Stop Googling TTC Acronyms: Here's What AF, BFN, and TWW Actually Mean
Written by Tamara Snook, Fertility Coach & FABM Expert
My first week in fertility Facebook groups felt like immigrating to a new country without a phrasebook. I'd see posts like 'BFP after 9DPO, no TWW for me!' and spend 15 minutes Googling all three acronyms just to understand someone was celebrating a pregnancy test. Meanwhile everyone else was already talking solutions, timelines, next steps.
Fertility is so difficult as it is without adding all the complicated sounding code words everywhere!
So I did what any overwhelmed newbie would do: I started collecting every acronym I saw.
A notebook next to my phone. Every AF, BFN, CD1, POAS that confused me. I even found some lists over time, which I added to my own. Over time it became this master list.
I recently realized that although today I can just read through a post without a blink of the eye, that those newer on the journey would be just as lost as I was.
Some Fertility & TTC Terms (Lingo)
Here's a sneak peek from the guides to cover the top 12 I think you'll run into, with some descriptions too!
AF
When she shows up uninvited, cycle day 1 begins.
BBT
Your wake‑up temp spike confirms ovulation happened.
BFN
Pregnancy test disappointment. (The opposite is BFP.)
BFP
Two pink lines. Group celebration time!
CD or CD#
This is the number of the day of your cycle. First day of full flow = official start of your cycle and that's Cycle Day 1.
CM
A primary natural sign of your fertility! Egg white consistency = fertile. Sticky = not fertile.
DPO
"10 DPO and still BFN" = most common group post ever.
EWCM
The agonizing 11-19 days between ovulation and testing.
FW
The handful of days in your cycle that could actually lead to successful conception and pregnancy! The Fertile Window is so important.
HCG
A hormone made after implantation that pregnancy tests detect.
LH
Your body's ovulation messenger. When LH rises, it's a sign ovulation is being attempted.
OPK
Strips that detect your LH surge = prime baby‑making window.
POA
Testing pregnancy (or ovulation) strips. A lot.
TTC
The universal starting line. Everyone in fertility groups is TTC.
TWW
The agonizing 11-19 days between ovulation and testing. You can make your TWW a positive time!
2WW
Some people say 2WW, some say TWW. Same torture.
This is just the start of course. I've collected over 70 terms so give yourself time to learn them.
If you'd like, the complete list can be yours! It's cleaned up, organized, and growing as I learn more myself. There's even two versions, a single page Cheat Sheet you can keep handy at any time and a longer expanded version.
I kept a copy printed, and another saved it to my phone. You can even share it with your partner. It'll save you plenty of annoying research!
