Common Fertility Abbreviations And Acronyms

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1. Getting pregnant /
2. Actively trying for a baby

Common fertility abbreviations and acronymsReviewed by Chess Thomas, Research EditorWritten by Polly Logan-Banks | 5 Jul 2023Photo credit: iStock.com / Oinegue

The Actively TryingOpens a new window group in BabyCentre's friendly community is the perfect place to discuss your baby-making journey with others who know exactly what you're going through. But when you're trying to get pregnant, all the different acronyms and abbreviations can be confusing at first!Let us be your guide with this introduction to some of the most common terms that you may see in our fertility community:

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Acronym	What it means
2WW	Two-week wait (the time between ovulation and either a period or a positive pregnancy test)
AC	Agnus Castus (a herbal remedy that some women believe can help fertility)
AF	Aunt Flo (your period)
AI	Artificial insemination (also known as intrauterine insemination IUI)
AO	Anovulatory (no ovulation)
BD	Baby dance (have sex)
Baby dust	Like "fairy dust" … a way to wish someone good luck in getting pregnant ("Baby dust to you!")
BBT	Basal body temperature
BCP	Birth control pill
BD	Baby dance (sex)
BF	Breastfeed or boyfriend
BFN	Big fat negative (negative result on a pregnancy test)
BFP	Big fat positive (positive result on a pregnancy test)
BP	Blood pressure
CB or CBD	Clearblue or Clearblue digital (a specific brand of pregnancy test)
CBFM	Clearblue fertility monitor
CD	Cycle day (where the first day of your menstrual cycle is the first day of your period)
CM	Cervical mucus
CP	Chemical pregnancy or cervical position
DD	Dear/darling daughter
DF	Dear/darling fiance/fiancee
DH	Dear/darling husband
DP	Dear/darling partner
DPO	Days past ovulation
DS	Dear/darling son
DSD	Dear/darling stepdaughter
DSS	Dear/darling stepson
DTD	Do the deed (have sex)
DW	Dear/darling wife
EPO	Evening primrose oil (a herbal remedy that some women believe can help fertility)
EWCM	Egg white cervical mucus
FC	Fingers crossed
FMU	First morning urine (your pee has a higher concentration of hormones in the morning, so a pregnancy test may give a positive result sooner if you use it then)
FT	Full-time
FRER	First Response Early Result (a specific brand of pregnancy test)
hCG	Human chorionic gonadotrophin (the hormone that pregnancy tests measure)
HPT	Home pregnancy test
HSG	Hysterosalpingogram (an X-ray of the womb and fallopian tubes)
IB	Implantation bleeding (slight bleeding or spotting that may happen around the time an embryo implants in your womb)
IC	Internet cheapie (pregnancy test/ovulation predictor kit)
ICSI	Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
IUI	Intrauterine insemination
IVF	In vitro fertilisation
LH	Luteinising hormone (the hormone that triggers ovulation; an LH surge is an increase in LH just before ovulation)
Line eyes	A request for people to look at a picture of a pregnancy test and say whether or not they think it's positive
LMP	Last menstrual period (the first day of your last period)
LO	Little one
LP	Luteal phase (the phase of your cycle between ovulation and getting your period)
MC or M/C	Miscarriage
MMC	Missed Miscarriage
MIL	Mother-in-law
MW	Midwife
OH	Other half
OHSS	Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
OP	Original post/poster
OPK	Ovulation predictor kit
O or OV	Ovulation
PCOS	Polycystic ovary syndrome
PG	Pregnant
PID	Pelvic inflammatory disease
PP	Previous poster or postpartum
PG	Pregnant
PGD	Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (where IVF embryos are tested for genetic conditions before implantation)
PGS	Pre-implantation genetic screening (where IVF embryos are tested to make sure they have a healthy number of chromosomes before implantation)
PMA	Positive mental attitude
RE	Reproductive endocrinologist
POAS	Pee on a stick (pregnancy test)
RLT	Raspberry leaf tea
Rainbow baby	A baby born after losing a pregnancy or a child
SA	Semen analysis (an assessment of sperm quantity, quality, and motility)
SAHD	Stay-at-home dad
SAHM	Stay-at-home mum
SAHP	Stay-at-home parent
SD	Sperm donor or stepdaughter or Superdrug (a particular brand of pregnancy test)
SI	Soya isoflavones (a supplement that some women believe can help fertility)
SMEP	Sperm meets egg plan (a specific method for trying to conceive)
SS	Stepson or symptom spotting (looking for the early signs of pregnancy)
TI	Timed intercourse
TTC	Trying to conceive
TCOYF	Take charge of your fertility (a book and app for tracking fertility)
TWW	Two-week wait (the time between ovulation and either a period or a positive pregnancy test)
WAHD	Work-at-home dad
WAHM	Work-at-home mum
WAHP	Work-at-home parent
WYOO	What's your opinion on…

For more tips on posting in the community see our general article on acronyms, abbreviations and emoticons. Or start your journey to parenthood by reading up on sex positions for getting pregnant.

Advertisement | page continues belowWas this article helpful?YesNoTrack your pregnancy on our free #1 pregnancy & baby appPolly Logan-BanksPolly Logan-Banks is an experienced editor with a keen interest in producing evidence-based content. Polly is passionate about ensuring that every child gets the best start in life. Opens a new window Opens a new window Opens a new windowAdvertisementAdvertisement