| Glossary list of "A" |
| Abdomen |
| Constitutes the stomach, intestines, liver, reproductive organs, and other organs around the region. |
|
| Abortifacient |
| A drug, herb, or device that can cause an abortion. |
|
| Abortion |
| The termination of pregnancy before birth. |
|
| Abstinence |
| Refraining from sexual intercourse. |
|
| Abstinence Only Curricula |
| Sexuality education programs that advocate sexual abstinence before marriage. They do not provide information about contraception, safer sex, or sexual orientation. |
|
| Acquaintance Rape |
| Sexual intercourse coerced by someone known to the victim. |
|
| Acute |
| Refers tointense, short-term symptoms or illnesses that either resolve or evolve into long-lasting, chronic disease manifestations. |
|
| Adultery |
| Sexual intercourse between a married person and someone who is not his or her spouse. |
|
| Age of Consent |
| The age at which one is considered old enough to decide to have sexual intercourse. |
|
| Age of Majority |
| The age at which one becomes a legal adult. |
|
| AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) |
| A set of conditions associated with the last stages of HIV disease. |
| Alveoli |
| Sacs inside the breast that produce milk. |
|
| Anal Intercourse |
| Sex play in which the penis enters the anus. |
|
| Androgens |
| Certain hormones that stimulate male sexual development and secondary male sex characteristics. They are most abundantly produced in the testicles of men but are also produced in small amounts in women's ovaries. The most common androgen is testosterone. |
|
| Androgyne |
| A person who adopts characteristics of both genders in order to become gender neutral as a way to have fun, entertain, make a political statement about gender roles, or gain emotional satisfaction. |
|
| Androgyny |
| A gender identity that allows expression of both gender roles. |
|
| Anorexia |
| An eating disorder often caused by poor body image in which people, usually women, don't eat or eat very little to remain or become thin. |
|
| Anorgasmia |
| The inability to have an orgasm. |
|
| Anti-choice |
| Opposed to the belief that women have the right to choose abortion. |
|
| Anus |
| The opening from the rectum from which solid waste (feces) leaves the body . |
|
| Aphrodisiac |
| A substance that is supposed to increase sexual desire. |
|
| Areola |
| The dark area surrounding the nipples of women and men. |
|
| Asyphyxophilia |
| A paraphilia in which sexual arousal becomes dependent on being strangled up to the point of passing out. |
|
| Autoerotic |
| Providing sexual stimulation for one's self. |
|
| Autoerotic Asphyxiation |
| Self-strangulation for sexual arousal. |
|
| Autonomy |
| The ability to freely exercise one's own will. |
|
