116 Fertility Abbreviations & Acronyms You Need to Know

Fertility abbreviations and acronyms can seem like a confusing world full of random letters and numbers, especially if you’re just starting your search for fertility information online.  We’ve collected a list of the most popular ones you’ll find used online to help you navigate the various forums and blogs you’re sure to encounter.  

With the help of our list of fertility acronyms, you’ll be speaking this new language in no time!

Fertility Abbreviations and Acronyms

#DPO – Days past Ovulation. The number of days after, or past, the actual date of ovulation.

2WW / TWW – Two-Week Wait. The time between ovulation and either your next period or a positive pregnancy test.

AC – Agnus Castus. Also known as vitex agnus-castus and is an herbal supplement used to treat a variety of reproductive related issues.

AF – Aunt Flo. The shedding of the uterine lining through menstrual bleeding (aka your period).

AI – Artificial or Assisted Insemination. A fertility procedure where concentrated motile sperm are inserted directly into the uterus.

Angel Baby – A baby who has been lost during pregnancy, a miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death.

AP – Attachment Parenting. A parenting style or philosophy based on attachment theory which is the concept that how parents interact with their baby and respond to their needs will set the stage for their child’s future emotional health and relationships.

ART – Assisted Reproductive Technology. Fertility treatment options that handle both eggs and sperm. The most common treatment is in-vitro fertilization.

B/W – Blood Work. A laboratory analysis of a blood sample or diagnostic testing of blood.

Baby Dust – A term used to wish someone good luck with conceiving a baby that attempts to communicate genuine positive thoughts from someone who may understand what you are going through.

BBT – Basal Body Temperature. A natural fertility planning method that relies on your basal body temperature, your temperature when you are completely at rest, to confirm ovulation and time sex.

BBTC – Basal Body Temperature Charting. Recording your basal body temperature via an app or graph paper to record changes in your BBT over time.

BC / AC – Before / After Children. Refers to the time period before or after any children were in your life.

BC / BCP – Birth Control / Birth Control Pills. Oral contraceptives or other devices used to prevent surges in natural hormones as well as pregnancy.

BD – Baby Dance. Sexual intercourse for the purposes of conception.

BF – Boyfriend. Commonly used to refer to a regular male companion of a romantic and/or sexual nature.

BF – Breast Feeding. Feeding the baby with milk from the breast either as expressed, pumped or fed directly to the baby.

BFN – Big Fat Negative. A clear negative result on a pregnancy test.

BFP – Big Fat Positive. A clear positive result, traditionally meant to refer to a strip of litmus paper you dip into your urine, but generally refers to getting a positive result on a pregnancy test.

BLW – Baby-Led Weaning. A philosophy of weaning (the transition from breast milk or formula to solid foods) that incorporates the same foods the rest of the family is eating rather than specific purees or baby foods. Caregivers follow the baby’s lead in this method of weaning.

BM – Bowel Movement. The final act of passing solid food through your digestive tract. Also known as defecation.

BM – Breast Milk. The milk produced by mammary glands, located in the breast.

BMS – Baby-Making Sex. Sex for pregnancy or the purposes of procreation.

BOB- Baby on the Brain, Baby-Obsessed Brain. Thinking about having a baby all the time or your brain being literally obsessed with the idea of having a baby.

BP – Blood Pressure. The pressure of blood in your circulatory system as it pushes blood out and rests between beats.

CD# – Cycle Day. The specific day or point in your menstrual cycle.

CF – Cervical Fluid (same as mucus). The fluid produced by the cervix.

CIO – Cry It Out. An extinction sleep training technique where the infant is not immediately responded to when they cry and left to fall asleep on their own.

Circ. – Circumcise. To remove or partially remove parts of external genitalia.

CM – Cervical Mucus. Another term for cervical fluid or the fluid produced by the cervix.

CP – Chemical Pregnancy. An early pregnancy loss that happens shortly after implantation.  

CS – C-Section or Cesarean section. A surgical method of delivering a child that involves cutting through the mother’s abdomen to access the uterus directly.

CY# – Cycle Number. The number of the cycle that you are on either since TTC or starting treatment. 

DB – Dear boyfriend. A form of written affection for a regular male companion of a sexual or romantic nature.

DC – Daycare. Supervision of children provided by someone else.

DD – Dear Daughter. An affectionate way for a parent to refer to their offspring (daughter).

DF – Dear Fiancé. An affectionate term for the person you are engaged to be married to.

