Uterus in Spanish

Where is the uterus and what does it do?

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary describes the uterus as the hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis, and says it is where a fetus (unborn baby) develops and grows. MedlinePlus adds that the cervix is the lower part of the uterus. MedlinePlus en español describes the endometrium (endometrio) as the lining that covers the uterus.

Conditions named for the uterus

MedlinePlus groups several conditions under uterine diseases. In adenomyosis, tissue that usually lines the uterus grows on the outside walls. Endometrial hyperplasia is an overgrowth of normal cells inside the uterus. In endometriosis, tissue like the lining of the uterus grows in other places in the body. In uterine prolapse, the uterus drops into the vagina due to weakened pelvic muscles.

Hysterectomy

MedlinePlus en español defines a hysterectomy (histerectomía) as surgery to remove a woman's uterus. It states that after a hysterectomy a person no longer has menstrual periods and cannot become pregnant, and that the surgery sometimes also removes the ovaries and the fallopian tubes.

What it means

The uterus is the hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis where a fetus develops and grows. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary says it is also called the womb, and MedlinePlus describes the uterus, or womb, as the place where a fetus grows during pregnancy. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus. Uterine diseases are conditions that affect the uterus; they can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancerous), and the first sign of a problem with the uterus may be abnormal bleeding. To find the cause of symptoms, a health care provider may do a pelvic exam, order blood tests or imaging tests, or do a biopsy. In Spanish the term is útero.

Uterus in Spanish

Spanish term: Útero
Gender and article: masculine: el útero
Pronunciation: OO-teh-roh

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
matriz	General	Synonym given by the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary at the end of its entry for útero.
uterino / uterina	General	Adjective form that MedlinePlus en español uses in enfermedades uterinas and prolapso uterino.

Útero is the term used by both MedlinePlus en español and the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary, and it is masculine: el útero. The NCI dictionary adds that the organ is also called matriz, and MedlinePlus en español lists enfermedades de la matriz among the other names for its page on diseases of the uterus. The adjective is uterino or uterina, as in enfermedades uterinas and prolapso uterino.

The cervix is cuello uterino, which MedlinePlus en español describes as located in the lower part of the uterus. The lining of the uterus is the endometrio, and surgery to remove the uterus is a histerectomía. Other words MedlinePlus en español uses on its page about the uterus are sangrado anormal (abnormal bleeding), dolor pélvico (pelvic pain), examen pélvico (pelvic exam), pruebas de imágenes (imaging tests) and biopsia (biopsy).

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I have been bleeding between my periods for two months.	Desde hace dos meses tengo sangrado entre las menstruaciones.
Clinician	Have you ever had surgery on your uterus?	¿Ha tenido alguna vez una cirugía del útero?
Patient	No, but my mother had a hysterectomy.	No, pero a mi madre le hicieron una histerectomía.
Clinician	I am going to do a pelvic exam to check your uterus and your cervix.	Voy a hacerle un examen pélvico para revisar el útero y el cuello uterino.
Patient	I also have pelvic pain, and my periods are very heavy.	También tengo dolor pélvico, y mis menstruaciones son muy abundantes.
Clinician	We are going to order an imaging test to look at your uterus.	Vamos a pedirle una prueba de imágenes para ver el útero.
Patient	The report mentions the lining of my uterus. What does that mean?	El informe menciona el revestimiento del útero. ¿Qué significa eso?
Clinician	We may need to take a small sample of tissue from the uterus. That is called a biopsy.	Es posible que tengamos que tomar una pequeña muestra de tejido del útero. Eso se llama biopsia.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Uterus
Spanish (Español)	Útero
Chinese (中文)	子宮
Korean (한국어)	자궁
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Tử cung
Filipino (Tagalog)	Matris
Portuguese (Português)	Útero
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	มดลูก
Japanese (日本語)	子宮

Where you'll see it

chartradiology reportdischarge summarymedical record

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Reproductive health and pregnancy

All terms in this area: Reproductive health and pregnancy — Salud reproductiva y embarazo

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.