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Fertility lingo: 15 acronyms for beginners

25 November 2019
  1. 2WW (Two-Week Wait): This is the time it takes for the fertilised egg to implant in the uterus. This is the hCG hormone and confirms pregnancy.
  2. AF (Aunt Flo): This is your period or menstrual cycle.
  3. BBT (Basal Body Temperature): This is your lowest body temperature when you are resting, which is best measured in the morning before any activity. Charting your BBT can help to predict your fertile window, as the hormone progesterone causes your temperature to be lowest around the fertile window, followed by a peak after ovulation.
  4. AMH (Anti-Müllerian Hormone): This is a hormone that can be tested to give an indication of your ovarian reserve. AMH is a protein produced by the follicles in the ovaries. As you get older, you have fewer follicles, therefore the levels of AMH will decrease.
  5. Beta- hCG ( hCG pregnancy test or ‘Beta’ pregnancy test): This is a blood test that tests for the hormone hCG (beta-human chorionic gonadotropin). Beta human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone produced by the placenta and is typically detected in the blood. Levels of hCG increase steadily in the early stages of pregnancy; confirming the pregnancy is developing as expected.
  6. BFN (Big Fat Negative): This is a negative result of a pregnancy test.
  7. BFP (Big Fat Positive): This is a positive result of a pregnancy test.
  8. DPO (Days Post-Ovulation): This would be the number of days since you last ovulated.
  9. EPT (Early Pregnancy Test): It is a more sensitive type of urine test that can potentially detect human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG, or the early pregnancy hormone used by most blood and urine pregnancy tests) before your period is due.
  10. FF (Fertility Friend): A friend whom you’ve met in the fertility community.
  11. FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone): This hormone is released by the brain to stimulate the ovarian follicles (that contain eggs) to grow and develop.
  12. hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin): This hormone is produced during pregnancy and detected by pregnancy tests. Levels of hCG increase steadily in the early stages of pregnancy, letting you know the pregnancy is progressing normally.
  13. LH (Luteinising Hormone): This hormone is produced by the gonadotropic cells in the pituitary gland. In women, the rise of LH (LH surge) triggers ovulation or the release of the eggs. myLotus measures LH levels to identify the best time to conceive.
  14. OPK/OPT (Ovulation Predictor Kit or Test): It is a test you can use to predict ovulation. Once you know when you are ovulating, you can time sex and increase your chances of conceiving.
  15. TTC (Trying to Conceive): It is the time during which you have been trying to get pregnant.

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