hystero-, hyster-, hysteri- +

(Greek: the womb or uterus; hysteria)

"Hysteric disturbances", that most frequently occur in women were ascribed erroneously by ancient Greeks to the influence of the womb and were, for this reason, called hysteria, "disease of the womb".

This hestero- unit is not related to a similarly spelled hysteres- unit of words referring to "shortcoming, deficiency; to be behind, to come late, to lag; later".

colpohysteropexy
An operation for the fixation of the uterus performed through the vagina.
colpohysterotomy
Incision into the uterus via the vagina.
electrohysterogram
1. A recording of uterine electrical activities.
2. A record of the electrical activity of the uterine muscular contractions.
electrohysterography
1. The recording of changes in electric potential associated with contractions of the uterine muscles.
2. The process of recording and analyzing the electric action potentials that result from uterine muscular contractions.
epidemic hysteria, mass hysteria
Hysteria in a group of people, usually closely associated in a school or workplace.

The inciting incident might be a rumor or an unaccustomed odor; such as, paint fumes in a workplace.

hesteriac
A hysterical person or someone who has some form of emotional instability and various sensory disturbances.
hysterectomy (misspelling: historectomy)
A surgical removal of the uterus, resulting in the inability to become pregnant (sterility).

It may be done through the abdomen or the vagina. It is also known as: vaginal hysterectomy; abdominal hysterectomy; laparoscopic hysterectomy; supracervical hysterectomy; radical hysterectomy; and removal of the uterus.

Hysterectomy is an operation that is commonly performed. There are many reasons a woman may need a hysterectomy; however, there are non-surgical approaches to treat many of these conditions.

During a hysterectomy, the uterus may be completely or partially removed. The fallopian tubes and ovaries may also be removed.

A partial (or supracervical) hysterectomy is removal of just the upper portion of the uterus, leaving the cervix intact.

A total hysterectomy is the removal of the entire uterus and the cervix. A radical hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, the tissue on both sides of the cervix (parametrium), and the upper part of the vagina.

A hysterectomy may be done through an abdominal incision (abdominal hysterectomy), a vaginal incision (vaginal hysterectomy), or through laparoscopic incisions (small incisions on the abdomen or laparoscopic hysterectomy).

Removal of the entire uterus and the cervix is referred to as a total hysterectomy. Removal of the body of the uterus without removing the cervix is referred to as a subtotal hysterectomy.

James Blundell, a London obstetrician, performed the first successful hysterectomy in 1828. He also proposed doing a Caesarean hysterectomy (removing the uterus with the baby inside) to save the life of the mother (and the baby). Blundell is considered a founder of modern abdominal surgery.

hysteria
1. An emotionally unstable condition brought about by a traumatic experience.
2. A state of extreme, or exaggerated, emotion; such as, excitement or panic; especially, among large numbers of people.
3. Behavior exhibiting excessive or uncontrollable emotion; such as, fear or panic; or uncontrollable laughter or crying.
4. A mental disorder characterized by emotional excitability and sometimes by amnesia or a physical deficit; such as, paralysis, or a sensory deficit, without an organic cause.
5. A psychoneurotic disorder characterized by violent emotional outbreaks, disturbances of sensory and motor functions, and various abnormal effects due to autosuggestion.

The term "hysteria" comes from the ancient idea that it was in some way associated with the female uterus or womb.

The old-fashioned association of hysteria with women, and with their supposed sexual disturbances, is no longer considered to be a valid cause of any hysterical conditions.

hysteric
1. An individual in a state of hysteria.
2. An overemotional individual.
hysterical
1. Marked by excessive or uncontrollable emotion.
2. Characterized by being emotionally out of control.
3. Referring to being irrational from fear, emotion, or an emotional shock.
hysterical amblyopia (blindness)
A unilateral or bilateral functional loss of vision involving great variations in the extent of the visual fields; seen in hysteria.
hysterical anesthesia (s) (noun), hysterical anesthesias (pl)
Loss of the sense of pain in the skin which is associated with some psychiatric conditions, taking on geometric configurations or conforming to zones covered by various articles of clothing: In her panic, Isabel experienced hysterical anesthesia because she couldn't feel any sensations on her back where her jacket was so tight.
hysterical aphonia
The inability to speak, seen in the conversion type of hysterical neurosis.
hysterical dysbasia
The apparent difficulty in walking seen in hysterical individuals, often characterized by marked swaying, zigzag steps, superfluous movements, and faked falling by which the person dramatizes the disability.
hysterical imitation
The complaints or acting out by an individual of the symptoms of an illness or of a behavior disorder known to him from experience, hearsay, or reading.

A hysterical phenomenon, as in hysteroepilepsy.