The Language of Infertility

I have been reading a lot of blogs of people that are going through infertility treatments, and have noticed many use abbreviations and acronyms.

1. Some abbreviations such as IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) are pretty straightforward and used in the medical community as well.
2. DH (Dear Husband) is 'relatively' easy to decipher, although I have never referred to my husband by this and don't plan to anytime soon.
3. Others such as 47XXY(Klin*felter's Syndrome) are usually only known by the people who are affected.
4. Some like to blend things together to form sentences. IE: HPT 10dp3dt = BFP

I don't plan on using a lot of acronyms, however, thought for clarity I would highlight the basics: (As they relate to IVF)

• IVF = In-Vitro Fertilization - Latin for "in glass" AKA "test tube baby" Eggs are removed, sperm is collected, place "in glass", mix well.
• Follicle - A 'sack' of cells surrounding the egg (or ovum) while in the ovary. These are monitored throughout the stages of IVF to ensure enough are developing for the next steps. In IVF eggs are sucked out of the follicles on retrieval day.
• Oocyte = An egg, that is removed (see above) from the follicle for IVF. Not all of the eggs will make it, only about 2/3 of the eggs are usually removed.
• ET = Embryo Transfer - An embryo is a fertilized egg that is still in the cell division stage, they usually transferred on day 3 (after retrieval), when it has 8 cells.
• AH, AZH = Assisted Hatching - Sometimes performed before transfer to ensure the embryo has some extra help. A laser targets the outer shell of the embryo and creates a small hole.
• Blast = Blastocys - An embryo turns into a blastocys after about 5 days (after fertilization). By this time, the cells have begun to organize themselves into the fetus and the placenta. Depending on the situation some doctors will transfer a Blastocys instead of an embryo in hopes of better results.
• FET = Frozen Embryo Transfer - Any left over Embryo or Blastocys that are not used in the IVF cycle are often frozen for a later cycle / transfer.
• 2WW = 2-Week Wait - The longest 14 days after implantation before you can take a EPT = Early Pregnancy Test or HPT = Home Pregnancy Test AKA Beta which measures the blood's hCG level.
• BFN = Big Fat Negative or BFP = Big Fat Positive - The results of said test.

So the game plan for me for my first IVF cycle is as follows:

1. Per my RE's approval they will 'harvest' the shot induced eggs I've been growing for the past few weeks. (Trying to get as many as possible.)
2. The harvested eggs then have a play date with the sperm in a laboratory glass with the hopes that they will get along.
3. If they 'play nicely' we should know how many eggs have fertilized within about 24-30 hours.
4. On day 3 the RE will evaluate the embryo quality and we will decide if we do a transfer (with assisted hatching) or if we have enough fertilized eggs to work with, wait a few more days for Blast stage in which the strongest will be transferred.
5. After transfer, I will then start the 2WW.