Glossary

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F 

Facial palsy - inability to move the muscles of the face, usually on only one side, due to inflammation of a nerve

Failure to thrive - describes a baby who grows and gains weight slower than expected

Fallopian tube - either of two long, slender ducts connecting a woman's uterus to her ovaries, where eggs are transported from the ovaries to the uterus and sperm may fertilize an egg

Familial - a term describing a disorder or characteristic (such as male pattern baldness) that occurs within a family more often than would be expected

Fasciitis - inflammation of the layer of connective tissue that covers, separates, and supports muscles

Febrile - a term used to describe something related to a fever, such as febrile seizures (seizures occurring in a child who has a fever)

Fecal occult blood test - a test that uses a piece of chemically sensitive paper to detect blood in a stool sample; used to screen for possible signs of cancer in the large intestine or rectum

Femoral artery - the main artery that supplies blood to the leg

Femur - the bone located between the hip and the knee; the thighbone

Fertility - the ability to produce a child

Fertility drug - a drug used to treat infertility that contains hormones or substances associated with hormones

Fertilization - the joining of an egg and a sperm, creating the first cell of a new life

Fetal alcohol syndrome - a combination of defects in a fetus as a result of the mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy

Fetal distress - physical distress experiencd by a fetus because of lack of  oxygen

Fetal monitoring - the use of an instrument to record or listen to a fetus' heartbeat during pregnancy and labor

Fetus - the term used to refer to an unborn child from 8 weeks after fertilization to birth

Fiber - a constituent of plants that cannot be digested, which helps maintain healthy functioning of the bowels

Fiberoptics - thin, flexible instruments that transmit light and images, allowing structures inside of the body to be viewed

Fibroadenoma - a noncancerous tumor commonly found in the breast

Fibrocystic breast disease - the most common cause of breast lumps

Fibroid - a noncancerous tumor of the uterus made up of smooth muscle and connective tissue

Fibroma - a noncancerous tumor of connective tissue

Fibrosis - abnormal formation of connective or scar tissue

Fifth disease - a childhood infection caused by a virus, which often starts as a rash on the cheeks and spreads

Fissure - a groove or slit on the body or in an organ

Fistula - an abnormal passageway from one organ to another or from an organ to the body surface

Flatulence - excessive air or gas in the intestines, which is expelled through the anus

Flu - see Influenza

Fluoride - a mineral that helps protect teeth against decay

Fluoroscopy - a method used to view organ structure and function by passing X-rays through the body and monitoring the resulting image on a fluorescent screen

Folic acid - a vitamin essential to the production of red blood cells; plays an important role in the growth a developing fetus

Follicle - a tiny pouchlike cavity in a structure of the body, such as a hair follicle

Follicle stimulating hormone - a hormone produced by the pituitary gland in the brain that stimulates the testicles to produce sperm in males and causes eggs to mature in females

Folliculitis - the inflammation of hair follicles due to a bacterial infection, causing boils or tiny blisters containing pus

Fontanelles - the two soft spots on a baby's scalp that are the result of gaps in the skull where bones have not yet fused

Forceps - instruments resembling tweezers that are used to handle objects or tissue during surgery

Forceps delivery - the use of an instrument that cups the baby's head (called an obstetric forceps), to help deliver a baby

Foreign body - an object in an organ or body cavity that is not normally present

Foreskin - the loose skin that covers the head of the penis

Fracture - a bone break

Fraternal twins - twins that develop from two different eggs fertilized by two different sperm; are not identical

FSH - see Follicle stimulating hormone

Fungus - an organism that is dependent on another organism for nourishment

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