Glossary

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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
Fatty acid	any of a number of carbon-, oxygen-, and hydrogen-containing molecules that make up fats
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
Fetal tissue transplant	an experimental procedure in which cells are taken from an aborted fetus and placed into the brain of a person with a brain disease such as Parkinson's
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
Fibrillation	rapid, inefficient contraction of muscle fibers of the heart caused by disruption of nerve impulses
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
Fitness	a measure of a person's physical strength, flexibility, and endurance
Flatulence	excessive air or gas in the intestines, which is expelled through the anus
Floaters	small spots that float across the field of vision, caused by debris floating in the gel-like substance that fills the eye
Flu	see Influenza
Fluke	a parasitic flatworm that can infest humans
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
Food poisoning	stomach pain, diarrhea, and/or vomiting caused by eating contaminated food
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
Free radical	see Oxygen free radical
Frostbite	damage to body tissue as a result of freezing
FSH	see Follicle stimulating hormone
Fulminant	describes a disorder that begins suddenly and worsens quickly
Fungus	an organism that is dependent on another organism for nourishment