Women’s health glossary
Clear, plain-English definitions of the menstrual, hormonal, fertility, and skin terms you’ll come across in our guides.
- Amenorrhea
- The absence of periods — primary (never started) or secondary (stopped for 3+ months).
- Anovulation
- A cycle in which no egg is released; a common cause of irregular periods and difficulty conceiving.
- Basal body temperature (BBT)
- Your lowest resting body temperature, which rises slightly after ovulation — used in fertility tracking.
- Cervical mucus
- Fluid produced by the cervix that changes across the cycle and becomes clear and stretchy near ovulation.
- Comedogenic
- An ingredient or product likely to clog pores and trigger breakouts in acne-prone skin.
- Dysmenorrhea
- The medical term for painful periods.
- Endometriosis
- A condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, causing pain and sometimes infertility.
- Fertile window
- The roughly six days each cycle — the five days before ovulation plus ovulation day — when conception is possible.
- Follicular phase
- The first half of the cycle, from the start of your period until ovulation, when oestrogen rises and an egg matures.
- Implantation
- When a fertilised egg attaches to the uterine lining, sometimes causing light implantation bleeding.
- LH surge
- A sharp rise in luteinising hormone that triggers ovulation within 24–36 hours; what ovulation tests detect.
- Luteal phase
- The second half of the cycle, after ovulation, when progesterone rises to support a possible pregnancy.
- Menopause
- The point 12 months after the final period, marking the end of reproductive years.
- Menorrhagia
- Abnormally heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding.
- Menstrual cycle
- The roughly monthly hormonal cycle that prepares the body for a possible pregnancy, counted from day 1 of one period to the day before the next.
- Oestrogen (estrogen)
- A key reproductive hormone that rises in the first half of the cycle and influences the lining, mood, skin, and bones.
- Oestrogen dominance
- A relative excess of oestrogen compared to progesterone, sometimes linked to heavy periods and PMS.
- Ovulation
- The release of a mature egg from the ovary, usually mid-cycle, marking the most fertile point of the cycle.
- PCOS
- Polycystic ovary syndrome — a common hormonal condition involving irregular ovulation, high androgens, and/or polycystic ovaries.
- Perimenopause
- The transition before menopause, often lasting years, when hormones fluctuate and symptoms appear.
- PMDD
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder — a severe, mood-dominant premenstrual condition that significantly disrupts daily life.
- PMS
- Premenstrual syndrome — physical and emotional symptoms in the luteal phase that ease once the period starts.
- Progesterone
- The hormone that rises after ovulation to maintain the uterine lining and support early pregnancy.
- Skin undertone
- The warm, cool, or neutral hue beneath the surface of your skin that determines flattering makeup and hair colours.