2WW: 2 Week Wait. The nail-biting 14 day period between treatment ending (usually ET) and taking a pregnancy test. Implantation of the embryo(s) in the uterus wall should take place during this time. Time to put your feet up!
AF: Aunt Flo. You know her? Visits once a month? Or not, in some cases.
AH: Assisted Hatching - The mechanical, laser or chemical breaching of the zona pellucida (outer layer) of the egg. (From glossary on HFEA website).
BCRM: Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine. There are several CRMs around the country but the majority of members on here use the Bristol clinic. (Other Bristol clinics are available, as are other clinics around the country. Check listings for details. Your home may be at risk if you do not keep up with the Joneses. Your mood may go down as well as up.)
BD: Baby Dance - getting jiggy; serious 'together' time; making the beast with two backs; a bit of how's your father; rumpy-pumpy; making blueberry muffins (Em 
) etc.,
BFN/BFP: Big Fat Negative/Positive. Hopefully the second will apply to most people when they take their pregnancy test after treatment! Also written as +ve and -ve.
BLUEBERRY MUFFINS (making of): See BD
BMI: Body Mass Index. Calculated by dividing your weight in kilos, by the square of your height in metres. e.g. If I weighed 80 kilos, and my height was 2 metres, the sum would be 80 ÷ (2)2 = 80 ÷ 4 =20. Yeah right! I'm 2 metres tall? Ha!
BT: Blastocyst Transfer (see also ET). A blastocyst is an embryo that has been allowed to develop for around 5-6 days, compared to 2-3 for a normal Embryo Transfer. Usually embryos are transferred back (ET) on day 3, when they are anywhere between 2 and 8 cells. In certain circumstances, clinics may suggest allowing the embryos to develop to Blastocyst stage before transferring back. The idea is that the strongest embryos will make it to day 5 and should therefore have more chance of growing and implanting and giving you a positive result. There is of course always a chance that no embryos will make it to day 5 so there are associated risks.
DE: Donor Egg or Donor Embryo. When a woman's own eggs are not considered suitable for use in IVF or other infertility treatment, eggs from a donor can be sought. In cases where neither the egg or sperm are able to be used, embryos donated by other couples may be considered for implantation.
DET: Double Embryo Transfer. See ET for details
DH, DW, DP, DS, DD: Darling/Dear/Dearest Hubby/Wife/Partner/Son/Daughter
DI: Donor Insemination. Where donor sperm is placed into the vagina or cervix.
DIUI: Donor Intra-Uterine Insemination. As for IUI, but using sperm from a donor.
E2: Shorthand for Oestrodial. This hormone is produced by follicles growing in the ovaries and levels may also be tested during fertility investigations. The E2 produced by follicle growth helps to prevent FSH levels becoming too high, maintaining a fine balance.
EC: Egg Collection. After the ovaries have been stimulated to grow many more follicles than in a normal month, eggs are collected, under sedation. (Also sometimes called ER - Egg Retrieval).
EFW: Estimated Foetal Weight. This is calculated by combining the head, abdomen and femur length measurements in some clever way by the ultrasonographer (the person doing the scan). It is only an estimate to provide the consultants with an idea of growth.
EPS: Evil Pee Stick. The kind that jumps out of your bathroom cabinet and goes "wee on me, wee on me, and all your dreams will come true". Simply, a pregnancy or ovulation test, but known to have the mind-bending psychological persuasive power of a Jedi Master.
eSET - Elective Single Embryo Transfer. Increasing rates of twin pregnancy following successful fertility treatment has forced research into how these rates can be reduced. eSET is one suggested solution.
ET: Embryo Transfer. Following egg collection, and any subsequent fertilisation, usually 1 or 2 embryos (but up to 3 in rare cases) are placed back into the uterus. This most often occurs 2-3 days after EC, but can be as long as 5 to 6 days in the case of Blastocyst Transfer (where embryos are left to develop for longer outside of the body in order to select 'stronger' ones - usually only carried out when a high rate of fertilisation has earlier been achieved). 'Spare' embryos can be frozen (if of sufficient quality). See also BT, FET, DET, SET and eSET
EWCM: Egg White Cervical Mucus. Picturesque phrase to describe the consistency of one's lower area lubricant when at its most optimal for conception. The presence of EWCM is a rough indicator of the occurrence of ovulation. Talking about this on the forum can sometimes be considered TMI!
FET: Frozen Embryo Transfer. Good quality embryos, frozen during a previous IVF or ICSI cycle ('frosties'), can be defrosted and transferred to the uterus in a much simpler cycle, if the initial IVF or ICSI cycle has been unsuccessful.
