Dictionary of words and abbreviations

 

Here is a useful dictionary of words that you may come across during fertility treatment and a list of abbreviations commonly used on the internet . We hope this helps.

A
Auntie Flo/AF	Menstrual Cycle
AH	Assisted Hatching
Andrologist	An expert who specialises in male reproduction.
Anovulation	When ovulation does not take place each month.
Assisted Hatching	A procedure that involves making a hole in the outer shell of the embryo to help it hatch out and implant in the womb.
Azoospermia	When no sperm is found in semen.
B
BB	Bulletin Board
BBT	Basal Body Temperature. If a woman takes her temperature at the same time each morning, this can help to determine when she ovulates. BBT rises around the time of ovulation.
BCP	Birth Control Pill
BBW	Big Beautiful Woman
Beta HCG	Blood test to determine if a woman is pregnant.
Blastocyst	An embryo reaches the blastocyst stage about five days after egg  collection. Some doctors do what is called blastocyst transfers rather than the more usual earlier transfer after 2 or 3 days following egg collection.
BTW	By The Way
C
Chemical Pregnancy	If you test positive for pregnancy but do not start your period until a few days later.
Clomid	A drug used to stimulate FSH in assisted conception treatment.
CM	Cervical Mucus
Cryopreservation	The process of freezing eggs, embryos or sperm.
D
DD	Darling Daughter, Dear Daughter
DE	Donor Egg
DH	Darling Husband, Dear Husband
DP	Darling Partner, Dear Partner
DS	Darling Son, Dear Son
DW	Darling Wife, Dear Wife
E
E2	Estradiol/Oestradiol is used to help monitor the ovarian response to stimulation during assisted conception.
EC	Egg Collection, also known as Egg Retrieval. This is when eggs are collected from the ovaries and placed in a laboratory dish ready for assisted conception.
ENDO	Endometriosis is when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in the abdomen and elsewhere in the body.
Endometrium	The lining of the womb.
ET	Embryo Transfer
F
FAQ	Frequently Asked Question
FET	Frozen Embryo Transfer
Follicle	The sac filled with fluid containing the egg that is released during ovulation.
Follicular stage	This is the stage in the menstrual cycle when follicles develop in the ovaries.
FSH	Follicle Stimulating Hormone
G
GIFT	Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer is when an egg and sperm are placed in the fallopian tubes so natural fertilisation can take place.
H
HCG Injection	Human Chorionic Gonadotrophine, which is also referred to as the Trigger Injection (Profasi Pregnyl, Ovitrelle) because it triggers ovulation or lengthens the luteal phase of a woman’s cycle as part of infertility treatment. After the injection, this hormone can take up to 14 days to disappear from a woman’s system, which can give a false positive if a pregnancy test is carried out before a missed period.
HCG Test	This hormone that can be detected in the blood to determine whether or not a woman is pregnant before she has a missed period.
HPT	Home Pregnancy Test
HSG	Hysterosalpingogram, when dye is passed into the uterus and fallopain tubes in order to take an x-ray to find out if one or both tubes are blocked.
HTH	Hope This Helps
Hysteroscopy	A procedure that involves examination the womb by dilating it with water and then inserting a hysteroscope, which is similar to a telescope, to see if there are any abnormalities.
I
ICSI	Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, a technique involving the injection of a single sperm into an egg. If a man’s sperm count is thought too low for classic IVF treatment then ICSI may be proposed instead.
IUI	Intrauterine Insemination, when sperm provided by a partner or donor is placed in the uterus using a fine plastic tube.
IVF	In Vitro Fertilisation, when one or more eggs are removed from the ovaries and mixed with sperm in a laboratory dish in the hope that some will fertilise. If fertilisation results, one or more eggs can be transferred into a patient’s uterus in the hope of achieving a pregnancy.
L
Laparoscopy	An exploratory operation where a telescope is inserted through a small incision in the wall of the abdomen. It may be purely diagnostic, for example to examine the internal reproductive organs, or it may be part of an operative procedure for example in laser treatment to remove endometriosis.
LMK	Let Me Know
LOL	Laugh Out Loud
Luteal Phase	This is the second half of the menstrual cycle after ovulation, when the corpus luteum secretes progesterone preparing the endometrium for the implantation of an embryo.
M
MC	Miscarriage
N
NBD	No Big Deal
O
Oocyte	An unfertilised egg
Oestradiol	Oestradiol/Estradiol is used to help monitor the ovarian response to stimulation during assisted conception.
OHSS	Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome can occur as a result of the medication taken during ivf treatment. Symptoms can be abdominal swelling, but sometimes they are more serious and can include nausea, vomiting, severe abdominal pain and breathing difficulties. Oligospermia  The technical term for a low sperm count which is less than ten million. If no sperm is present than the term Azoospermic is the technical term used.
OPT	Ovulation Predictor Test
P
PCOS	Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a condition where numerous cysts accumulate on the ovaries. Classic symptoms include excess facial and body hair, acne, irregular menstrual cycles, obesity and infertility.
PCT	Post Coital Test is a test that looks at how cervical mucous and sperm interact and can be informative in the diagnosis of why someone is having difficulties conceiving.
PID	Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, which is the result of an infection or a sexually transmitted disease.
POV	Point Of View
Progesterone	A hormone secreted after ovulation that prepares the uterus for implantation of a fertilised egg and to maintain pregnancy.
Prolactin	This hormone is produced by the pituitary gland. Increased levels can lead to ovulatory problems.
PV	Positive Vibes
ROTFL	Rolling On The Floor Laughing
S
SC	Subcutaneous
Surrogate	When a women falls pregnant after being inseminated by sperm from the partner of a woman who is infertile.
Sperm Clumping or Agglutination	When sperm sticks together, impairing motility and preventing them from reaching the egg.
Sperm Motility	The percentage of sperm that is moving in a semen sample, providing an indication of the ability of the sperm to reach an egg and fertilise it. Sperm are normally graded between one and four. In general, Grade 4 sperm are those that swim forward in a straight line. Grade 3 sperm swim forward but either slowly or in a curved or crooked line. Grade 2 sperm move their tails, but don’t move forward. Grade 1 sperm don’t move at all.
Sperm Morphology	A healthy sperm has an oval head, a mid-piece and a long straight tail. If a very large percentage of sperm are abnormally shaped then fertilisation of an egg will not be able to take place.
Sperm Viscosity	Ejaculated semen spurts out as a liquid that promptly gels. This should liquefy again within around half an hour to allow sperm free motility. If this does not take place or is very thick in consistency there could be a problem, which is sometimes the result of infection.
T
Testosterone	A male hormone, produced mainly in the testicles but also in the adrenal glands.
TIA	Thanks in Advance
TTC	Trying To Conceive
TTC#1, TTC#2, TTC#3 etc	Trying to Conceive for one year, Trying to Conceive for two years, Trying to Conceive for three years and so on.
TTYS	Talk To You Soon
U
Ultrasound scan	High frequency ultrasound waves are used to look at the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes. The reflection of these waves is used to produce an image on a screen.
V
Vas deferens	Tube that connects the testis where sperm are produced to the urethra. Sperm move rapidly out of the testis, through the vas deferens, and into the urethra during ejaculation.
Z
Zift	Zygot Intra-fallopian Transfer, where eggs are collected from the ovaries, fertilised in a laboratory with sperm and the resulting embryos are transferred back into the fallopian tubes.
Zygote	The cell that is formed when a female and male reproductive cell come together, forming an early stage embryo.