|
 |
||
 |
| This glossary contains: 19186 medical terms |
 |
Prenatal masculinization
|
|
Prenatal masculinization In embryonic and fetal life, the masculinizing effect on the sexual anatomy and/or the sexual pathways of the brain that is induced by testosterone, estradiol, or other androgenizing sex hormones. The male fetus produces its own androgenic hormones. The female fetus does not need to, produce feminizing hormones in order not to masculinize, as nature's basic design is to differentiate a female. Masculinizing is nor synonymous with defeminizing. Thus some masculinization and some feminization of the brain and behavior may coexist.
RELATED TERMS--------------------------------------
Embryonic
Undeveloped, related to the embryo.
Fetal
Having to do with the fetus.
Sexual
Pertaining to sex or, more particularly, the stimulation, responsiveness, and functions of the sex organs either alone or with one or more partners.
Anatomy
The study of form. Gross anatomy involves structures that can be seen with the naked eye. It is as opposed to microscopic anatomy (or histology) which involves structures seen under the microscope.
Brain
"That part of the central nervous system that is located within the cranium (skull). The brain functions as the primary receiver, organizer and distributor of information for the body. It has two (right and left) halves called ""hemispheres."" "
Testosterone
The hormone that promotes the building of muscle mass in males and libido in both sexes.
Estradiol
The most biologically potent of the naturally occurring estrogens. It is produced chiefly by the ovary and in small amount by the testis. Commercially, it is prepared in various compounds, such as estradiol benzoate and ethinyl estradiol.
Hormones
Biological compounds that communicate information at a distance. Hormones require specific receptors to begin their biological action and use second messengers to initiate the cellular process that uses that information.
Fetus
The stage of human development from 10 weeks' gestation until birth.
Androgenic
" Pertaining to the development of male characteristics, including body hair, the genital organs and muscle mass. ""Androgenic"" is the adjective form of the noun ""androgen,"" a word referring to any of the male hormones, including testosterone and androsterone. Androgenic development -- that is, the development of male characteristics -- begins in puberty, the time when a person becomes physically capable of producing offspring. In males, this time most commonly occurs between ages 12 and 14. A deepening voice is one of the signs of androgenic activity. Androgen is produced in males by the testes, the two globe-shaped reproductive organs below the penis, and by the adrenal glands, two small hormone-producing organs that each sit atop a kidney. Androgen is also produced in females in the adrenal glands. Overproduction of androgen can generate some male characteristics in women and exaggerate male characteristics in men. ""Androgenic"" is derived from the Greek words ""andros"" (man) and ""genein"" (to produce)."" Related words include ""androgynous"" (having both male and female characteristics), ""andrology"" (the study of health in males), ""androphobia"" (fear of men) and ""android"" (in science fiction, a manlike robot)."
Female
The traditional definition of female was "an individual of the sex that bears young" or "that produces ova or eggs". However, things are not so simple today. Female can be defined by physical appearance, by chromosome constitution (see Female chromosome complement), or by gender identification. Female chromosome complement: The large majority of females have a 46, XX chromosome complement (46 chromosomes including two X chromosomes). A minority of females have other chromosome constitutions such as 45,X (45 chromosomes including only one X chromosome) and 47,XXX (47 chromosomes including three X chromosomes).
Differentiate
The process cells undergo as they mature into normal cells. Differentiated cells have distinctive characteristics, perform specific functions, and are less likely to divide. See dedifferentiate, undifferentiated.
Masculinization
The developmental process of differentiating and/or assimilating masculine features and characteristics.
SIMILAR TERMS--------------------------------------
Prenatal care
Medical care for a pregnant woman and her fetus throughout her pregnancy.Proper prenatal care is essential to catch any potential problems early onso they can be monitored and treated.
Prenatal diagnosis
Detection of abnormalities and disease conditions while a fetus is developing in the uterus. Many techniques for prenatal diagnosis, such as chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis, require sampling placental tissue or fetal cells found in the amniotic fluid or fetomaternal circulation. Others, such as ultrasonography, can be performed without cell or tissue samples.
