Decoding The Most Common Infertility Acronyms

When I first joined a Facebook support group for women experiencing infertility, I was Googling like a crazy lady. I had no idea what anything meant - except IUI since I was going through it. They were pretty easy to pick up, but just in case you’re still on the hunt for those acronyms, here’s our handy dandy list (in alphabetical order to make it easy). Click on the plus sign next to each acronym to learn what each one is!

• AF

  Aunt Flo
  AKA Your Period/Menses

• ART

  Assisted Reproductive Technology

  This includes IUI and IVF

• BBT

  Basal Body Temperature
  This is your body’s resting temperature. Typically used for “charting” to find out when/if you are ovulating. It can sometimes predict ovulation, as some women see a dip in temperature the day before they ovulate.

• BCP

  Birth Control Pills

• BD

  Baby Dance
  AKA Sex, Love/Baby Making

• BFN

  Big Fat Negative
  A negative pregnancy test

• BFP

  Big Fat Positive
  A positive pregnancy test (Yay!)

• CD

  Cycle Day
  Referring to the days of your menstrual cycle (i.e., 1st day of your period would be referred to as CD1 for Cycle Day 1).

• CM

  Cervical Mucus
  is produced by your cervix and changes throughout your cycle. Around the time of ovulation, the fluid becomes clear and slippery.

• DE

  Donor Eggs

• DH

  Dear Husband

• DOR

  Diminished Ovarian Reserve

• DPIUI

  Days Past Intrauterine Insemination
  The number of days that have passed since intrauterine insemination occurred.

• DPO

  Days Past Ovulation

• DPR

  Days Past Retrieval

• Endo

  Endometriosis

• IUI

  Intrauterine Insemination

• IVF

  In Vitro Fertilization
  I think we’re all familiar with what this means, but just in case, IVF is an assisted reproductive technology. Mature eggs are collected from the mom-to-be and sperm is collected from the dad-to-be (or donor). The egg is fertilized in a lab before the embryo is implanted into the uterus.

• OB/GYN

  Again, another term we women should all know! But, for the sake of having it all here, an OB is an Obstetrician and a GYN is a Gynecologist. You will typically see both. “Obstetrics (involves care during pre-conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and immediately after delivery. Gynecology (the GYN) involves care of all women's health issues.” (UCLA Medschool)

• OPK

  Ovulation Predictor Kit
  A test, similar to a pregnancy test, that detects the surge in luteinizing hormone (lh), indicating ovulation.

• PCOS

  Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
  a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may have infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods or excess male hormone (androgen) levels. The ovaries may develop numerous small collections of fluid (follicles) and fail to regularly release eggs. (WebMD)

• PI

  Primary Infertility
  Terminology used to describe a couple who is unsuccessful in getting pregnant within 12 months.

• RE

  Reproductive Endocrinologist
  Reproductive endocrinologists, or REs, are fertility/infertility specialists. They are the only doctors trained in providing fertility treatments using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and egg freezing. REs are also trained in obstetrics and gynecology, and then have additional training to provide fertility treatment (more on that later). REs diagnose and comprehensively treat infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or abnormalities of the reproductive system, and perform fertility preservation procedures like egg freezing. (extendedfertility.com)

• SA

  Semen Analysis
  A semen analysis is used to evaluate a dad-to-be’s sperm. Some of the common things being evaluated are morphology (size and shape), motility (the ability for sperm to swim to an egg), concentration (number of sperm), and volume (sample amount).

• SI

  Secondary Infertility
  Terminology used to describe couples who previously conceived on their own, and are now unable to conceive.

• SIS

  Saline Sonohysterogram

  SIS is a procedure that uses ultrasound and saline to image the inside of the uterus. It can help diagnose uterine conditions such as fibroids, polyps, or scar tissue from a c-section.

• TTC

  Trying To Conceive
  Pretty self-explanatory here. Often used in sentences like, “My partner and I have been TTC for a year.”

• TW

  Trigger Warning
  Used in fertility groups to warn women that the content of a post may be upsetting. Often, TW posts contain messages regarding BFPs, miscarriages, etc.

• TWW (2WW)

  Two Week Wait
  Used to describe the two weeks from ovulation to the start of your next menstrual cycle or pregnancy.