Decoding the Infertility Language

Fertility message boards and online support groups can be a huge help when you're coping with infertility. I know when I started going through this, if I ever had a quick question or I was stressing about test results I found myself turning to the Internet for some instant help or reassurance. It seemed like usually I could post a question and get a pretty immediate answer from someone who had gone through something similar that could give me some personal insight.

One thing that I noticed when I started visiting different message boards is that fertility forums have a terminology that is all their own. You're likely to see writing similar to this:

"Its been a long 2WW after this FET and unfortunately AF made her appearance. We didn't get the BFP that we were hoping for. DH and I are heartbroken."

Say what??? It can be very confusing to follow along. The good news is you'll likely learn these abbreviations quickly and learn to appreciate them as they'll save you typing time :) Here's a quick little guide to some of the commonly-used abbreviations and acronyms that you may see or want to use yourself:


2WW: two-week wait; the time between ovulation and period

• AF: Aunt Flo (menstruation)
• AH, AZH: Assisted Hatching
• ART: Assisted Reproductive Technology
• BA: Baby Aspirin
• BBT: Basal Body Temperature
• BCP: Birth Control Pills
• BD: Baby Dance (sex)
• BFN: Big fat negative on a pregnancy test
• BFP: Big fat positive on a pregnancy test
• C#: Cycle Number
• CB: Cycle Buddy
• D&C: Dilation & Curettage
• DE: Donor Eggs
• DH: Dear Husband, Darling Husband or Damn Husband (depending on your mood)
• DI: Donor Insemination
• DOR: Diminished Ovarian Reserve
• DP3DT: Days Post 3-Day Transfer
• DPIUI: Days past IUI
• DPO: Days past ovulation
• DPR: Days Post-Retrieval
• DPT: Days Post-Transfer
• Dx: Diagnosis
• EDD: Estimated Due Date
• ENDO: Endometriosis
• EPT: Early Pregnancy Test
• ER: Egg Retrieval
• ET: Embryo Transfer
• FET: Frozen Embryo Transfer
• FF: Fertile Friend
• FM: Fertile Mucus or Fertility Monitor
• FSH: Follicle Stimulating Hormone
• FTTA: Fertile Thoughts To All
• FV: Fertile Vibes
• Fx: Fingers crossed
• hCG, HCG: Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
• HPT: Home Pregnancy Test
• ICSI: Intra-cytoplasmic Sperm Injection
• IF: Infertility
• IPS: Imaginary pregnancy symptoms
• IUI: Intra-uterine Insemination
• IVC: Intra-vaginal Culture
• IVF: In Vitro Fertilization
• LAP: Laparoscopy
• LMP: Last Menstrual Period (start date)
• LP: Luteal Phase
• LSP: Low Sperm Count
• MC, m/c, misc.: Miscarriage
• MF: Male Factor
• O, OV: Ovulation
• OC: Oral Contraceptives
• OPK: Ovulation Predictor Kit
• OPT: Ovulation Predictor Test
• P4: Progesterone
• PGD: Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis
• PI: Primary Infertility
• PIO: Progesterone in Oil
• PMS: Premenstrual Syndrome
• R-FSH, R-hFSH: Recombinant Human Follicle Stimulating Hormone
• RPL: Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
• SA: Semen Analysis
• SART: Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology
• SI: Secondary Infertility
• TET: Tubal Embryo Transfer
• TRH: Thyroid Releasing Hormone
• TSH: Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
• Tx: Treatment
• US, u/s: Ultrasound
• V: Vasectomy
• VR: Vasectomy Reversal
• WBC: White Blood Cells
• WNL: Within Normal Limits