Prenatal tests
Any tests conducted on a woman or her fetus before a baby is born. Testsmonitor the well-being of mother and baby and look for possible genetic or congenital disorders in the baby.
PREVIOUS AND NEXT TERMS--------------------------------------
Plateau phase
The second of four sexual phases delineated by Masters and Johnson.
Polyiterophilia
A form of hyperphilia in which a person's own erotosexual responsiveness is built up toward orgasm by reiterating the same activity (manual, oral, anal, vaginal, or penile) many times with many partners.
Praxic
Requiring visuomotor coordination and characterized by action and doing something rather than talking about it [from Greek, praxis, practice, doing something]. ; related to hand-eye coordination in making things and in figuring out the logic of how shapes fit together.
Premature ejaculation
A hypophilic condition or syndrome, variable in etiology, of being unable to sustain the preorgasmic period of sexuoerotic stimulation, so that ejaculation occurs too soon relative to a self-defined, or partner-defined criterion, for example, at the moment of intromission. The partner of the premature ejaculator has the reverse condition of not climaxing soon enough; orgasm recurrently attained too soon before or at the acceptive phase of an erotic/sexual episode.
Premature puberty
Puberty that begins before the normally appointed time and is completed by nine years of age or earlier in girls, and eleven or earlier in boys. It may be an error of timing only, or may be associated with a brain lesion that affects the biological clock of puberty in the brain.
Prenatal masculinization
Preoptic
Situated anterior to the left/right crossover of the optic nerves at the optic chiasm in the hypothalamic region of the brain, behind the bridge of the nose.
Preoptic nucleus
A group of nerve cells in the anterior or frontal region of the hypothalamus.
Phentermine diet
A particular type of diet based on phentermine.
Prepuce
The foreskin of the penis; or the hood of the clitoris.
Priapism
Persistent abnormal and painful erection of the penis, usually without sexual desire. The cause is often unknown. Untreated, it almost always results in destruction of the spongy tissues of the penis as a result of coagulation of blood in them, with resultant irreversible impotence.
RELATED TERMS--------------------------------------
Embryonic
Undeveloped, related to the embryo.
Fetal
Having to do with the fetus.
Sexual
Pertaining to sex or, more particularly, the stimulation, responsiveness, and functions of the sex organs either alone or with one or more partners.
Anatomy
The study of form. Gross anatomy involves structures that can be seen with the naked eye. It is as opposed to microscopic anatomy (or histology) which involves structures seen under the microscope.
Brain
"That part of the central nervous system that is located within the cranium (skull). The brain functions as the primary receiver, organizer and distributor of information for the body. It has two (right and left) halves called ""hemispheres."" "
Testosterone
The hormone that promotes the building of muscle mass in males and libido in both sexes.
Estradiol
The most biologically potent of the naturally occurring estrogens. It is produced chiefly by the ovary and in small amount by the testis. Commercially, it is prepared in various compounds, such as estradiol benzoate and ethinyl estradiol.
Hormones
Biological compounds that communicate information at a distance. Hormones require specific receptors to begin their biological action and use second messengers to initiate the cellular process that uses that information.
Fetus
The stage of human development from 10 weeks' gestation until birth.
Androgenic
" Pertaining to the development of male characteristics, including body hair, the genital organs and muscle mass. ""Androgenic"" is the adjective form of the noun ""androgen,"" a word referring to any of the male hormones, including testosterone and androsterone. Androgenic development -- that is, the development of male characteristics -- begins in puberty, the time when a person becomes physically capable of producing offspring. In males, this time most commonly occurs between ages 12 and 14. A deepening voice is one of the signs of androgenic activity. Androgen is produced in males by the testes, the two globe-shaped reproductive organs below the penis, and by the adrenal glands, two small hormone-producing organs that each sit atop a kidney. Androgen is also produced in females in the adrenal glands. Overproduction of androgen can generate some male characteristics in women and exaggerate male characteristics in men. ""Androgenic"" is derived from the Greek words ""andros"" (man) and ""genein"" (to produce)."" Related words include ""androgynous"" (having both male and female characteristics), ""andrology"" (the study of health in males), ""androphobia"" (fear of men) and ""android"" (in science fiction, a manlike robot)."
