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

Aunt Flo (your period)
When she shows up uninvited, cycle day 1 begins.

BBT

Basal Body Temperature
Your wake‑up temp spike confirms ovulation happened.

BFN

Big Fat Negative
Pregnancy test disappointment. (The opposite is BFP.)

BFP

Big Fat Positive
Two pink lines. Group celebration time!

CD or CD#

Cycle Day or Cycle Day #
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

Cervical Mucus
A primary natural sign of your fertility! Egg white consistency = fertile. Sticky = not fertile.

DPO

Days Past Ovulation
"10 DPO and still BFN" = most common group post ever.

EWCM

Egg White Cervical Mucus
The agonizing 11-19 days between ovulation and testing.

FW

Fertile Window
The handful of days in your cycle that could actually lead to successful conception and pregnancy! The Fertile Window is so important.

HCG

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
A hormone made after implantation that pregnancy tests detect.

LH

Luteinizing Hormone
Your body's ovulation messenger. When LH rises, it's a sign ovulation is being attempted.

OPK

Ovulation Predictor Kit
Strips that detect your LH surge = prime baby‑making window.

POA

Pee On A Stick
Testing pregnancy (or ovulation) strips. A lot.

TTC

Trying To Conceive
The universal starting line. Everyone in fertility groups is TTC.

TWW

Two Week Wait
The agonizing 11-19 days between ovulation and testing. You can make your TWW a positive time!

2WW

Two Week Wait (same as TWW)
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.

Click on the link below to catch your own copy. Print it, save it to your phone, you can even share it with your partner. It'll save you plenty of annoying research!