What does EVERYTHING mean?! pt.3

Hello again, the time has come! is time to end yet another series, it is still a crazy world to navigate so we hope this small series has helped you understand thing a little bit more and if you still have questions remember our staff is always ready to answer them, anyways, here is part 3 of “What does EVERYTHING mean?!”

• 2WW/TWW: stands for “two-week wait.” After timed intercourse or a fertility treatment (like intrauterine insemination), doctors recommend that you wait two weeks after you ovulate then take a pregnancy test. This two-week wait corresponds to the time needed for an embryo to implant into the uterus and begin triggering a rise in the hormone (hCG) detected in blood or urine pregnancy tests.
• ART: or assisted reproductive technology, is the term used to describe fertility treatments that help sperm make its way to fertilize an egg. This includes IUI, IVF, ICSI and various fertility medications.
• BBT: or your basal body temperature, rises after ovulation monitoring BBT across your cycle can tell you once ovulation has already happened. That being said, body temperature is affected by a whole host of factors, making body temperature alone not a super accurate marker of cycle phase.
• BFP/BFN: BFP stands for “big fat positive” and BFN stands for “big fat negative.” In the fertility community.
• CM: or cervical mucus, is a fluid-like substance that your cervix produces to help sperm more easily travel through your cervix and into your uterus. You typically produce different types of cervical mucus based on where you’re at in your cycle, and during your most fertile stage, its consistency is comparable to raw egg whites.
• DPO: stands for “days past ovulation.” People often describe the symptoms they experience during their first 15 days past ovulation, or DPO.
• hCG: or human chorionic gonadotropin, is often referred to as “the pregnancy hormone.” Since this hormone occurs naturally during pregnancy, it’s what pregnancy tests look for to detect early pregnancy.
• ICSI: intracytoplasmic sperm injection, is a procedure that often accompanies IVF and is meant to overcome issues with male factor infertility. In the lab, a doctor will inject just one sperm directly into an egg collected during an egg retrieval procedure as a direct route to embryo creation. This can be helpful for people with low quantity or quality sperm.
• IUI: or intrauterine insemination, is a fertility treatment to help sperm reach an egg immediately post-ovulation. A doctor inserts sperm directly into your uterus using a tiny sterile catheter. IUI tries to increase the number of sperm that make it through your cervix and into direct contact with the fertilized egg.
• IVF: in-vitro fertilization, is a fertility treatment where your doctor recreates the steps of fertilization outside of your body. Using your retrieved eggs or the eggs of a donor, a doctor will fertilize them with sperm to develop one or more embryos, which they will then transfer back into the uterus.
• LH: or luteinizing hormone, gets your body ready for a potential pregnancy and can help you track ovulation.
• OPK: or ovulation predictor kit, is another name for ovulation test strips. After urinating on a strip, the OPK measures your body’s hormone levels.
• TTC: stands for “trying to conceive.” In the fertility community and among fertility doctors, this is the shorthand way of saying that you’re actively trying to get pregnant.

We probably are still missing a ton of stuff but we hope this has made your journey easier!