Female
The traditional definition of female was "an individual of the sex that bears young" or "that produces ova or eggs". However, things are not so simple today. Female can be defined by physical appearance, by chromosome constitution (see Female chromosome complement), or by gender identification. Female chromosome complement: The large majority of females have a 46, XX chromosome complement (46 chromosomes including two X chromosomes). A minority of females have other chromosome constitutions such as 45,X (45 chromosomes including only one X chromosome) and 47,XXX (47 chromosomes including three X chromosomes).
Differentiate
The process cells undergo as they mature into normal cells. Differentiated cells have distinctive characteristics, perform specific functions, and are less likely to divide. See dedifferentiate, undifferentiated.
Masculinization
The developmental process of differentiating and/or assimilating masculine features and characteristics.
SIMILAR TERMS--------------------------------------
Prenatal care
Medical care for a pregnant woman and her fetus throughout her pregnancy.Proper prenatal care is essential to catch any potential problems early onso they can be monitored and treated.
Prenatal diagnosis
Detection of abnormalities and disease conditions while a fetus is developing in the uterus. Many techniques for prenatal diagnosis, such as chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis, require sampling placental tissue or fetal cells found in the amniotic fluid or fetomaternal circulation. Others, such as ultrasonography, can be performed without cell or tissue samples.
Prenatal tests
Any tests conducted on a woman or her fetus before a baby is born. Testsmonitor the well-being of mother and baby and look for possible genetic or congenital disorders in the baby.
PREVIOUS AND NEXT TERMS--------------------------------------
Plateau phase
The second of four sexual phases delineated by Masters and Johnson.
Polyiterophilia
A form of hyperphilia in which a person's own erotosexual responsiveness is built up toward orgasm by reiterating the same activity (manual, oral, anal, vaginal, or penile) many times with many partners.
Praxic
Requiring visuomotor coordination and characterized by action and doing something rather than talking about it [from Greek, praxis, practice, doing something]. ; related to hand-eye coordination in making things and in figuring out the logic of how shapes fit together.
Premature ejaculation
A hypophilic condition or syndrome, variable in etiology, of being unable to sustain the preorgasmic period of sexuoerotic stimulation, so that ejaculation occurs too soon relative to a self-defined, or partner-defined criterion, for example, at the moment of intromission. The partner of the premature ejaculator has the reverse condition of not climaxing soon enough; orgasm recurrently attained too soon before or at the acceptive phase of an erotic/sexual episode.
Premature puberty
Puberty that begins before the normally appointed time and is completed by nine years of age or earlier in girls, and eleven or earlier in boys. It may be an error of timing only, or may be associated with a brain lesion that affects the biological clock of puberty in the brain.
Prenatal masculinization
Preoptic
Situated anterior to the left/right crossover of the optic nerves at the optic chiasm in the hypothalamic region of the brain, behind the bridge of the nose.
Preoptic nucleus
A group of nerve cells in the anterior or frontal region of the hypothalamus.
Phentermine diet
A particular type of diet based on phentermine.
Prepuce
The foreskin of the penis; or the hood of the clitoris.
Priapism
Persistent abnormal and painful erection of the penis, usually without sexual desire. The cause is often unknown. Untreated, it almost always results in destruction of the spongy tissues of the penis as a result of coagulation of blood in them, with resultant irreversible impotence.
We thank you for using the Medical Glossary to search for Prenatal masculinization. If you have a better definition for Prenatal masculinization than the one presented here, please let us know by making use of the suggest a term option. This definition of Prenatal masculinization may be disputed by other professionals. Our attempt is to provide easy definitions on Prenatal masculinization and any other medical topic for the public at large.
This dictionary contains 19186 terms.
|
|