. A form of male sterilization. |
| Venereal disease | Any of the variety of contagious sexual diseasaes. Also referred to as the STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases), such as genital herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea, AIDS, etc. |
| Virgin | One who has never had sexual intercourse. |
| Vulva | The female outside sexual organs, the two mounds that lead to the vagina and clitoris. |
| Wet dream | See Nocturnal emission. |
| Womb | See Uterus. |
