Trying to Conceive (TTC) Lingo Bingo

If you’re just starting out on your journey of trying to conceive, the shorthand lingo and various acronyms used in groups, blog posts, and other resources can sometimes be confusing and a bit overwhelming. Use this guide to help navigate and decipher commonly used fertility and Trying to Conceive (TTC) lingo to help you feel more confident and prepared.

• TTC: Trying to Conceive 

• TWW: Two Week Wait 
• The time between ovulation and when you’re likely to get a result on a pregnancy test. We know this can be a stressful time when trying to conceive. Try your best to relax during this time.

• BFP / BFN: Big Fat Positive / Big Fat Negative 
• BFP: Positive result on a pregnancy test 
• BFN: Negative result on a pregnancy test
  
  
• BD: Baby Dance
• Sex
  
  
• POF: Premature Ovarian Failure 
• The loss of normal function of your ovaries before age 40. POF is also known as primary ovarian insufficiency or early menopause.
  
  
• PCOS: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome 
• A hormonal disorder causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges.
  
  
• ED: Egg Donor 
• A woman who donates her ova for use in vitro fertilization.
  
  
• Fresh Embryo Transfer
• The best embryo(s) are transferred into the uterus only three to five days after the retrieval.
• Any remaining embryos are frozen for a future transfer, if needed.

• FET: Frozen Embryo Transfer 
• A cryopreserved embryo created in a full IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) cycle is thawed and transferred to a woman’s uterus. The cryopreserved embryo may be from a woman’s previous conventional IVF cycle, or it may be a donor embryo.
  
  
• AF: Aunt Flo
• Your period
  
  
• BBT: Basal Body Temperature 
• The lowest body temperature attained during rest. It is usually estimated by a temperature measurement immediately after awakening and before any physical activity has been undertaken.
  
  
• BC/BCP:  Birth Control / Birth Control Pills
  
  
• CD: Cycle Day
  
  
• CM: Cervical Mucus 
• Fluid produced by your cervix as you approach ovulation due to increased estrogen. Also known as “cervical fluid.”
  
  
• CP: Cervical Position
• When ovulating, your cervix become soft, open, and wet and rises high.
• Checking your cervical position will allow you to notice changes throughout the month and get a personal prediction of your most fertile time of the month. It helps you to know when ovulation is about to occur and can also indicate whether or not pregnancy has been achieved.
  
  
• DPO: Days Past Ovulation
  
  
• DPT: Days Past Trigger (trigger shot)
  
  
• EDD: Estimated Due Date
• The estimated date of when a baby is due to be born.
  
  
• EWCM: Egg White Cervical Mucus
• Fertile-quality cervical mucus that is clear and stretchy, similar to the consistency of egg whites, and is the perfect protective medium for sperm in terms of texture and pH.
   
• FSH: Follicle Stimulating Hormone
• One of the hormones essential to pubertal development and the function of women’s ovaries and men’s testes. 
• In women, this hormone stimulates the growth of ovarian follicles in the ovary before the release of an egg from one follicle at ovulation. It also increases oestradiol production. 
• In men, follicle stimulating hormone acts on the Sertoli cells of the testes to stimulate sperm production (spermatogenesis).
  
  
• HPT: Home Pregnancy Test
• Measures levels of the hormone hCG, which is produced in pregnancy.
  
  
• hCG: Human Chorionic Gonadotropin 
• Hormone detected by pregnancy tests.
  
  
• HSG: Hysterosalpingogram 
• A radiologic procedure to investigate the shape of the uterine cavity and the shape and patency of the fallopian tubes. This means it is a special x-ray using dye to look at the womb and Fallopian tubes. 
• Also known as “uterosalpingography.”
  
  
• IVI: Intravaginal Insemination 
• The simplest kind of insemination and involves the placement of sperm into the woman’s vagina. It’s pretty much what happens during sexual intercourse in terms of placement of sperm.
  
  
• ICI: Intracervical Insemination
• The sperm is placed directly inside the cervix, using a needleless syringe.
  
  
• IUI: Intrauterine Insemination
• Placing sperm inside a woman’s uterus to facilitate fertilization. The goal of IUI is to increase the number of sperm that reach the fallopian tubes and subsequently increase the chance of fertilization.
  
  
• IVF: In-Vitro Fertilization
• Mature eggs are collected (retrieved) from your ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab. Then the fertilized egg (embryo) or eggs are implanted in your uterus. One cycle of IVF takes about two weeks.
  
  
• KD: Known Donor
• The provider of the egg, sperm, or embryo is known.
  
  
• LH: Luteinizing Hormone
• In women, the hormone stimulates the ovaries to produce oestradiol. Two weeks into a woman's cycle, a surge in luteinizing hormone causes the ovaries to release an egg during ovulation. If fertilization occurs, the luteinizing hormone will stimulate the corpus luteum, which produces progesterone to sustain the pregnancy.

• For men, luteinizing hormone stimulates the production of testosterone from Leydig cells in the testes. Testosterone, in turn, stimulates sperm production and helps accentuate male characteristics — like a deep voice or growth of facial hair.
  
  
• LMP: Last Menstrual Period
• The first day of your last period.
  
  
• LP: Luteal Phase
• The stage of the menstrual cycle that occurs after ovulation (when your ovaries release an egg) and before your period starts. During this time, the lining of your uterus normally gets thicker to prepare for a possible pregnancy.
  
  
• LPD: Luteal Phase Defect
• If you have a luteal phase defect, that lining doesn't grow properly each month. This can make it difficult to become or remain pregnant.
  
  
• M/C: Miscarriage
• The spontaneous loss of a woman's pregnancy before the 20th week that can be both physically and emotionally painful.
  
  
• O: Ovulation
• Ovulation is when a mature egg is released from the ovary, pushed down the fallopian tube, and is made available to be fertilized.
  
  
• O-1: One Day Before Ovulation
  
  
• O-2: Two Days Before Ovulation
  
  
• OPK: Ovulation Prediction Kit
• OPKs measure luteinizing hormone, the last hormone to peak before ovulation.
  
  
• POAS: Pee on a Stick
• The process of taking an at-home pregnancy test.
  
  
• RE: Reproductive Endocrinologist
• Fertility Specialist
  
  
• SA: Semen Analysis
• A complete semen analysis measures the quantity and quality of the fluid released during ejaculation. It evaluates both the liquid portion, called semen or seminal fluid, and the microscopic, moving cells called sperm. 
• It is often used in the evaluation of male infertility.
  
  
• SMEP: Sperm Meets Egg Plan 
• An aggressive timed intercourse plan
  
  
• FMU: First Morning Urine 
• First morning urine typically contains the highest concentration of hCG, the pregnancy hormone.
  
  
• SMU: Second Morning Urine 
• While not a potent as FMU, second morning urine will also contain a high concentration of hCG.
  
  
• Pink Dye Test
• Any pregnancy test that uses pink dye. These tests are typically more accurate. 

• FRER (pink dye): First Response, Early Result 
• An at-home pregnancy test that’s designed to detect hCG as early as 6 days before your missed period (5 days before day of the expected period). 
• These tests are typically more expensive than traditional at-home pregnancy tests, and they are extremely accurate.
  
  
• Blue Dye Test
• Any at-home pregnancy test that uses blue dye.
• These tests are less accurate than pink dye tests and are more likely to produce a false positive result.
• The dye featured in these tests can also bleed easily, making it hard to read the results accurately.
• We don’t recommend using these tests. 

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