DH – Dear Husband. Can also mean darling husband and is an internet slang term as a sign of affection for the user’s spouse. 

DI – Donor Insemination. The process of inserting donor sperm directly into the uterus for the purposes of pregnancy. 

DP – Dear Partner. An affectionate term for your life partner or spouse.

DS – Dear Son. Common internet slang to refer affectionately to offspring (son).

DTD – Do the Deed. The act of having sexual intercourse.

DuH – Dumb Husband. Internet slang to refer to your husband jokingly when he is acting in a way you don’t like.

Dx – Diagnosis. The identification or nature of an illness or condition.

E3G – Estrone-3-glucoronide (Estrogen metabolite) The metabolite of the primary sex hormone that helps regulate the menstrual cycle, fertility, and overall health. Estradiol is the most active type of estrogen found in people with uteruses of childbearing age. 

EBF – Extended Breastfeeding or Exclusively Breastfeeding. Extended breastfeeding usually refers to breastfeeding after the age of 24 months (depending on the culture). Exclusively breastfeeding is the practice of feeding only breast milk to an infant.

EBM – Expressed Breast Milk. Milk that has been squeezed out of the breast either manually or via pump.

EDD – Estimated Due Date or Expected Date of Delivery. The date that spontaneous labor is likely to occur. Usually calculated by adding 280 days to the first day of the last menstrual period. 

EGCM – Egg White Cervical Mucus. Cervical mucus that resembles raw egg whites and is stretchy and slippery.

EMU – Early Morning Urine. The first morning urine that you void after you have slept.

Endo – Endometriosis. A condition that causes abnormal tissue (similar to the uterine lining) to grow around the pelvic organs that can cause severe pain during menstruation, intercourse, and throughout the menstrual cycle.

EPO – Evening Primrose Oil. An oil made from the seeds of a yellow flowering plant especially rich in omega-6 fatty acids thought to have healing properties.

ET – Embryo Transfer. The final step of in-vitro fertilization where the embryos are inserted into your uterus via a catheter.

FF – Formula Feeding. Using specially manufactured food designed to feed babies and infants under 12 months of age. 

FMU – First Morning Urine. Another term for early morning urine that refers to the first urine you void after a prolonged period of sleep.

FP- Follicular Phase. The phase of your menstrual cycle where your body prepares to ovulate as follicles ripen and one egg is released. Begins on the first day of your period and lasts until the day of ovulation.

FS – Fertility Specialist. A specialist doctor or reproductive endocrinologist that has completed training which allows them to treat infertility and recommend an effective treatment plan for you. 

FSH – Follicle Stimulating Hormone. A gonadotropic hormone that works alongside luteinizing hormone (LH) to regulate key reproductive processes like the development of ovarian follicles. 

FTM – First-time Mother. Someone who is a mother for the first time. Can also mean “female to male” in gender transitions.

HAB – Having a Baby.   

HAH 9 months – Happy and Healthy 9 Months. A wish for a smooth and safe pregnancy (traditionally 9 months) 

hCG – Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. A type of pregnancy hormone that is the primary way to test for a potential pregnancy (the hormone that pregnancy tests measure).

HCG – Hysterosalpingogram. An x-ray of the inside of the uterus and fallopian tubes.

HPT – Home Pregnancy Test. A home urine test available as strips of paper or as single sticks made of plastic designed to measure whether or not your hCG levels are above the threshold to detect an early pregnancy.

IB – Implantation bleeding. Slight bleeding or spotting that may happen around the time an embryo implants in your womb.

IC – Incompetent Cervix. A condition where weak cervical tissue causes or contributes to premature birth or pregnancy loss. 

IC – Internet Cheapie. A cheap pregnancy test or ovulation predictor kit bought online.

ICI – Intracervical Insemination. A form of artificial insemination where the sperm is placed directly inside the female reproductive tract at or near the cervix. 

ICSI – Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection. An IVF procedure where a single sperm is injected into the center of the egg.

IF – Infertility. Being unable to get pregnant after a year of regular and unprotected sex if under 35 years of age (6 months of trying if over 35).

IUI – Intrauterine Insemination. A fertility procedure where concentrated motile sperm are inserted directly into the uterus.

IVF – In-Vitro Fertilization. The process of retrieving eggs from the ovaries to be fertilized by sperm in a lab and then transferred back to a uterus.

IW – Infertility Warrior. Someone who has gone through a struggle with fertility or a fertility journey.

L&D – Labor and Delivery. Describes the process of childbirth as the body works to deliver a baby.

