Fertility Dictionary
Who knew that getting pregnant could be so complicated? Or have so many acronyms? Maybe you thought conception would be easy, but now you’re reading and hearing so many different terms that it’s hard to keep them all straight.
Anyone else? Just me?
Let’s go over some of the most commonly used words and phrases you might hear in a doctor’s office or see on an online forum
To start, let’s briefly review how pregnancy occurs:
Once each cycle, about halfway between two menstrual periods, one egg matures and is released from the ovaries and drawn into the uterine tubes to reach a sperm. If the egg is fertilized, it can implant in the uterus and develop over the next 38 weeks into a full-term baby.
With that in mind, let’s start with the basics!
Anatomy & Physiology
Ovary: The female organ that produces eggs and certain hormones
Ovulation: The process of a mature egg being released from the ovary (Anovulation, or lack of ovulation, is a leading cause of infertility)
Fallopian or Uterine Tubes: The tubes that lead from each over to the uterus
Uterus:The organ where a fertilized egg implants itself
Cervix: The lowest part of the uterus that produces fluid to nourish sperm and physically opens during labor to allow the baby to move out of the mom’s body
Fertilization: The process of a male’s sperm combining with a female’s egg
Implantation: The process of a fertilized egg (now called an embryo) embedding itself into the inner lining of the uterus (called the endometrium)
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH): A hormone made in the brain that tells the ovary to develop an egg for upcoming ovulation
Luteinizing Hormone (LH): A hormone made in the brain that peaks to triggers the ovary to ovulate
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG): The hormone that is produced very early in pregnancy and can be detected to confirm pregnancy
Gonadotropins: A general term usually referring to LH, FSH, and HCG
Anti-Mullerian Hormone: A hormone made in the ovary that reflects the number of eggs remaining in a woman’s ovary; generally, a lower number (<1 ng/ml) indicates that a woman has fewer eggs, which is sometimes called “diminished ovarian reserve”
Estrogen: The female sex hormone that predominates during the first part of the menstrual cycle leading up to ovulation (the follicular phase)
Progesterone: The female sex hormone that predominates after ovulation (the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle)
Cycle Charting Terms
Cycle Day (CD): The number of days into a cycle, with day 1 being the first day of your period
Peak: Day of peak fertility, which I define very specifically with each client as the LAST day certain signs of fertility are present
Basal Body Temperature (BBT): Your temperature first thing in the morning before you are out of bed; progesterone increases your BBT, so an increase in BBT indicates ovulation
Coverline: A horizontal line drawn across a BBT chart to help you see the temperature shift from pre-ovulation to post-ovulation
Temp Shift: The change in temperature from before ovulation to after
Days Post-Ovulation (DPO): How many days it has been since ovulation
Cervical Mucus (CM): Fluid produced by the cervix that changes in consistency over the course of a menstrual cycle in response to hormonal changes
Last Menstrual Period (LMP): The date of the first day of your most recent period, which is used to estimate the due date in pregnancy
Ovulation Predictor Kit (OPK): Testing strips that detect LH in the urine to help predict ovulation
First Morning Urine (FMU): Because the first urination each morning typically has the most concentrated urine, this is the best point in the day for some tests (like pregnancy tests)
Trying to Conceive (TTC): Just trying to have a baby!
Two-Week Wait (TWW): The time after ovulation when you might be waiting to see if your period starts or if you should take a pregnancy test
Baby Dance (BD): Intercourse
Taking Charge of Your Fertility (TCOYF): A book by Toni Weschler that is a common cycle charting reference
Common Procedures
In-Vitro Fertilization: Eggs are taken from the ovary, fertilized with sperm in a lab setting, then transferred to the uterus (or frozen for future use)
Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET): A frozen embryo that has been stored from a previous IVF cycle is transferred into the uterus
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): A single sperm is injected into an egg in a lab setting
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI): A less invasive reproductive procedure in which specially prepared sperm are placed directly into the uterus
Hysterosalpingogram (HSG): An imaging procedure that typically uses dye placed into the uterus to evaluate the uterus and the uterine tubes (often performed to ensure that the tubes are not blocked)
Ultrasound (U/S): Imaging often used to view the ovaries, uterus, and cervix (and, hopefully, a baby!)
OMG, that’s a lot of abbreviations, but I hope demystifying the list of terms helps you understand your body and your options.