TTC, BFP, POAS, PUPO, WTF?

There are a lot of books out there on fertility. I’ve read them all. I mean, not really, but I’ve read a lot of books on it. I am a reader by nature, so I love reading. I’m also a nerd by nature, and want all the information possible on any subject. 

When I was trying naturally to get pregnant, I was trying to learn and get any tips and tricks from these books as I could. I read books about getting pregnant over 40. I read holistic books that said if you just think positively, you’ll get pregnant and no one needs IVF. I read, and I read, and I read.

And then I would head straight to Google and the message boards. Every month we tried, we tried something new. There was Pre-Seed, a sperm friendly lube that is supposed to be magic. (Spoiler alert: it’s not and actually really bad for trying to get pregnant.) There was putting your legs up on the wall after sex, there is drinking pomegranate juice, there is wearing socks at all times to keep your feet warm, and so many more things!

Side note: One of the podcasts that I listen to, called Big Fat Negative (BFN), has a segment with Dr. Tim and he bunks a lot of these old wives’ tales. It doesn’t stop me from trying them, as long as they aren’t harmful, because I will try almost anything at this point.

But once you start diving deep into the message boards, that’s when all of the acronyms and abbreviations hit you in the face and you’re like “are these people speaking a different language?”

Side note 2: I almost used an acronym earlier in this post. And instead typed out whole words. You’re welcome.

Most of the major message boards and Facebook groups (oh yes, I’m one of those and in eleventy FB groups about pregnancy and fertility and IUIs and IVF and clinic specific and single moms) have a pinned post with most of the acronyms. It’s like the message boards of yore. People still use DH for “dear husband” and DD and DS for “dear daughter” and “dear son” respectively. (No, really. They do.) But most of the acronyms are TTC specific. Ugh! I did it right there! TTC = Trying To Conceive.

TTC is a big one. Once you learn that one, you’re just going to fall even deeper. Here are a few of the big ones:

BFP = Big Fat Positive (when you get a positive pregnancy test)

BFN = Big Fat Negative (when it isn’t positive)

POAS = Pee On A Stick

IUI = Intrauterine Insemination

AF = Aunt Flo (AKA your period)

DPO = Days Past Ovulation

BD = Baby Dance (because apparently those people can’t just have S-E-X with their DH to make a DS or DD)

2WW = Two Week Wait (the most agonizing two weeks of your life)

PUPO = Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise (this one I had to Google when I saw it on a t-shirt)

Pineapples are also a symbol of infertility. I’m not sure why. Maybe it is because eating pineapple core is supposed to help with implantation. (Not the outer layer, just the core.) (And yep, I hate pineapple, but I had pineapple core in smoothies both IUI cycles. See? I’ll try anything, even a fruit I despise.)

I poke fun, but for the most part, all of these groups and communities are super helpful and really supportive. And when you’re worried whether those are period cramps or implantation cramps, there is a thread on a board or group somewhere with the exact same question.

Spoiler alert: Hormones are cruel bitches that give women the fucking same goddamn symptoms whether it is pregnancy or your period.