In today's episode, I help you understand all the TTC (trying to conceive) acronyms because I know when I started learning more about TTC I was clueless as to what some of this stuff meant.
2WW/TWW: 2WW or TWW stands for "two week wait." Doctors recommend that you wait two weeks after you ovulate — then take a pregnancy test.
BBT: BBT, or your basal body temperature, rises after ovulation — monitoring BBT across your cycle can tell you once ovulation has already happened.
BFP/BFN: BFP stands for “big fat positive” and BFN stands for “big fat negative” to describe the positive or negative results of their at home pregnancy tests.
CM: 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.
DPO: DPO stands for “days past ovulation.” People often describe the symptoms they experience during their first 15 days past ovulation, or DPO, which is when, if you have conceived, an embryo is starting to develop/attach to your uterus.
hCG: 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: ICSI, or 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: IUI, or intrauterine insemination, is a fertility treatment to help sperm reach an egg immediately post-ovulation. A doctor inserts sperm — either from your partner or a donor — 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: IVF, or in-vitro fertiliztion, 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: LH, or luteinizing hormone, gets your body ready for a potential pregnancy and can help you track ovulation. Your body’s LH rapidly increases 24-48 before you ovulate — this is called an LH surge — which signals to your maturing follicle that it can now release an egg in hopes of being fertilized.
OPK: OPK, or ovulation predictor kit, is another name for ovulation test strips. After urinating on a strip (or dipping it into urine), the OPK measures your body’s hormone levels, specifically LH and sometimes E2, to predict ovulation. If you’re trying to conceive, you can use an OPK to time sex or IUI around your fertile window.
REI or RE: REI or RE stands for reproductive endocrinology and infertility (the specialty) or reproductive endocrinologist (the doctor), wherein specialty ART care (IVF, IUI, fertility preservation) occurs, or where complex reproductive endocrine conditions can be evaluated (fertility preservation prior to starting chemotherapy, for example). Depending on your age, your primary healthcare provider may recommend REI care after 6 or 12 months of TTC.
TTC: 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 — either through timed intercourse or fertility treatments — but you’re not pregnant yet.
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