Conception Lingo: Common Abbreviations and Acronyms Defined

TTC, DPO, BD, O, CD—as if trying to conceive isn’t hard enough, conception forums and how-to’s can be like Greek if you don’t know the lingo. Luckily, if you’re as lost as I was, you can find easy-to-digest definitions for common conception jargon below.ttc lingo dictionary

Conception abbreviations and acronyms:

TTC: Trying to conceive. There isn’t much to explain here, someone who is TTC is simply trying to get pregnant (probably like you.)

CD: Cycle day. Day one of your period is counted from the first day of bleeding or cycle day one. CD is commonly used before ovulation as well as to describe the day of ovulation. Example: I had bleeding at CD 16. This means that there was some sort of bleed 16 days after the first day of a period.

O: Ovulation. The time in which an egg is released, and pregnancy becomes possible for roughly 24 to 48 hours.

CM: Cervical mucus. Cervical mucus can be used to predict ovulation to some degree, leading to its inclusion as a common conception conversation point. You can read more about cervical mucus here.

EWCM: Egg-white cervical mucus. At ovulation, cervical mucus usually becomes snot-like, stretchy, and sort of resembles egg-white. Cervical mucus may also be described as “sticky” as in not fertile or watery, a stage just before EWCM.

CP: Cervical position. Cervical position can also sometimes be used to predict ovulation varying from high and closed (not fertile) to low and open (fertile). You can read about how to check your cervix here.

DPO: Days past ovulation. DPO is a common abbreviation on TTC forums because, for instance, implantation commonly occurs at 10 to 12 days DPO and pregnancy tests become accurate just after this. You might see something like, “My temp rose at 8 DPO.” This means 8 days after ovulation there was a temperature rise on a BBT chart.

BBT: Basal body temperature. This is your temperature while at rest (sleeping for 3+ hours). BBT is low before ovulation, then rises just after. Tracking and charting your BBT can confirm ovulation. You can read a full guide on BBT tracking here.

2WW: Two week wait. While not always a two-week wait, 2WW is used to describe the period between ovulation and your period or a positive test. Two weeks comes from the average cycle of 28 days, putting ovulation at CD 14, and a period (or not) two weeks later.

AF: Aunt flow. Aunt flow is a cutesy nickname referring to a period.

LMP: Last menstrual period. This date is the first day of bleeding in your last period (CD1). LMP is often used to calculate due dates.

EDD: Estimate due date. An estimate as to when your baby is due. This may be based off your LMP, ovulation, or an ultrasound. All three can also be used to create an average.

BFP/BFN: Big fat positive/negative. These terms are used in reference to pregnancy test results.

HPT: Home pregnancy test. A standard urine home test.

POAS: Pee on a stick. Short hand for take a home pregnancy test.

OPK: Ovulation prediction kit. Similar to a HPT, an OPK is a home test that uses urine to detect a hormone that spikes just before ovulation.

BD: Baby dance. Baby dance, occasionally thought to be bed dance, is an act of intercourse aimed at conception. BD is also sometimes referred to as an “attempt,” as in an attempt to conceive.

DH, DS, DD: Dear husband/son/daughter. You may also see something like DS2, the number indicates child number, so DS2 would mean a second son, DD4 a fourth daughter, and so on.

Sway: Gender swaying. A conception plan that attempts to “sway” the chances of a girl (pink sway/team pink) or boy baby (blue sway/team blue). As a side note, “team green” comes mostly from swayers and refers to someone who doesn’t plan to find the sex of their baby until he/she is born. You can read the facts on swaying here.

MC or M/C: Miscarriage. Sadly, this is common enough to have its own abbreviation. Other terms you might hear in regards to miscarriage include:
-D&C (dilation and curettage) which is where an incomplete or missed miscarriage is medically completed.
-A missed miscarriage is one where the baby has died, but the pregnancy has continued.
-An incomplete miscarriage is one where tissue was retained from the pregnancy.

Rainbow baby (rarely abbreviated): A baby conceived after a loss.

Ectopic: An ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is where the egg implanted outside of the uterus and is not viable.

FP/LP: Follicular phase, luteal phase. These are two phases of your menstrual cycle. Follicular, where an egg is developed, and luteal where implantation is possible. LP is talked about more than FP, as luteal phase defects (LPD) are a common fertility issue.

FSH/LH: Follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone. These are hormones tied to ovulation. In cases of infertility they are sometimes tested. LH is the hormone that OPKs detect.

This, surprisingly, is actually not an all-inclusive list. Certain realms of the TTC world come with even more acronyms and abbreviations, but the above should provide you with the basic terms you’ll see most commonly. If you find yourself stuck, and unsure what something means, feel free to drop us a comment.

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