Fertility Abbreviations

When you are in the middle of a struggle to have a baby you can find yourself reading lots of forums, blogs, medical websites, and articles from all over the world. Often there are abbreviations or acronyms that may not be familiar to you. When you are TTC (trying to conceive) it's like you need to learn a whole new language!

Here is a list of the most common ones, what they stand for, and what they mean.

Abbreviation	Definition	Meaning
2WW	Two Week Wait	The period of time between fertility treatment and a pregnancy test
A
AF	Aunt Flo	An innocent sounding way to refer to a menstrual period
AI	Artificial Insemination	A procedure to inject semen to the vagina or uterus
ART	Assisted Reproductive Technology	A blanket term to cover all medically assisted reproductive method
ASAB	Antisperm Antibodies	Sperm fighting antibodies made by the immune system that damage or kill sperm
B
BA	Baby Aspirin	Low dose aspirin that can help with thinning blood and reducing inflammation
Babydust	Best Wishes	Cute way of wishing that someone gets pregnant
BBT	Basel Body Temperature	your body's temperature when it is fully at rest. It is a way to chart your ovulation and possible pregnancy
BCP	Birth Control Pill	Part of my IVF cycles to control your cycle and prepare your body for IVF
BD	Baby Dance	Sexual intercourse with the aim of getting pregnant
BETA	Quantitative Serial Beta-hCG Test	Blood test the measures the pregnancy hormone offering proof of pregnancy
BFN	Big Fat Negative	A negative pregnancy test
BFP	Big Fat Positive	A positive pregnancy test
Blast	Blastocyst	A fully developed embryo, usually day 5
BW	Blood Work	A big part of fertility treatment
C
C#	Cycle Number	A way of keeping track of how many cycles of fertility treatment
CM	Cervical Mucus	Fluid produced by the cervix that can give clues about your fertility at any given time
CP	Cervical Positioning	The position and texture of the cervix that changes during your cycle
D
D&C	Dilation & Curettage	Removal of a fetus e.g. due to missed miscarriage
DD	Dear Daughter
DH	Dear Husband
DPO	Days Post Ovulation
DPR	Days Post Retrieval
DPT	Days Post Transfer
DS	Dear Son
DW	Dear Wife
DX	Diagnosis
E
E2	Estradiol	also spelled oestradiol, is an estrogen steroid hormone and the major female sex hormone
EDD	Estimated Due Date
Embies	Embryos	Fertilized eggs
Endo	Endometriosis	disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus, the endometrium, grows outside the uterus
EPO	Evening Primrose Oil	a supplement which may help with maintaining hormone balance
EPT	Early Pregnancy Test
ER	Egg Retrieval	Surgical removal of eggs during an IVF cycle
ET	Embryo Transfer	The final stage of and IVF when the fertilized eggs are placed into the uterus
EWCM	Egg White Cervical Mucus	fertile cervical mucus during maximum fertility and that is stretchy like raw egg
F
FET	Frozen Embryo Transfer
FF	Fertility Friend	Someone going through fertility treatment at the same time you are
FHR	Fetal Heart Rate
FP	Follicular Phase	The first part of the menstrual cycle in which the follicles in the ovary mature and it ends with ovulation
FSH	Follicle Stimulating Hormone	Stimulates the ovaries to create follicles. The synthetic version (Gonal F) is injected daily up until ovulation
Follies	Follicles	The fluid filled sacs in your ovaries where your eggs grow
Frosties	Frozen Embryos
G
GIFT	Gamete Intra-Fallopian Transfer	A tool of assisted reproductive technology in which eggs are removed from a woman's ovaries, and placed in one of the Fallopian tubes, along with the man's sperm.
GNRH	Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone	also known as Luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) (responsible for the release of FSH and LH
GP	General Practitioner
H
HCG	Human Chorionic Gonadotropin	The hormone produced by the placenta after implantation. The presence of hCG is what most pregnancy tests look for.
HPT	Home Pregnancy Test
HSC	Hysteroscopy	A test that looks at the uterus to see if it has a normal shape and size. It can also detect fibroids, polyps, or scar tissue.
HX	Medical History	Usually a personal fertility history
I
ICI	Intracervical Insemination	Similar to an IUI but the sperm is placed near the cervix instead of in the uterus.
ICSI	Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection	A procedure in which an individual sperm is injected directly into an egg.
IF	Infertility
IME	In My Experience'
IMO	In My Opinion
IUI	Intrauterine Insemination	A procedure in which sperm is placed directly into the uterus in the hopes of achieving a pregnancy
IVF	In Vitro Fertilization
L
LAP	Laparoscopy	a surgical procedure in which a fiber-optic instrument is inserted through the abdominal wall to view the organs in the abdomen
LH	Luteinizing Hormone	A hormone that triggers ovulation
LMP	Last Menstrual Period	The first day of your last period
M
MC	Miscarriage
MF	Male Factor	When the infertility issue is with the male partner
M/S, MS	Morning Sickness
Mourla	Very early stage of an embryo (~3-4 days past fertilization) before blastocyst
N
NK	Natural Killer Cells	An immune response which may be responsible for IVF failure and miscarriage
O
O, OV	Ovulation
OB	Obstruction	A doctor who concentrates on pregnancy and childbirth
OB/GYN	Obstetrician/Gynecologist	A doctor who concentrates on women's reproductive health, pregnancy, and childbirth
OC	Oral Contraception
OD	Ovulatory Disorder
OHSS	Ovarian Hyper stimulation Syndrome	A condition in which the ovaries can become swollen and painful after fertility treatment. An embryo transfer may be cancelled if the condition is severe.
OPK	Ovulation Predictor Kit
OPT	Ovulation Predictor Test
OTC	Over The Counter
P
PCP	Primary Care Physician	Usually an Internist or Family Doctor
PG	Pregnant
PI	Primary Infertility	Refers to couples who have not become pregnant for the first time after 1 year of trying
PID	Pelvic Inflammatory Disease	An infection caused when bacteria from the vagina or cervix travel to the womb, fallopian tubes, or ovaries
PNV	Pre Natal Vitamins
POAS	Pee on a Stick	Refers to taking a home pregnancy or ovulation test
PUPO	Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise	A positive affirmation during the Two Week Wait
R
RE	Reproductive Endocrinologist	Fertility doctor
RPL	Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
Rx	Prescription
S
SA	Semen Analysis
SHG	Sonohysterogram	A test in which saline is injected into the cavity of the uterus in order to examine it for shape and abnormalities
SI	Secondary Infertility	The inability to become pregnant or to carry a baby to term after previously giving birth to a baby
SIS	Saline Injection Sonogram	Another term for SHG, above
SMEP	Sperm Meets Egg Plan	A plan to get pregnant by using ovulation awareness and times intercourse
SP	Significant Other
STD	Sexually Transmitted Disease
T
TORCH	Toxoplasmosis, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, and Herpes test
TTC	Trying To Conceive
TX	Treatment
U
UR	Urologist	A doctor who focuses on male reproductive organs
US, U/S	Ultrasound
UTI	Urinary Tract Infection
V
V	Vasectomy
VR, V/R	Vasectomy Reversal
W
WBC	White Blood Cells
Z
ZIFT	Zygote intrafallopian transfer	A procedure in which a fertilized embryo is transferred into the fallopian tube instead of the uterus