About the glossary

This glossary is part of a larger multimedia educational initiative developed for my thesis, which explores the intersection of ovarian cancer prevention and permanent birth control. The plain-language glossary was created to support patient understanding of common terms used in conversations about contraception, sterilization, and ovarian cancer risk reduction. During clinical observation, patient interactions, and my own personal observations, I often saw individuals struggle with unfamiliar medical language—both in understanding and in pronunciation. In response, I developed this glossary as an educational aid to help patients feel more informed and confident when navigating their reproductive care options.

The glossary includes 40 key terms, each with a simplified definition and a lay-friendly pronunciation guide to help patients learn how to say the terms out loud. All content was reviewed by Johns Hopkins Patient Education Services for clarity and accuracy. The glossary has been translated into Spanish, with additional translations into Russian, Arabic, Korean, and Simplified Chinese underway. It will be housed in the Johns Hopkins Hospital Patient Education Library and is designed to work both as a standalone resource and a companion to the other patient-facing materials in this project.