The ABCs of TTC: the acronyms you need to know when trying to conceive
Thanks for the invite, but my Aunt Flow’s in town. I’m gonna go home and treat her to some wine and reruns.
BBT: Basal Body Temperature. BBT may spike right before ovulation, so many women track it to help them pinpoint their ovulation.
The very first thing I did this morning was grab my thermometer and take my BBT.
BCP: Birth Control Pills.
In almost no time after I stopped taking BCP, I was pregnant.
BD: Baby Dance. Sexual intercourse, usually done on the most fertile days of your cycle. (Can also mean baby dust, which is a phrase you use to wish someone good luck.)
My ovulation test is positive, which makes me want to dance - the BD, that is!
BFN/BFP: Big Fat Negative/Big Fat Positive (on your pregnancy test).
Every time I buy a pregnancy test, I think about how it could be the one to show the BFP.
BOB: Baby on the Brain!
I’m having a hard time shopping with BOB. All I can think about is tiny socks and pacifiers, which makes it impossible to keep track of my grocery list.
CD: Cycle Day. A specific day in your menstrual cycle (or fertility treatment cycle). To track it, start by counting from the first day of your last menstrual cycle.
It varies each cycle, but normally I ovulate on CD 13, or 13 days after the first day of my period.
CM or CF: Cervical Mucus or Cervical Fluid. Changes in cervical fluid indicate that a woman is at different stages of her cycle.
At the most fertile point of each cycle, my CM is clear and super stretchy.
CP: Chemical pregnancy. A very early miscarriage.
My doctor recommended that I put off trying again until one cycle after my last CP.
DD: Darling daughter. A daughter you already have.
DH, DD, and I go on vacation next week.
DH: Dear husband.
I’m 42 and DH is 43.
DPO: Days Past Ovulation, or Cycle Date Post Ovulation.
By 7DPO of the TWW, I’m already wondering if every little cramp is a sign of pregnancy.
DS: Darling son.
It’s a challenge to care for DD and DS while also TTC.
ENDO: Endometriosis. A chronic disease in which tissue that is supposed to grow in the uterus grows outside of it. Millions of women experience this condition and it can affect fertility.
After getting diagnosed with ENDO, I was able to find a huge and supportive online community of other women who had the same condition.
EWCM: Egg White Cervical Mucus. When your cervical mucus looks like egg whites, it may mean that you’re at your most fertile point.
Nothing is as exciting as seeing EWCM when TTC!
FMU: First Morning Urine. Most pregnancy tests require that women take them the very first time they pee in the morning. In the morning, urine typically has the highest concentration of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, or hCG, an early pregnancy hormone.
I tested with FMU and got a faint BFP.
FP: Follicular Phase. The phase of the menstrual cycle when follicles mature in the ovary. This phase begins on day 1 of your period, and ends with ovulation.
I’m so excited to try and get pregnant, I just want my FP to be over!
hCG: Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. A hormone produced during early pregnancy that helps the baby grow.
I had a positive test, which means there was enough hCG in my urine to detect a pregnancy.
HPT: Home Pregnancy Test. A pregnancy test that you can take at home. This morning my HPT showed a BFP - but I’m going to my doctor’s to take a blood test to confirm.IUI: Intrauterine Insemination. A specific kind of fertility treatment where sperm is placed directly into a woman’s uterus during ovulation.
After 2 years of TTC, we’ve decided to try IUI.
IVF: In Vitro Fertilization. A procedure in which an egg is fertilized in a lab and then implanted.
We went through several rounds of IVF before getting a BFP.
LMP: Last Menstrual Period. The first day of your last period.
I started my LMP on June 6th.
LPD: Luteal Phase Defect. If the corpus luteum didn’t form properly, a luteal phase defect may occur, causing a short luteal phase. This can make it hard for a woman to get pregnant.
I’ve been really accurate with my charting, because I suspect I might have LPD and I want to have a lot of information to show my provider.
LSC: Low Sperm Count. Commonly the cause of male infertility.
A semen analysis showed that my partner has an LSC.
M/C: Miscarriage.
I got my first BFP a year ago, which ended in a really upsetting MC.
MF: Male Factor Infertility.
To help with the MF issues, we found an infertility counselor who was covered by our insurance.
NTNP: Not trying for pregnancy, not preventing pregnancy.
I just stopped taking BCP, so I guess that we’re NTNP.
O or OV: Ovulation.
I O’ed on CD15 and BD on days 13 and 15.
OPK or OPT: Ovulation Predictor Kit or Ovulation Predictor Test. These tests tell you when your body has a surge of luteinizing hormone (LH), which indicates the onset of ovulation.
PCO, PCOS, or PCOD: Polycystic Ovaries, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Disease. A condition in which a woman’s levels of estrogen and progesterone are unbalanced. Women with PCOS develop cysts on their ovaries, and the condition can cause infertility.
POAS: Pee On Stick. Taking a pregnancy test (peeing on a stick), usually at home.
I’m 7DPO and it’s so hard to wait to POAS!
RE: Reproductive Endocrinologist. A type of fertility specialist.
I’m meeting with an RE tomorrow to go over my fertility test results.
SA: Semen Analysis. This is a test that providers can use to determine the quality and quantity of a man’s sperm.
The results of his SA show he has low sperm count, low motility, and poor morphology.
SO: Significant other.
My SO and I have decided that next month we'll start TTC.
TWW or 2WW: Two Week Wait. The time period between when you ovulate and can take a pregnancy test.
I just started my TWW and I need to find some ways to distract myself!
TTC: Trying to Conceive.
I haven’t decided who I want to tell that we’re TTC.
U/S: Ultrasound.
Our first U/S is scheduled for the end of the month.
