When you're trying to get pregnant and looking for answers, online message boards are a great resource. In a good community, hopeful parents can find support, motivation, commiseration and information — all from people who are either traveling the same road or who have "been there, done that" and have the baby to prove it.
But on your first visit to a message board, the dizzying array of acronyms used in the TTC (meaning "trying to conceive") world can feel a lot like a whole new language, which can be frustrating when you're looking for a quick answer to a question.
Even if you've been active on other message boards for years and know some common acronyms — SO (significant other), DH (dear husband), OP (original poster), SAHM (stay-at-home mom) and so on — it's easy to feel confused. Why is everyone so anxious about the TWW? What is that member talking about when she says her RE recommended an OPK? And what do women mean when they say they got a BFN after they POAS?
Luckily, learning the language doesn't take long and is well worth the time spent. Here's what you need to know — from advice to help you find a board to decoding the lingo — to get the most out of the online TTC community.
Finding a TTC community
Finding a TTC board is quite easy. On the What to Expect TTC board, in addition to the main board, you'll find a number of member-created groups, or you can create a group of your own. Member-created groups have a smaller number of participants but offer a more private experience.
Beyond the WTE TTC boards, an online search for "trying to conceive" or "TTC" and "discussion board," "forum," community" or similar terms will provide pages of results.
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Before joining a community, take the time to make sure it's a good fit for you. Go through some of the conversations to see what the vibe is like. Look for a lot of interaction (no sense in joining a board if no one ever posts). And make sure the board is easy to use and well-moderated (to keep internet trolls away and drama down).
TTC acronym meanings
So what's the deal with all the weird acronyms? Simply put, they make things a whole lot easier (once you know some of the most common ones).
Some terms used in TTC talk are quite long (for instance, "micro injection fallopian transfer" and "artificial insemination from husband"), and typing out the full thing every time you post can get tedious. That's why members of TTC forums use acronyms ("micro injection fallopian transfer" becomes MIFT and "artificial injection fallopian transfer" becomes AIH). Much simpler, right?
To make things even less difficult, here's a list of some of the most common acronyms you'll see:
General
- AF: Aunt Flow (aka your period)
- BC: birth control
- IF: infertility
- PCOS: polycystic ovary syndrome (a condition in which the female sex hormones are out of balance, which can prevent ovulation from occurring regularly and make it more difficult for a woman to get pregnant)[1]
Testing
- BFN: big fat negative (a negative pregnancy test)
- BFP: big fat positive (baby's on board!)
- EPT: early pregnancy test
- hCG: human chorionic gonadotropin (a hormone produced during pregnancy; elevated levels result in a positive pregnancy test)[2]
- HPT: home pregnancy test
- PG: pregnant
- POAS: pee on a stick (take a home pregnancy test)
- TWW: two-week wait (the two-week period between ovulation and when you can test for pregnancy)
Doctors and specialists
- CNM: certified nurse midwife (a nurse — usually an R.N. — who has completed graduate-level programs in midwifery and is licensed by the state and usually has a collaborative relationship with a physician)
- OB or OB/GYN: obstetrician or obstetrician/gynecologist
- PCP: primary care physician
- RE: reproductive endocrinologist (a doctor who specializes in treating reproductive disorders and infertility in women and men)
Fertility charting
- BBT: basal body temperature (the body's temperature upon first waking up in the morning; it's tracked using a special thermometer and rises sharply around the time of ovulation, helping a woman to determine when she's fertile)
- CD: cycle day (usually followed by a number, the cycle day is when a woman is at in her menstrual cycle; if the average cycle is 28 days, CD1 is the first day of your period, and ovulation usually occurs at the midpoint of the cycle, though timing varies)
- DPO: days post-ovulation (the number of days since ovulation — e.g., 4 DPO; the term is usually used when someone is waiting to take a pregnancy test)
- EWCM: egg white cervical mucus (the clear, slippery egg white-like discharge that occurs near ovulation)
- O: ovulation (or ovulated)
- OPK or OPT: ovulation predictor kit or ovulation predictor test (urine or saliva tests that can detect an upcoming ovulation 12 to 24 hours before it happens)
Assisted reproductive technology (ART)
- AI: artificial insemination (sperm is inserted into the woman's uterus using a catheter)
- IVF: in vitro fertilization (a procedure used to treat infertility where an egg is fertilized with a sperm outside the womb and then implanted in a woman's uterus)[3]
Pregnancy
- EDD: estimated due date (the estimated date a baby might be born, determined based on the first day of a woman's last menstruation or estimated date of conception)
- LMP: last menstrual period (the first day of your last period)
- MC or M/C: miscarriage
- US: ultrasound
In addition to the acronyms, some terms can throw you for a loop. One that may appear on some boards but not others is "den mother," someone who has been part of the group for a while (oftentimes years) who volunteers to welcome new visitors to the board, introduce them to other members, encourage participation in conversations and help assure the board runs smoothly by reporting violations to the moderators.
Another term you'll see on many TTC forums is "baby dust." People throw baby dust at others, sprinkle it their way and even wish for them to have lots of sticky baby dust. What's the fuss? Baby dust is just a super-cute way of wishing someone who is TTC good luck on their conception journey.
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