FSH: Follicle Stimulating Hormone. Fairly self explanatory this one! It's there to stimulate the growth of follicles in the ovaries. It comes from the pituitary gland, early in the monthly cycle. A blood test to check levels of FSH is often part of early fertility investigations. Sometimes known as MWP or MPWP on this forum. (For an enlightening explanation of why this is the case, read the post at the very bottom of HERE. Then read the discussion that starts on P23 8 posts down and goes on ... and on ... and on, and includes some fascinating information about nuns and hamsters - honestly it's truly eye-opening! Or eye-watering?)
HCG: Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin. This hormone is produced by the developing placenta in a successful pregnancy. Hence, this is the hormone that pregnancy tests detect. A synthesised form of HCG is also used in an IVF/ICSI cycle to promote ripening of follicles and readiness of the uterus lining just before EC.
HFEA: Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. The Government body that licences and oversees all UK fertility treatment centres. They have a useful website, many free publications and an informative clinic list and search facility.
HPT: Home Pregnancy Test.
HSG: Hysterosalpingogram. An investigative procedure. A radioactive dye is introduced into the body through the cervix. The course it takes through the fallopian tubes and reproductive system is monitored by X-Ray, in order to show up blockages, adhesions, fibroids etc.
ICSI: Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection. Basically, the same drug treatment as IVF, but then, in the lab, a single sperm is injected into each suitable egg by a very skilled embryologist. After this, the procedure continues as for IVF. ICSI is usually used in severe male factor infertility, where the sperm sample has a very low concentration of motile, correctly formed sperm, (less than 5 million per ml) and would not be likely to fertilise eggs in a normal IVF cycle.
IUI: Intra-Uterine Insemination. A sperm sample is manually placed into the uterus at the time of ovulation. This can also be combined with the same drug treatment as used in OI.
IVF: In-Vitro Fertilisation. After drug treatment to stimulate the ovaries to produce lots of follicles, eggs are collected from those follicles (see EC) surgically, then combined with a prepared (washed) fresh sperm sample in the lab and left to fertilise. If fertilisation is successful, 1 or 2 embryos (though in some rare cases 3) are placed back into the uterus (see ET). A 2 week wait follows (see 2ww), after which a pregnancy test will confirm a positive or negative result, depending on whether the embryos have implanted, or 'stuck'.
LH: Luteinising Hormone - This hormone is produced by the pituitary gland in response to Oestrogen from the ovaries, which is produced as eggs develop in a normal monthly cycle. LH causes ovulation to occur, then turns the ruptured follicle, left after the egg has been released, into a small cyst called the Corpus Luteum which in turn produces Progesterone. This progesterone prevents further production of FSH and LH, and raises the basal body temperature by half a degree. LH is tested for in order to check that Ovulation is occurring (see OPK).
MM or MM-ing: Making Muffins or Muffin Making. See Special Lingo section, below.
OI: Ovulation Induction. Drugs are used to stimulate ovulation in those where this has been identified as the problem. The drug usually used is Clomiphene (brand names: Clomid or Serophene)
OPK: Ovulation Prediction Kit. Tests for a surge of LH which occurs at the time of ovulation. Used to help time intercourse at the most fertile phase.
PCO/PCOS: PolyCystic Ovaries/PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome - a full explanation might take a while - there are considerable differences for the sufferers of these two conditions - so I hope this simple definition will suffice. (Google either and you'll spend the next few years learning!)
Pg: Pregnant or Pregnancy. Not a film rating!
PMA: Positive Mental Attitude - essential for keeping one's sanity through this process...!! See allso PoH, below.
PoH: Pig of Happiness - a little guy who will keep your head in the right place with all the stress going on around you! See also PMA, above.
PT: Post Transfer - as in, "I'm 6 days post transfer" (see ET)
PUPO: Pregnant Until/Unless Proven Otherwise - a positive approach to the 2ww
SA: Semen Analysis - A test of the potency (or in some cases, utter uselessness) of a sperm sample. Embryologists will test a sample for volume (in ml), concentration (number of sperm per ml), morphology (shape - form), motility (movement), liquefaction (you'll have to Google that one - the explanation is TMI!), agglutination (off you google again) and possibly other antibody tests.
SET: Single Embryo Transfer. See also eSET and DET.
SSR: Surgical Sperm Recovery. Used when concentration of sperm in a manually produced sample is so low, or zero, that sperm cannot be used for ICSI. Sperm cells, or spermatids (immature sperm) are instead taken from the testes surgically. More properly known as PESA (Percutaneous Sperm Aspiration) or TESA (Testicular Sperm Aspiration).
TTC: Trying To Conceive - how long have you been at it?
Tx: Treatment
+ve and -ve: see BFN/BFP:
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ReproMED : Infertility
Topic: FORUM ABBREVIATIONS - A guide for newbies
is where to shove the possums, you know those pesky things we have to have every 12 hours!!? Well Mfanwy and Angus have been bickering about it!! Mfanwy is complaining she is allergic to possums and Angus, well she's kicking up a real stink about it but I think it'll backfire on her in the end!!!!!!!! 
