- R -

radical mastectomy

A surgical treatment for breast cancer in which the entire breast, as well as the underlying muscle and lymph nodes, are removed.

 

rape

Forcible sexual relations with an individual without that person's consent under actual or threatened force.

 

rape-trauma syndrome

The emotional consequences that a victim experiences after being raped.

 

refractory period

The period of time in men immediately following ejaculation, during which further erection or orgasm is not possible; not present in the female's sexual response cycle.

 

relaxin

A hormone produced by the placenta that increases flexibility in the ligaments and joints of the pelvic area to assist in childbirth.

 

reproductive bias

The belief of some individuals that procreation is the sole purpose for sex.

 

reproductive success

The extent to which organisms are able to survive long enough to pass on their genes to successive generations.

 

resolution phase

Masters and Johnson's term for the last phase of sexual response, in which the body returns to the unaroused state.

 

retarded ejaculation

A sexual dysfunction in which the male is unable to have an orgasm despite sufficient arousal and stimulation.

 

retrograde ejaculation

A condition in which, during orgasm in the male, the semen is expelled backward into the bladder rather than out of the urethral opening.

 

retrovirus

A virus capable of altering the normal genetic writing process, causing the host cell to replicate the virus instead of itself. HIV is an example of such a virus.

 

rhythm method

A method of contraception that involves abstaining from sexual intercourse during the fertile days of the woman's menstrual cycle each month.

 

rimming

Slang term for annilingus.

 

RU-486

An oral, postcoital birth control method that works by causing expulsion of the conceptus.

 

rubber

Slang term for condom.