Anovulatory
menstrual cycle |
A menstrual cycle that does not produce
an egg, thereby producing lower estrogen
levels in a woman's body. |
| Arimidex |
Example of a drug which blocks the aromatase
enzyme. |
| |
The enzyme responsible for estrogen production
present in the ovaries and also in fat tissue. |
Atypical
ductal hyperplasia |
Overgrowth
of abnormal cells within a milk duct (see
diagram on page 9). |
| |
A defective gene which can be inherited
from a parent, increasing the risk of
breast cancer.
|
| |
An agent which stimulates cancer cells to
grow faster. |
Carcinogen
or cancer initiator |
An agent
which causes a normal cell to transform
into a cancer cell. |
| DHEA |
Dehydroepiandrosterone, an inactive adrenal
product which declines with age. It can be
converted to estrogen in bone and vaginal
lining, and can be used to treat menopausal
symptoms. |
| |
The maturing
of cells from immature cancer susceptible
cells to mature cancer resistant cells. |
| |
Diindolylmethane, a metabolite of indole-3-carbinol
(from cruciferous vegetables) which aids
in the inactivation of estrogen. |
| |
The main type of female sex steroid hormone
primarily responsible for breast growth.
|
| |
Place in cell where estrogen can attach,
thereby stimulating the cell to grow or
change. |
| |
A portion of DNA in the nucleus of a cell
which controls an inheritable trait. |
| |
Overgrowth
of normal cells (see diagram on page 9). |
| |
Termination of pregnancy by surgery or medication. |
| |
Group of breast cells, composed of a duct
and glands, which make milk. |
| |
A soft-tissue x-ray of the breast used to
detect breast cancers. |
Maturation of breast
lobules |
The development of lobules from primitive,
immature cell structures present at birth,
which are incapable of producing milk and
are most susceptible to carcinogens, into
advanced, mature cells which are capable
of producing milk and are most resistant
to carcinogens. |
| |
Age at which menstrual periods start. |
| |
Age when
menstrual periods stop. |
| |
Mechanism
by which the body changes, processes and
eliminates hormones and other body chemical
substances; i.e., turns them into metabolites. |
| |
The spontaneous,
natural loss of a pregnancy. |
| |
An agent
that causes mitosis. |
| |
The process
of cell division causing one cell to become
two cells. |
Natural Family Planning
(NFP)
|
Any of several methods whereby a woman
learns to recognize her own bodily changes
so that she recognizes the few days of
fertility in her menstrual cycle (e.g.,
type of cervical mucus and basal temperature).
NFP is not the "rhythm method."
|
| |
|
| |
Years immediately preceding menopause,
when menstrual periods can be irregular.
|
| Progesterone |
The steroid hormone which enables
and maintains pregnancy, and permits the mitogenic
effect of estrogen. |
| Progestin |
Any substance that acts like
progesterone. |
| |
The multiplication of cells through mitosis.
|
Proliferative
breast disease
|
Breast tissue which has "overgrown,"
e.g., ductal hyperplasia which as multiple
layers of cells instead of a single layer.
|
| |
Natural miscarriage not caused by surgery
or drugs. |
| |
Example of a drug which blocks estrogen
receptors. |
