Monday, January 7, 2013

Lost in Translation - Molly

I just realized that there is a whole other language when it comes to infertility, IVF and all that jazz. I have made some new friends via Facebook and Instagram that are in the infertility, trying to conceive department in the past year and half the time I don't understand anything they are saying.

I finally decided to look it up. I googled it. And I was blown away. (I say that a lot lately don't I? But I was.) It's a sea of acronyms. And frankly, I just can't seem to catch on to them.

Part of me feels that I am already different enough. I really don't want to add a whole new language to it. But I understand why it exists. 



So, as I post the stories of others and move through this second round of IVF, I thought I would post the "secret code". 

2WW      2 Week Wait
 ACA      Anti-cardiolipin Antibody
 ACTH  Adrenal Carticotropic Hormone
 AF      Aunt Flo, After Flo, Period, or Menstrual Cycle
 AH      Assisted Hatching
 AI      Artificial/Assisted Insemination
 ANA      Anti-nuclear Antibodies
 APA      Anti-phospholipid Antibodies
 APTT Activated Partial Thrombo Time
 ART      Assisted Reproductive Technology
 ASA      Anti-sperm Antibody
 ASRM  American Society of Reproductive Medicine
 BA      Baby Aspirin
 BBT      Basal Body Temperature
 BCP      Birth Control Pills
 BD      Baby Dance (sex)
 Beta      HCG pregnancy test
 BFN      Big Fat Negative
 B/W, b/w Bloodwork
 CAH      Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
 CASA Computer-assisted Semen Analysis
 CB      Cycle Buddy
 CBAVD Congenital Bilateral Absence of Vas Deferens
 CCCT, CCT      Clomiphene Citrate Challenge Test (Clomid Challenge Test)
 CD      Cycle Day
 CF      Cystic Fibrosis
 CM      Cervical Mucus
 CMV      Cytomegalovirus
 CNM      Certified Nurse Midwife
 COH      Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation
 CP      Cervical Position
 CPFM ClearPlan Fertility Monitor (Brand Name)
 CVS      Chorionic Villae Sampling
 D&C      Dilation & Curettage
 D&E      Dilation & Evacuation
 DE      Donor Eggs
 DES      Diethylstillbestrol
 DH      Dear Husband
 DHEAS  Dihydroepiandrosterone
 DI      Donor Husband
 DIPI      Direct Intra-peritoneal Insemination
 DOR      Diminished Ovarian Reserve
 DPO      Days Post-Ovulation
 DPR      Days Post-Retrieval
 DPT      Days Post-Transfer
 DP3DT Days Post 3-Day Transfer
 DP5DT Days Post 5-Day Transfer
 DW      Dear Wife
 Dx      Diagnosis
 E2      Estradiol
 EB, EMB   Endometrial Biopsy
 ENDO  Endometriosis
 EPT      Early Pregnancy Test
 ER      Egg Retrieval
 ET      Egg Transfer
 ETA      Embryo Toxicity Assay
 ETF      Embryo Toxicity Factor
 FAQ      Frequently Asked Questions
 FBG      Fasting Blood Glucose
 FI      Fasting Insulin
 FF      Fertility Friend
 FHR      Fetal Heart Rate
 FP      Follicular Phase
 FM      Fertility Mucus or Fertility Monitor
 FRED  Fertility Response Early Detection (Brand Name)
 Frostie Frozen Embryo
 FSH      Follicle-Stimulating Hormone
 FTTA      Fertile Thoughts to All
 GD      Gestational Diabetes
 GI      Gastrointestinal
 GIFT      Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer
 GnRH Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
 GP      General Practitioner
 GTT      Glucose Tolerance Test
 hCG, HCG Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
 hMG, HMG Human Menopausal Gonadotropin
 HCP      Health Care Practitioner
 HEPA  Hampster Egg Penetration Assay
 HPT      Home Pregnancy Test
 HRT      Hormone Replacement Therapy
 HSC      Hysteroscopy
 HSG      Hysterosalpingogram
 HX      History
 IBT      Immunobead Binding Test
 ICI      Intra-cervical Insemination
 ICSI      Intra-cytoplamic Sperm Injection
 IF      Infertility
 IGTT      Insulin and Glucose Tolerance Test
 INCIID  International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination
 IM      Intramuscular injections
 IOR      Immature Oocyte Retrieval
 IR      Insulin Resistant
 ITI      Intra-tubal Insemination
 IUGR  Intra-uterine Growth Retardation
 IUI      Intra-uterine Insemination
 IVC      Intra-vaginal Culture
 IVF/ET In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer
 IVF      In Vitro Fertilization
 IVIg      Intravenous Immunoglobulin
 LAD      Leukocyte Antibody Detection Assay
 LAP      Laparoscopy
 LH      Luteinizing Hormone
 LIT      Leukocyte Immunization Therapy
 LMP      Last Menstrual Period (start date)
 LOL      Laughing Out Loud
 LP      Luteal-Phase
 LPD      Luteal-Phase Defect
