Dictionary

presentation, breech See breech birth.

prescription drug A drug requiring a prescription, as opposed to an over-the-counter (OTC) drug, which can be purchased without a prescription. See also prescription.

prescription A physician’s order for the preparation and administration of a drug or device for a patient. A prescription has several parts, including the superscription, or heading, with the symbol R or Rx, which stands for the word “recipe” (Latin for “to take”); the inscription, which contains the names and quantities of the ingredients; the…

presbyopia The loss of the eye’s ability to change focus to see near objects due to advancing age. Presbyopia is said to be due to the lens becoming less elastic with age. The first sign of presbyopia is often the need to hold reading material farther away. See eye.

prepuce, inflammation of the See posthitis.

prepuce See foreskin.

preop Short for preoperative; before a surgical operation. The opposite of preop is postop.

prenatal diagnosis Diagnosis before birth. Methods for prenatal diagnosis include ultrasound of the uterus, placenta, and/or developing fetus; chorionic villus sampling (CVS) to obtain tissue for chromosome or biochemical analysis; and amniocentesis to obtain amniotic fluid for the analysis of chromosomes, enzymes, or DNA. A growing number of birth defects and diseases can be diagnosed…

prenatal development The process of growth and development within the womb, in which a single-cell zygote (the cell formed by the combination of a sperm and an egg) becomes an embryo, a fetus, and then a baby. The first 2 weeks of development involve simple cell multiplication. This tiny mass of cells then adheres to…

prenatal care Health care that a pregnant woman receives from an obstetrician or a midwife. Services needed include dietary and lifestyle advice, weighing to ensure proper weight gain, and examination for problems of pregnancy such as edema and preeclampsia.

premenstrual syndrome A combination of physical and mood disturbances that occur in the last half of a woman’s menstrual cycle, after ovulation, and normally end with the onset of the menstrual flow. Abbreviated PMS. Physical features of PMS include breast tenderness and bloating. Psychological changes can include anger, mood changes, and depression. The most helpful…

premenstrual dysphoric disorder An unusually severe form of premenstrual syndrome characterized by drastic mood swings, anger, depression, irritability, tension, sleep and appetite changes, fatigue, and physical problems such as pain or bloating. Abbreviated PMDD. Symptoms generally begin the week before menstruation and end a few days after menstruation has begun. Treatment can involve the use…