Sexual health glossary: E-I
Sexual health glossary: J-Q
Sexual health glossary: R-Z
Ectopic pregnancy: Pregnancy that happens outside the uterus and usually refers to pregnancy occurring in the fallopian tube. An ectopic pregnancy cannot turn into a normal pregnancy. In some cases, if an egg keeps growing in the fallopian tube, it can damage or burst the tube and cause heavy bleeding that could lead to death. An ectopic pregnancy may be the result of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
Egg: A woman's sex cell, stored in the ovaries. A female is born with all the eggs she will ever have--about 1-2 million. The ovary typically pushes out one every month, about two weeks after a woman has her period. An egg can live only two days after this happens. If a sperm enters the vagina and finds the egg a woman can become pregnant.
Ejaculation: The act of semen coming out of a male's penis during an orgasm. This can happen during sex, masturbation, or even when he is asleep (wet dream). If a male doesn't ejaculate during sexual contact, there is no physical harm. A male can ejaculate with or without having an orgasm.
Embryo: When a fertilized egg grows to be a certain size and sticks itself to the inside of the uterus, it it called an embryo.
Erection: When a penis gets stiff and hard. This happens because blood flows into it. This might happen because someone is sexually excited, but it can also happen at other times. A hard penis will get soft again after ejaculation or orgasm. It could also get soft before these things happen.
Exposure: Being exposed to a STI means that you were in a situation in which you had a chance to "catch" it. You can be exposed to a STI by having sex with an infected person. It is possible to become exosed to an STI but not infected. You can lower your chance of being exposed to a STI by not having sex or by using a condom correctly and consistently.
Fallopian tubes: The tubes that eggs move through to go from the ovaries to the uterus. An egg leaves the ovary and rides along the tube until it gets to the uterus.
Feces: The solid waste that comes out of the anus. It comes from material/food that the body cannot use.
Fellatio: Oral sex, performed on a man (when a person kisses, licks or sucks on a man's penis).
Female condom: A condom designed to fit inside the vagina. Made out of polyurethane, the female condom consists of a soft pouch that is inserted into the vagina before sexual intercourse to help prevent pregnancy and protect against STIs.
Fertile period: The time of a month duirng which a woman can become pregnant. It is usually a period of eight days during her menstrual cycle. Up to five days before ovulation (because sperm can live this long inside the body), the day ovulation happens, and two days after (the lifespan of an egg).
Fertilization: The joining of a man's sperm cell and a woman's egg cell. If the fertilized egg gets to the uterus and sticks inside, then pregnancy begins.
Fetus: Eight weeks after fertilization, an embryo grows into a fetus.
Fluid: Any kind of liquid, usually used to describe one on the outside or inside of a person's body. Examples of body fluids are: semen, vaginal secretions, saliva, and blood.
Foreskin: Loose skin that covers the tip of the penis on an uncircumcised man. When an erection occurs, the foreskin will pull back.
French kissing: A kiss in which both people open their mouths. One person puts their tongue into the other person's mouth. Most STIs are not passed this way.
Frottage: When two people rub their bodies together so that they feel good for some type of sexual pleasure. Another phrase for it is dry-humping.
Gay: Another word for homosexual.
Gender: (from the World Health Organization) Refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.
Genitals: The sex organs on the outside of the body. A female's genitals are her vulva and clitoris. A male's genitals are his penis and testicles.
Glans: Another word that means the tip or head of the penis.
Groin: Another word for the pelvic area on a person.
Hereditary: A trait or characteristic that is genetically passed from either the mother or the father to a child. No STI is passed genetically from a parent to their children.
Heterosexual: A person who is attracted to someone of the opposite sex. Males that are attracted to females and females that are attracted to males are called heterosexual.
Homosexual: A person that is sexually attracted to someone of the same sex. Males that are attacted to males and females that are attracted to females are homosexual. Female homosexuals are also referred to as lesbians.
Hormones: Chemicals that a body makes to help other organs do their job.
Hymen: A thin piece of skin that stretches over the opening of the vagina. There is a small opening in it to let blood flow out of the vagina during a period. People used to think that a hymen that wasn't broken meant a girl was a virgin. Now we know that it has a small hole in it that can get stretched more just from running, playing or using tampons. Some girls are even born without a hymen.
Immune: To be protected or safe from something. Most people who get chicken pox as children are immune to chicken pox for the rest of their lives. There are vaccines that can make you immune to certain infections, like hepatitis B.
Immune system: A group of cells inside the body that all work together to keep a person healthy by killing germs. These cells can tell the difference between the cells that are part of the body and those things that don't belong inside someone. They defend or protect the body from invaders like viruses, bacteria and other germs. Lymph nodes and white blood cells are two parts of the immune system.
Incubation period: The time period that goes from the first day a person gets an infection until the time he or she starts to show signs or symptoms, if symptoms appear at all. Depending on the infection, this can be as short as a few days or more than 10 years. With some infections, including many STIs, a person may never show any signs or symptoms of disease. Even though an infected person may feel perfectly healthy and show no symptoms, they still can still give the infection to another person.
Infected: Another way to say that someone has "caught" a germ is to say they are infected. If a person is infected with a disease-causing germ there is a certain amount of time (called an incubation period) between the time you get infected and the time that you show signs or symptoms of the disease.
Injecting drug users: People who use needles to put drugs into their bodies. Drugs like heroin, cocaine or speed can be injected into a person's veins. Steroids are usually injected into someone's muscles. People who share needles to inject drugs can get HIV or other blood borne infections like hepatitis B. The blood that gets into the needle from one person's body can then get into another person's body when they use the same needle. The risk of catching an STI through needles can be eliminated by either not sharing needles or sterilizing them between uses.
Intercourse: Any type of activity that involves the sharing of body fluids, or the penetration of an oriface (the mouth, vagina, or anus) between two or more people. Sexual intercourse also includes oral sex and anal sex. People can get STIs, including HIV, if they have sexual intercourse without a safe barrier that prevents the fluids from getting from one person to another. Other STIs, like herpes and HPV, can be transmitted during sexual intercourse, even when using a barrier, because these are transmitted through direct skin-to-skin contact.
