Starting the path towards parenthood can be overwhelming and confusing, especially when it comes to the world of assisted reproductive technology. Many people considering this path start with one question: where do I begin? As someone who has gone through the process, hoping to be helpful, I dug up my journals from 2012 and 2013 to refresh my memory. I was reminded that the steps started with zero and not one.
Before I even stepped into a clinic, I stepped into the Single Mothers by Choice virtual community, and let me tell you, there is a learning curve. The first thing you will notice is that there are a lot of acronyms in use. This is not necessarily by design, but I think it is the nature of the beast due to the commercial profile of the term IVF. So, let me help you by first understanding the acronyms. Once you get these under your belt, you will be able to go into any SMC community, search for topics, and gather the information you need more effectively.
Now, let’s dive into some of these acronyms:
- 2WW – stands for the Two Week Wait. This is the period of time between ovulation and when you can take a pregnancy test.
- AF – which stands for Aunt Flo (aka your period).
- AI – which stands for Artificial Insemination.
- ART – which stands for Assisted Reproductive Technology. This is an umbrella term that includes IVF and other procedures.
- Beta – is a pregnancy test that measures the levels of HCG (pregnancy hormone) via blood work.
- BFP and BFN – stand for Big Fat Positive and Big Fat Negative, respectively, and are used to describe pregnancy test results.
- DE – Donor Eggs or Donor Embryo.
- DIA – stands for Domestic Infant Adoption.
- DPO and DPT- stands for Days Past Ovulation, and for Days Past Transfer, respectively.
- EM – Expectant Mother.
- FET – Frozen Embryo Transfer.
- HAP – Hopeful Adoptive Parent.
- HPT – Home Pregnancy Test.
- ICI – Intracervical Insemination.
- IUI – Intrauterine Insemination.
- IVF – Invitro Fertilization.
- KD – Known Donor.
- RE – Reproductive Endocrinologist.
- TTC – Trying to Conceive.
- TS – Traditional Surrogate.
Understanding these acronyms is just one small step in your journey towards parenthood, but it can make a big difference in navigating the world of assisted reproductive technology. Good luck to you!
