What it all means
Medical language is its own dialect, and nobody should have to decode it while they are also worried. Here is what the words on this site actually mean.
Why "Mr" and not "Dr"
This one confuses almost everybody, and it looks like a demotion. It is the opposite.
Every doctor in the UK starts as Dr. Those who go on to train as surgeons sit the examinations of a Royal College, and on passing they traditionally drop the title and revert to Mr, Miss, Mrs or Ms. So a UK surgeon called Mr has done more training than one called Dr, not less.
The custom goes back to the long split between physicians, who held university medical degrees, and surgeons, who came up through the Company of Barber-Surgeons and were not doctors at all. Surgeons eventually won the argument about status and kept the old title as a point of pride. It survives in the UK, Ireland and a few Commonwealth countries, and almost nowhere else — which is why it reads as strange to American and European patients.
You may also see "Dr Morgan" used on social media. That is a deliberate simplification for an international audience, where "Mr" would read as a mistake. On this site, and on anything you sign, the correct form is Mr George Morgan.
Consultant
The most senior grade of hospital doctor in the UK, reached after specialist training and entry to the specialist register. A consultant takes final clinical responsibility for your care. It is not a job you can hold while still in training.
Urogynaecology
The sub-speciality dealing with the pelvic floor: prolapse and urinary incontinence, essentially. It sits between gynaecology and urology, which is why women with these symptoms are so often sent back and forth between the two.
FRCOG
Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Doctors first become a Member (MRCOG) by examination; Fellowship is conferred later, on recognition of a substantial contribution to the speciality. The "F" is the senior of the two.
MB ChB
The primary medical degree — Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery. It is the qualification that makes someone a doctor. Different universities award it under slightly different initials, which is why you will see MB BS, MB BChir and others; they mean the same thing.
Prolapse
When the tissues that hold the pelvic organs in place weaken, and something descends from where it should sit — most often the bladder, the womb or the back wall of the vagina. It is extremely common after childbirth and after the menopause. The usual description from patients is a feeling of something coming down, or a dragging heaviness that is worse by the end of the day.
POP-Q staging
Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification — the standard system for describing how far a prolapse has descended, measured against the level of the hymen. It runs from stage 0, no prolapse, to stage 4, complete. It exists so that two clinicians describing the same patient use the same words. A stage number on its own does not decide treatment: how much it is affecting you matters more.
Pessary
A soft silicone device placed in the vagina to support a prolapse, in a ring, shelf or cube shape depending on what is needed. It is fitted in clinic, it is not surgery, and it can be taken out again. For many women it is a complete answer rather than a stopgap, which is why it is usually offered before an operation is discussed.
Laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery
Surgery carried out through several small incisions using a camera and narrow instruments, rather than one large opening. It generally means less pain, a shorter stay and a faster return to normal activity. Not every operation can be done this way, and whether it suits your case is a question for your appointment.
Colposcopy
A close look at the cervix using a magnifying instrument that stays outside the body, usually arranged after an abnormal cervical screening result. It takes a few minutes and feels much like having a smear. An abnormal screening result is common and usually does not mean cancer — colposcopy is how that gets checked properly.
Colposuspension
An operation for stress urinary incontinence — the leaking that happens when you cough, laugh or exercise — which lifts and supports the neck of the bladder with stitches, using your own tissue rather than an implant. It is one of the long-established surgical options for stress incontinence.
Endometrial ablation
A treatment for heavy periods that removes or thins the lining of the womb. It is done without an incision, usually as a day case. It is not suitable if you may want to become pregnant afterwards.
If a word you have been given is not here, bring it to your appointment and ask. Nobody will think less of you for it — and if a term has not been explained to you properly, that is not your failing.