List of Difficult Words 559
squeezing exercise An exercise to help
strengthen weak muscles that cause a woman to
pass urine often or to leak urine.
status The importance a person has in her or his
family and community. Or whether a person has
HIV (positive status) or not (negative status).
STIs See sexually transmitted infections.
sterile When something is completely free from
germs.
sterilization A permanent way of making a
woman or man unable to have children.
steroids A class of medicines used to treat many
different health problems. Steroids can have
serious side effects if used for a long time.
stethoscope An instrument used to listen to
sounds inside the body, like the heartbeat.
stomach The sac-like organ in the belly where
food is digested.
stool The waste that passes from the anus during
a bowel movement.
stress Any activities or events that put pressure
on a woman, causing tension in her body and
mind.
stroke A sudden loss of consciousness, feeling, or
ability to move caused by bleeding or a clot inside
the brain.
subcutaneous injection An injection into the fatty
tissue under the skin, not into the muscle or vein.
sugar Sweet foods, like honey or sugar cane, that
give energy.
support groups When people with a common
problem meet together to help one another.
surgery When a doctor cuts into the body to
find out what is wrong or to treat an illness. An
operation.
syphilis A sexually transmitted infection.
syringe An instrument used to inject medicine.
T
tampons Cotton, cloth, or sponges that are put
inside the vagina to catch monthly bleeding before
it leaves the body.
temperature The degree of heat of a person’s
body.
testicles The part of the male genitals that is
inside the scrotum and makes the sperm.
testosterone The main hormone in a man’s body.
tetanus A serious disease caused by a germ that
lives in the stools of people or animals. Tetanus
enters the body through a wound.
thrush A fungal infection that causes white
patches and soreness on the skin inside the
mouth, on the tongue, and the tube that connects
the mouth with the stomach.
thyroid gland A gland in the front of the throat
that makes hormones that affect growth and
development. The thyroid needs iodine to work
properly.
thermometer An instrument used to measure
how hot a person’s body temperature is.
tissue The material making up the muscles, fatty
areas, and organs of the body.
toxemia See eclampsia.
toxic A harmful substance that can cause disease
or death when it enters the body is said to be
toxic.
toxicity When a person takes too much
medicine and it builds up to a dangerous level in
the body.
traditional healers Healers who use methods
based on beliefs that have been passed down
from generation to generation.
trauma When something horrible happens to
a person or to someone the person is close to.
trichomonas A disease of the genitals that is
passed during sex.
tubal ligation An operation in which the fallopian
tubes are cut or tied so the egg cannot travel to
the womb to be fertilized.
tubal pregnancy See pregnancy in the tube.
tuberculosis A serious infection caused by a germ
that usually affects the lungs.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012