 LSP      Low Sperm Count
 LUF, LUFS      Luteinized Unruptured Follicle Syndrome
MAI Miscarriage after Infertility
 MC, m/c, misc. Miscarriage
 MENTS Subject Matter May Be Difficult to Read
 MESA  Microsurgical Epidiymal Sperm Aspiration
 MF      Male Factor
 MMR     Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine
 MRI      Magnetic Resonance Imaging
 NK      Natural Killer Cells
 NORIF Non-stimulated Oocyte Retrieval In (office) Fertilization
 NP      Nurse Practitioner
 NSA      Non-Surgical Sperm Aspiration
 O, OV Ovulation
 OB      Obstetrician
 OB/GYN  Obstetrician/Gynecologist
 OC      Oral Contraceptives
 OD      Ovum Donor, Ovulatory Dysfunction
 OHSS  Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome
 OPK      Ovulation Predictor Kit
 OPT      Ovulation Predictor Test
 OTC      Over the Counter
 P4. Prog  Progesterone
 PA      Physician's Assistant
 PAI-1 Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1
 PAF, PANFERT  Pregnancy After Infertility
 PCO      Polycistic Ovaries
 PCOD Polycistic Ovarian Disease
 PCOS  Polycistic Ovarian Syndrome
 PCP      Primary Care Physician
 PCT      Post Coital Test
 PESA Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration
 PG      Pregnant
 PGD      Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis
 PI      Primary Infertility
 PID      Pelvic Inflamatory Disease
 PIO      Progesterone In Oil
 PLI      Paternal Leukocyte Immunization
 PMS      Pre-menstrual Syndrome
 PMN      Perinatal Mortality
 POAS  Pee On A Stick
 POC      Products of Conception
 POF      Premature Ovarian Failure
 PROM  Premature Rupture of Membranes
 PTSD Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
 PZD      Partial Zona Dissection
 RE      Reproductive Endocrinologist
 R-hFSH Recombinant Human Follicle Stimulating Hormone
 RI      Reproductive Immunologist
 RIP      Reproductive Immunophynotype
 ROS      Reactive Oxygen Species
 RPL      Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
 RSM      Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion
 RX      Perscription
 SA      Semen Analysis
 SART  Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology
 s/b, S/B Stillbirth
 SCORIF Stimulated Cycle Oocyte Retrieval
 SHG, SonoHSG Sonohysterogram
 SI      Secondary Infertility
 SLE      Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
 SPA      Sperm Pentration Assay
 SPALS Subsequent Pregnancy After a Loss Support
 S/S      Signs/Symptoms
 STD      Sexually Transmitted Disease
 SubQ Subcutaneous Injection
 SUZI      Sub-zonal Insertion
 T1      Type 1 Diabetic - Juvenile Diabetes
 T2      Type 2 Diabetic - Insulin Resistant, Adult Onset
 T4      Thyroxine
 TEBG Testosterone-Estradiol Binding Globulin
 TDI      Therapeutic Donor Insemination
 TESA  Testicular Sperm Aspiration
 TDI      Therapeutic Sperm Extraction
 TET      Tubal Embryo Transfer
 TL      Tubal Ligation
 TORCH  Toxoplasmosis, Other, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus & Herpes Test
 TR      Tubal Reversal
 TRHThyroid Releasing Hormone
 TSH      Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
 TTC      Trying To Conceive
 TTCAR Trying to Conceive After Reversal
 TX      Treatment
 TZD      Thiazolidinediones
UR      Urologist
 US      Ultrasound
 UTI      Urinary Tract Infection
 V      Vasectomy
 VR      Vasectomy Reversal
 WBC      White Blood Count
 WHR      Waist to Hip Ratio
 WNL      Within Normal Limits
 ZIFT      Zygote Intra-fallopian Transfer


Are you overwhelmed? 
I am!

I read blog posts, articles, Instagram messages, stories and articles that are all filled with this "secret code". I can't keep up. I just finally caught on that AF meant Aunt Flo (your period!!!).

So I promise, as we approach this next transfer and hopefully succeed, I will keep it simple.
I won't make you "google" anything.

But just in case, here's the link if you want to bookmark it. You never know when you will need to translate.


2 comments:

Devon T. said...

What's scary, is that I knew some of these. I love the acronyms. It is like learning a foreign language, but to me it's like a little puzzle.

Wait until you hit the Lovenox message boards. Some of my favorites: MTHFR (aka Mutha Effer gene), DDT (down and dirty time), BTDT (been there done that), MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine doc), FVL (Factor V Leiden), and BFP (Big Fat Positive - which is what I hope you get next month). Love you!

Liz said...

OMGosh!! At least you're bright and good at learning! :) Yikes!!