Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Amenorrhoea
- An absence of periods or bleeding.
- Ascites
- A build-up of fluid in the abdomen, which can be a sign of ovarian or other cancer.
- Body mass index (BMI)
- A measure of weight relative to height, used here because a higher BMI increases the risk of endometrial cancer.
- British Gynaecological Cancer Society (BGCS)
- The professional society for specialists in cancers of the female reproductive organs.
- British Menopause Society (BMS)
- The UK specialist society for health professionals working in menopause care, which publishes guidance and Tools for Clinicians.
- British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (BSGE)
- The professional society for gynaecologists who use keyhole and hysteroscopic techniques.
- Cancer antigen 125 (CA125)
- A blood test that can be raised in ovarian cancer and some non-cancerous conditions; NICE sets age-specific thresholds for acting on it.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH)
- The professional body for sexual and reproductive healthcare, formerly the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.
- Continuous combined HRT
- HRT taken as oestrogen and progestogen every day, intended to be bleed-free once settled.
- Cowden syndrome
- An inherited condition that increases the risk of several cancers, including endometrial cancer.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law, alongside the UK GDPR, governing how personal information is handled.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty (Regulation 20) to be open and honest with a patient when something goes wrong that causes, or could cause, significant harm.
- Endometrium
- The lining of the womb, which can thicken and become abnormal.
- Endometrial biopsy
- Taking a small sample of the womb lining to examine under a microscope.
- Equality Act 2010
- The law protecting people from discrimination, including on the grounds of sex and gender reassignment.
- Face, Arm, Speech, Time (FAST) test
- A quick check for stroke: face drooping, arm weakness, speech problems, time to call 999.
- Failsafe
- A tracking system that ensures every referral or test reaches a recorded outcome.
- Faster Diagnosis Standard
- The national standard that people referred with suspected cancer are diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The regulator of doctors in the UK.
- General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- The regulator of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Great Britain.
- General practitioner (GP)
- The patient's family doctor.
- Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT)
- A national programme to improve care by reducing unwarranted variation; it co-authored the 2024 bleeding guideline and its summary guide.
- Haematuria
- Blood in the urine; visible haematuria can be seen by eye.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting the fundamental standards that registered providers must meet, enforced by the CQC.
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Medicines that replace oestrogen, usually with a progestogen if the patient has a womb, to relieve menopause symptoms.
- Hysteroscopy
- A procedure using a thin camera passed through the cervix to look inside the womb, often with a biopsy.
- International units per millilitre (IU/mL)
- The unit in which CA125 blood test results are reported.
- Levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS)
- A hormone-releasing device placed in the womb; the 52 mg type can provide the progestogen part of HRT.
- Lynch syndrome
- An inherited condition that increases the risk of bowel, endometrial and some other cancers.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- The UK regulator of medicines and medical devices, which runs the Yellow Card scheme for reporting side effects.
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- The law on how to decide whether a person can make a particular decision, and how to act if they cannot.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The body that publishes national clinical guidelines in England.
- NICE NG12
- NICE guideline Suspected cancer: recognition and referral.
- NICE NG23
- NICE guideline Menopause: identification and management.
- NICE NG128
- NICE guideline Stroke and transient ischaemic attack in over 16s: diagnosis and initial management.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The regulator of nurses and midwives in the UK, and nursing associates in England.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- A hormonal condition that can cause irregular or absent ovulation, which increases endometrial cancer risk.
- Postmenopausal bleeding
- Vaginal bleeding more than 12 months after periods have stopped.
- Records Management Code of Practice (2023)
- National guidance on how long health and care records are kept and how they are managed.
- Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)
- The professional body for general practitioners.
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)
- The professional body for specialists in obstetrics and gynaecology.
- Sequential HRT
- HRT in which a progestogen is taken for part of each month, producing a monthly bleed.
- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- A written step-by-step instruction for carrying out a task consistently and safely.
- Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)
- The regulator-approved document describing how a medicine is used, including when it must be stopped.
- Suspected cancer pathway referral
- An urgent referral, as defined by NICE, to a service that can quickly confirm or rule out cancer.
- Transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
- A 'mini-stroke': stroke symptoms that resolve, which is a medical emergency because a full stroke may follow.
- Transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS)
- An internal ultrasound scan used to measure the thickness of the womb lining.
- Tricycling HRT
- A regimen in which the progestogen is taken only every third month.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main law on collecting and using personal information.
- Unscheduled bleeding
- Bleeding on HRT outside the pattern expected for that type of HRT.
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE)
- A blood clot in a vein, such as a deep vein thrombosis in the leg or a pulmonary embolism in the lung.
- Yellow Card scheme
- The MHRA system for reporting suspected side effects of medicines.