In a recent post I gave you the ultimate guide to abbreviated fertility terms that you will likely come across in the fertility community (groups, blogs, websites, pinterest). However, there are lots of other terms that aren’t abbreviated but that may leave you puzzled. This post covers all of those too! Let me know in the comments if any are missing that you’d like to add.

If you haven’t checked out the abbreviations post yet, make sure to do so to find a handy cheat sheet to download to your phone.

Basal Body Temperature. This is your temperature in rest, so when you first wake up in the morning. Your BBT is an important fertility sign that can help you identify if you’ve ovulated yet or not. Read which thermometer I think is the best or sign up to the free e-course on charting where a whole lesson is dedicated to taking your temperature.

Cervical mucus – this is the mucus that covers the cervix (at the top of the vagina, closes off the womb). It is an important fertility sign what quality the cervical mucus is at any given time in your cycle. Under the influence of estrogen it goes from dry, to sticky, to creamy to raw egg white looking. Read all about cervical mucus.

Chemical pregnancy – this is the term used for pregnancies that end in a miscarriage before the 5th week. Many women don’t even know they were pregnant, but if you are trying to conceive you may have a positive pregnancy test one day and a negative the next often followed by bleeding. A more heavy period than normal that is later than normal can be an indication of such an early miscarriage. Chemical pregnancy often gives the impression that it really wasn’t anything, but any loss is a loss and grieving over it is always justified. Early miscarriages can be an indication of low progesterone which you can confirm through charting your cycle. if this is the case, we can confirm this together in a charting session.

Clomid – fertility drug to stimulate the ovaries. Check also “PCOS”.

Cycle day – the first day of your cycle is the first day of your period. The standard amount of cycle days per cycle is 28 but it is very common to have longer or shorter cycles and it can also vary per cycle.

Ectopic pregnancy – when a fertilized egg implants somewhere else than in the womb, usually the Fallopian tube. As a result some women lose a tube. Luckily if both ovaries are persevered they still have an equal chance of falling pregnant after an ectopic as before as the tube can catch an egg from both ovaries then. Read these great cases of ladies that conceived and gave birth after having ectopic pregnancies. Case 1, Case 2.

Egg white cervical mucus – it is often considered the holy grail of cervical mucus because it is the most fertile. It nourishes sperm and helps it travel up to the egg. Read all about cervical mucus.

Embryo – 10-12 days after an egg has been fertilized, your baby is called an embryo. At 8 weeks it is called a fetus.

Fallopian tube – the tube from the ovaries to the womb through which a fertilized egg travels. They can sometimes be blocked from mucus or scarring which can be well treated through homeopathy. Read this great case of a lady that had a baby boy after years of being told she would never conceive due to scarred tubes.

Follicle Stimulating Hormone – It is the hormone women produce to stimulate the ovaries to mature the eggs. If you ovulate later in your cycle, FSH may be low and I tend to treat the anterior pituitary gland or the adrenal glands for patients that have this.

Fetus – the baby is called a fetus from 8 weeks after fertilization of the egg. Also see “embryo”.

Human Chorionic Honadotropin – This hormone is released when you are pregnant. If the hormone is high enough, you can pick it up on a pregnancy test to confirm pregnancy.

Implantation – 6-12 days after ovulation and the egg is fertilized, it implants in the uterus. When this happens, sometimes a dip in temperature can be seen on fertility charts (see BBT but usually this dip can only be confirmed when the pregnancy test is positive.

Luteinising hormone – his is the hormone that triggers ovulation. It can be piked up on with ovulation tests and when these are positive it tells you ovulation will likely happen within the next 12-24 hours. This is the best time to make love when trying to conceive. The free charting course dedicates an entire lesson to ovulation testing.

Luteal phase – It is the period from ovulation till the net period. The standard length of the LP is 14 days but it can vary per woman. If it varies per cycle this may be an indication of progesterone imbalance. Women with LP’s of 10 days or less can have difficulty staying pregnant because their flow starts before a fertilized egg has the chance to implant. Patients with shorter LP’s than 13 of with varying LP’s I will always treat for hormone imbalance.

Missed abortion – when the baby dies in the womb but the pregnancy is not ended. This is usually picked up on with a scan. Surgery is often needed (D&C) but homeopathic remedies can help bring forth the miscarriage naturally.

Rainbow baby – This is a baby conceived and born after having had a loss.
Fertile window – this is the short window (maximum of about 5 days) in a woman’s cycle that we are fertile. This is the few days before ovulation. My free e-course has an entire lesson on what the fertile window is, and how to find out when your fertile window opens and when it is closed. Read about Josephine’s rainbow baby.