IVF Terminology Cheat Sheet: Understanding Fertility Slang

It can feel like fertility forums are speaking a completely different language when you first enter your fertility journey! So I’ve put together a quick cheat sheet of some of the most common IVF terminology and fertility slang you’ll come across in your journey.

Fertility Acronym	Term	Description
AC	Agnus Castus	A herbal remedy that some women believe can help with fertility.
AF	Aunt Flo	Slang for your period.
AI	Artificial Insemination	Also known as intrauterine insemination.
AMH	Anti-Müllerian Hormone	A hormone measured to assess a woman’s ovarian reserve or egg count.
Baby Dust	–	A way to wish someone good luck in getting pregnant, akin to “fairy dust”.
BD	Baby Dance	Colloquial term for sexual intercourse when trying to conceive.
BBT	Basal Body Temperature	–
BCP	Birth Control Pill	–
BF	Breastfeed or Boyfriend	–
BFN	Big Fat Negative	Slang for a negative result on a pregnancy test.
BFP	Big Fat Positive	Slang for a positive result on a pregnancy test.
BP	Blood Pressure	–
CB/CBD	Clearblue/Clearblue Digital	A specific brand of pregnancy test.
CBFM	Clearblue Fertility Monitor	–
CD	Cycle Day	The day count of the menstrual cycle, starting from the first day of the period. You will commonly see CD followed by a number e.g. CD1, CD16.
CM	Cervical Mucus	–
CP	Chemical Pregnancy	–
DPO	Days Past Ovulation	The number of days since ovulation occurred. You will commonly see a number followed by DPO e.g. 5DPO, 12DPO.
DTD	Do the Deed	Slang for having sex.
EPO	Evening Primrose Oil	A herbal remedy some believe can help with fertility.
ET	Embryo Transfer	The procedure of placing an embryo into a woman’s uterus or fallopian tube.
EWCM	Egg White Cervical Mucus	–
FET	Frozen Embryo Transfer	Thawing a frozen embryo from a previous IVF cycle and transferring it to the uterus.
FMU	First Morning Urine	Urine in the morning, which has a higher concentration of hormones, potentially making pregnancy tests more effective.
FRER	First Response Early Result	A specific brand of pregnancy test.
hCG	Human Chorionic Gonadotropin	A hormone produced during pregnancy, detected by pregnancy tests.
HPT	Home Pregnancy Test	A test used to determine pregnancy by detecting hCG in urine.
HSG	Hysterosalpingogram	A procedure where the fallopian tubes are flushed with dye to check for blockages.
IB	Implantation Bleeding	Slight bleeding or spotting that may happen around the time an embryo implants in the womb.
IC	Internet Cheapie	A cheap pregnancy test or ovulation predictor kit bought online.
ICSI	Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection	A procedure where a single sperm is injected directly into an egg.
IUI	Intrauterine Insemination	A fertility treatment involving placing sperm inside a woman’s uterus to facilitate fertilization.
IVF	In Vitro Fertilization	A process where an egg is combined with sperm outside the body.
LH	Luteinising Hormone	The hormone that triggers ovulation; an LH surge is an increase in LH just before ovulation.
Line Eyes	–	A request for people to look at a picture of a pregnancy test and say whether or not they think it’s positive.
LMP	Last Menstrual Period	The first day of the last menstrual cycle, used to calculate pregnancy stages and due dates.
LO	Little One	–
LP	Luteal Phase	The phase of your cycle between ovulation and getting your period.
MC	Miscarriage	–
MFI	Male Factor Infertility	Infertility due to male-related issues, like low sperm count or motility.
MIL	Mother-in-Law	–
MW	Midwife	–
OH	Other Half	–
OHSS	Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome	A side effect of fertility medications where the ovaries swell and become painful.
OP	Original Post/Poster	–
OPK	Ovulation Predictor Kit	Tests used for tracking ovulation
OV	Ovulation	–
PCOS	Polycystic Ovary Syndrome	–
PG	Pregnant	–
PID	Pelvic Inflammatory Disease	–
PMA	Positive Mental Attitude	–
POAS	Pee on a Stick	Slang for taking a pregnancy test.
PP	Previous Poster or Postpartum	–
PGD	Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis	IVF embryos are tested for genetic conditions before implantation.
PGS	Pre-implantation Genetic Screening	IVF embryos are tested to ensure they have a healthy number of chromosomes before implantation.
PUPO	Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise	–
RLT	Raspberry Leaf Tea	–
Rainbow Baby	A baby born after losing a pregnancy or a child	–
SA	Semen Analysis	An assessment of sperm quantity, quality, and motility.
SAHD	Stay-at-Home Dad	–
SAHM	Stay-at-Home Mum	–
SAHP	Stay-at-Home Parent	–
SD	Superdrug	A particular brand of pregnancy test or a familial term.
SI	Soya Isoflavones	A supplement some believe can help with fertility.
SMEP	Sperm Meets Egg Plan	A specific method for trying to conceive.
SS	Symptom Spotting	Looking for early signs of pregnancy or a familial term.
TCOYF	Take Charge of Your Fertility	A book and app for tracking fertility.
TTC	Trying to Conceive	A term used by couples attempting to get pregnant.
2WW	Two-Week Wait	The time between ovulation and either a period or a positive pregnancy test.

What does 5dp5dt mean?

The ‘dp’ stands for ‘Days Post’ and the ‘dt’ stands for ‘Day Transfer’, so 5dp5dt means 5 days post 5 day transfer. 3dp6dt would mean 3 days post 6-day transfer.