We recently received several posts that included many acronyms we were unfamiliar with and thought some of our readers might not be aware of what these acronyms stand for either.
Here's a list of some of the commonly used acronyms we've come across:
AF=Aunt Flo (e.g. menstrual period)
BBT=basal body temperature (used to calculate a woman's fertile days)
BCP=birth control pill
BD=baby dance (sex)
BFN=big fat negative (on a pregnancy test)
BFP=big fat positive (pregnancy test)
CD=cycle day
CM=cervical mucous (conducts sperm to the egg)
CP=cervial position
CY=cycle
DPO=days past ovulation
EPT=early pregnancy test
EWCM=egg white cervical mucous (best for optimum sperm travel)
FRER=First Response Early Result (pregnancy test)
FMU=first morning urine (best time to take a pregnancy test)
HCG=human chorionic gonadotropin (hormone produced by a pregnant woman that is detected by pregnancy tests)
HPT=home pregnancy test
LMP=last menstrual period (start date)
LP=luteal phase (days after ovulation before start of next period)
O=ovulation
OPK=ovulation predictor kit
POAS=pee on a stick (e.g. take a pregnancy test)
RE=reproductive endocrinologist
SA=semen analysis,
TCOYF=Taking Charge of Your Fertility (book by Toni Weschler about natural methods to achieve and avoid pregnancy, see resources below)
TTA=trying to avoid (getting pregnant)
TTC=trying to conceive
WW=two week wait (time after ovulation before you can take a pregnancy test)
We also found these pages to be helpful in looking up acronyms:
baby med,
fertility plus and
eHow.
What are some acronyms you commonly use? Any others you think would be helpful for readers to know?
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Comments (13)
We no longer use "TTC" in our home.. its HTC Hoping to Conceive because the more you try to get pregnant, the more its not gonna happen. So we just hope.
Yep this is my second time being pregnant and I knew less than 1/2 of those.
ugh, i'm glad that my hubby and i didn't have trouble conceiving because i cannot stand that gobble-de-gook. ITS NOT "BABY DANCING" IT'S SEX PEOPLE!!!!!! *breathe* it just annoys me that grown people can't say they are having lots of sex to get pregnant.....and i find acronyms annoying.
I remember when I first got pregnant with my first and turned to Yahoo Answers with some of my pregnancy questions. All of the answers I received contained these abbreviations and I was SO confused! It took me forever to figure out what AF meant, and that's a pretty common one. Some of these are just ridiculous, I think, while some of them I now use without thinking, including: AF, BFN, BFP, DPO, LMP, and TTC.
All of this is just RIDICULOUS!! Why can't people just spell things out correctly?!? It's not that hard! I find it much harder having to look up 20 different abbreviations just so I can fully understand an article! I have a 6 month old baby, I need info NOW!
Eh, I don't think it's fair calling these things "pregnancy abbreviations" - seems to me that 95% of these terms refer directly to conceiving issues (they pretty much all revolve around sex and fertility). I knew most of these from being on TTC support sites, and from what I can gather, it seems that using abbreviations and making things a little more "cutesy" ("aunt flo" instead of "period", for instance) seems to take away some of the edge of the pain associated with fertility issues and difficulty conceiving (seriously, after years of trying to conceive, talking about getting your period is seriously difficult - expressing that with a simple "AF" that those in the same boat understand is a much smaller emotional blow). Obviously to people that had no problem getting pregnant it would seem silly, but for people faced with the harsh reality that they might never have kids, I don't hold it against them or try to make them feel ridiculous for it. People sadly just don't understand what it feels like unless they've been there.
Yep, reading over them again, I can't find any that are actually applicable to pregnancy itself - they deal with getting there in the first place, with the exception of "Trying to avoid", which obviously has even less to do with pregnancy, lol. Let the poor ladies have their terms in peace, it is a hard place to be.
@Let_us_Start_over@xanga - Agreed. People need to stop being so lazy and just say it already. This is not time efficient if people need to constantly look up these shortcuts to find out what it says.
I already knew AF, BCP, BFN/BFP, CD, CM, DPO, HCG, LMP, POAS, TTC. Many of them I found out from hanging around pregnancy discussion forums.
They can be quite confusing for someone who is new to pregnancy discussion forums. It took me a little while to figure them out. Most discussion forums have a "sticky" thread at the top, usually in the intro section, where they have a list of common abbreviations used in that particular forum.
And I thought internet acronyms were bad.
I grew up knowing that AF meant your period, the term "Aunt Flo" has been around for ages. Unfortunately the women in my house never openly talked about these sorts of things and so I was on my own. Some of the acronyms are used in medical books, (BBT, CM, CP, DPO, LMP, and of course HCG) so those aren't new either. Although my boards always called BD "big deed."
As far as their use in forums, etc, I'm all for it and have no problems reading/understanding what the poster is saying. In discussions you want to get your point across in a manner that is quick and easy to read and shortening certain words just makes it go faster, especially if you have a lot to say. I know that if I click on a topic and there's a LOT written there, I'm gonna skip it. Sorry, I only have a couple hours to myself and not much time to devote to your novella. It's like when taking notes in class, you don't have time to write out "Big Fat Positive" so you shorten it BFP.
There are SOOO MANY more than that if you go on parenting forums. It was all jibberish at first...
DH - Dear HusbandDC - Dear ChildDS - Dear SonDD - Dear DaughterLO - Little OneEBF - Exclusively breastfeeding (meaning ZERO formula or food)BF- Breastfeeding FF- Formula FeedingAP - Attachment ParentingCIO - Cry it OutLO - Little OneBM- Breast MilkEDD - Estimated Due DatePP- Post Partum BW - Baby WearingBLW - Baby Led Weaning.
I know there are a ton more, and I could list them if you want.
I generally avoid using DH, and write out Husband, and instead of DS use "M" for my Sons Name in circles that know me.
These are SUPER useful on twitter though with the character limit!
wow i had no idea of almost any of these