When I initially began researching Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome online, I found some forums that were really helpful at creating a place where women could connect together and discuss their problems and solutions. But, as I looked around the forums it all looked like code to me; what does BFP mean? I was lost!
So what does bfp mean?
It means, big fat positive- a positive result on a pregnancy test. It took me a while before I had that “ahh haa moment” and figured it out, though.
Which leads me to the topic of this post… your very own PCOS dictionary! As much as I want to you love and utilize Hello PCOS, I don’t know everything and you should always seek knowledge from different avenues so I’d like to make your quest a little bit easier by explaining some of the things you’ll see so that you won’t run away like I did.
THE ULTIMATE PCOS DICTIONARY
A is for
AF: [Aunt Flow] Your period, that thing that you’re supposed to get once a month but is probably late or doesn’t come at all.
B is for
Baby dust: A term of endearment used in the TCC community meaning, “Good luck getting pregnant”.
BC: [Birth control] Birth control is sometimes used as a treatment option for PCOS. It’ll make you have what some call “a fake period”. There is a growing concern about utilizing birth control for PCOS treatment.
BFN: [Big fat negative] Eh. A negative result on a pregnancy test. Don’t worry, stay positive, and keep working hard.
BFP: [Big fat positive] Yay! A positive result on a pregnancy test meaning, all that hard work paid off.
C is for
Clomid: Prescription only fertility medication, which aids in releasing the right hormones for ovulation. Some women have great success with Clomid and getting pregnant. Clomid is relatively inexpensive.
Cyst: A sac of liquid. With PCOS some women develop a “string” of cysts on their ovaries.
Cyster: Woman with PCOS, play on words: cyster/sister. Used as a term of endearment in the PCOS community.
D is for
DD: [Darling/Dear Daughter] Fancy way of saying daughter.
DH: [Darling/Dear Husband] Fancy way of saying husband
DS: [Darling/Dear Son] Fancy way of saying son
E is for
Endocrinologist: Doctor trained to work with disorders of the glands. Glands release hormones and PCOS is an endocrine disorder.
Estrogen: Female hormone responsible for development of female characteristics
F is for
G is for
H is for
Hirsutism: Stupid male patterned hair growth in women- mustache, chin hairs, chest hairs, long side burns… you get the picture. The reason that you always keep a pair of tweezers nearby.
Hormones: chemical messengers that tell your body what to do. Hormones familiar to you are probably testosterone, estrogen, and insulin. Hormones being out of whack causes all of those horrible symptoms of unwanted facial hair, acne, absent periods, trouble ovulating, and weight gain around the mid-section.
I is for
Infertile: Medically, a woman can be diagnosed after actively trying to conceive with no success for 1 year or longer. Don’t fret… with the lifestyle changes discussed on this site, you have a big change to increase your odds of getting pregnant and having a healthy baby.
Inositol: A molecule that can aid in treating insulin resistance. A growing amount of research supports utilizing both Myo-inositol and D-Chiro-inositol in treating insulin resistance in women with PCOS. I’ll have a post about this soon, don’t for get to sign up for the email list (on the bottom of the page) to be notified about new blog posts.
Insulin: Hormone responsible for regulating glucose (sugar) in the blood. Most women with PCOS are insulin resistant… meaning insulin doesn’t work properly to lower blood sugar, which results in too much testosterone, and all the negative stuff.
IVF: In Vitro Fertilization. A procedure where doctors take your eggs and fertilize them with with sperm (provided by your husband, or boyfriend, or a sperm bank, or friend, or who ever you want to be your baby daddy). The fertilized eggs are then placed in your uterus and hopefully, a baby is made. The procedure is pretty costly and doesn’t always work.
J is for
K is for
L is for
LH and FSH: Lutenizing hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone. These hormones are responsible for signaling ovulation messages. In women with PCOS, the ratio of these hormones can be off which leads to trouble ovulating.
M is for
Metformin: Typically used to treatment diabetes however, it is often prescribed for the treatment of PCOS due to is effects on insulin. Metformin aids in helping the body recognize insulin. Metformin is low cost and even free at some pharmacies. Some women have great success with using metformin to get pregnant. There also can be horrible side effects for some women…<read my experience>
Miscarriage: Loss of pregnancy. Sadly, women with PCOS might have an increased risk for miscarriages.
N is for
O is for
OBGYN: Obstetrics and gynecology doctor that normally handles women’s healthy and pregnancy. Unfortunately, OBGYNs are not always well versed in the treatment of PCOS and it can be pretty frustrating if you and your doctor aren’t on the same page.
Ovary: Reproduction organ in women where eggs are produced. With PCOS, ovaries often develop cysts (they kind of look like a string of pearls). Confusing enough, not all women with PCOS have cysts on their ovaries.
Ovulation: When an egg is maturely released from a woman’s ovaries. Most of the time, women with PCOS have difficulty with this process.
P is for
PCOS: [Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome] The complex endocrine disorder that could complicate your life if you don’t Say Hello and get it under control. In short, the reason why you’re reading this.
Polycystic: Meaning “many cysts”
Progesterone: A hormone that plays a big part in regulating periods, avoiding miscarriage, and sex drive. Most of the time, progesterone levels are out of whack in women with PCOS.
Q is for
R is for
S is for
Sticky dust: A term of endearment used in the TCC community meaning, “Good luck with a healthy pregnancy”.
Supplement: Vitamins, Herbs, and Minerals. All the stuff that you take to help your body work efficiently. Read more about supplements for PCOS
T is for
TTC: [Trying to conceive] This is when you are actively trying to have a baby, which can be a little difficult with PCOS.
Testosterone: Male hormone responsible for development of male characteristics. Women need it… but not this much! With PCOS, too much testosterone causes acne, facial hair, hard to lose weight around the midsection, male patterned baldness, and all that unfortunate stuff.
U is for
V is for
W is for
X is for
Y is for
Z is for
What do you think?
So, now you know the answer to the question, “what does bfp mean?”. Are there any other PCOS definitions that you’re still puzzled about? Let me know by commenting below and I’ll continue to update the list.
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Thanks for reading!
It’s TTC, Trying To Conceive.
I was very confused by all the acronyms and abbreviations as well!