LH – Luteinizing Hormone. A type of reproductive hormone that triggers ovulation; an LH surge is an increase in LH just before ovulation.

LMP – Last Menstrual Period. The first day of your last period.

LO – Little One. A sweet way to refer to your child.

LP – Luteal Phase. The phase of your menstrual cycle, after ovulation until the beginning of your next period.

M/S – Morning Sickness. The nausea and vomiting experienced by pregnant people.

MC or M/C – Miscarriage. Spontaneous loss of pregnancy before the 20th week of pregnancy.

ML – Maternity Leave. A period of absence from work for the pregnant person either before or after the birth of the child.

NFP – Natural Family Planning. Using signs, symptoms, and hormones to monitor fertility and achieve (or avoid) pregnancy.

O / Ov – Ovulation. When an egg is released from an ovary.

OH – Other Half. Colloquial expression for your partner or spouse.

OHSS – Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. When the ovaries respond to hormones by swelling and leaking fluid into the body (a complication of ovarian stimulation for assisted reproductive technology).

OPK / OPT – Ovulation Predictor Kit / Test. A test to determine when you are ovulating by measuring hormone levels in your urine.

PCOS – Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. An endocrine condition characterized by abnormal hormone levels often causing polycystic ovaries as well as irregular ovulation and periods and other symptoms related to excess hormones.

PdG – Progesterone. A type of steroid hormone whose main function is to help regulate the menstrual cycle and prepare the body for pregnancy.

PG – Pregnant. Having a child developing in the uterus.

PGD – Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis. A lab procedure to test IVF embryos for genetic conditions before implantation.

PGS – Pre-implantation Genetic Screening. Genetic profiling of IVF embryos to make sure they have a healthy number of chromosomes before implantation.

PID – Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. When an STI is left untreated and the infection is able to spread from the cervix and vagina to the upper genital tract. 

PMA – Positive Mental Attitude. The philosophy of having an optimistic disposition.

POAS – Pee on A Stick. The act of taking a home pregnancy test or literally urinating on a test strip.

PP – Postpartum. The period of time following childbirth.

PPD – Postpartum Depression. A depression following childbirth usually as a result of hormonal changes, adjustment to parenthood, and fatigue.

Rainbow baby- A baby born following a miscarriage or loss of a child.

RE – Reproductive Endocrinologist. A doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating hormone disorders directly or indirectly related to reproduction. 

RLT – Raspberry Leaf Tea. An herbal tea made from red raspberry leaf used as a remedy to aid in pregnancy, labor, and birth.

SA – Semen Analysis. An assessment of the volume, quality, and motility of sperm to detect fertility issues.

SAHP / SAHM / SAHD – Stay-at-home Parent / Mom / Dad. A caregiver that stays home to raise children and manage the household while the other partner works.

SD – Sperm Donor. A person who donates sperm for the purposes of artificial insemination.

SF – Subfertility. When the possibility of conceiving exists but it is taking longer than average or there is a delay in conceiving.

SI – Soya Isoflavones. A dietary supplement thought to mimic estrogen and that contains antioxidant compounds.

SMEP – Sperm Meets Egg Plan. A specific method for trying to conceive using ovulation awareness and intercourse timing.

Snowbaby – Frozen human embryo.

SO – Significant Other. A spouse or partner who you have an established relationship with. 

Sticky Dust – A term used to wish someone good luck with a current pregnancy.

TCOYF – Take Charge of Your Fertility. A book by Toni Weschler on fertility awareness.

TTA – Trying to Avoid (Pregnancy). Timing intercourse for the purposes of avoiding pregnancy.

TTC – Trying to Conceive. More than just having sex for the sake of pregnancy, this term also refers to the entire journey in preparing to become pregnant. 

TTW – Trying to Whatever. When you are neither for, nor against, getting pregnant.

U/S – Ultrasound. A medical imaging technique that may be used on a pregnant person to examine the fetus.

UI – Unexplained Infertility. When doctors are unable to identify a clear reason for why a couple cannot conceive.

WAHP – WAHM / WAHD – Work-at-home Parent / Mom / Dad. A caregiver who conducts work from home.

YTC- Yearning to Conceive. An intense longing to get pregnant or conceive.

We hope you’ve found our list of fertility abbreviations and acronyms helpful! Whether you’re an TTC, TTA or whatever you’ll feel more confident than ever. But please remember: while forums, chats, and blogs are great for sharing your feelings and emotions, it is important to share all your pregnancy or fertility concerns with your doctor.