GLOSSARY

TTC

“TTC” is short hand for “Trying to Conceive.” It’s used as a verb, but also used as an adjective to describe the community of individuals/couples actively trying to get pregnant.

PIO

“PIO” is “progesterone in oil,” a medication nearly every IVF momma will receive at least once in their cycle. PIO promotes implantation and prevents miscarriage, and is typically taken in courses of 8-10 weeks following retrieval/FET. However, it is an intramuscular injection meaning it’s given in a 1'“ - 1.5” needle. It’s a particularly thick medication, and is often regarded as one of the worst injections/medications used in IVF, particularly for the needle-phobic patients. In short: if you know a sister receiving PIO shots, know she’s automatically a badass.

FOllicle vs. egg?

For the purposes of this website, we generally use follicle and egg interchangeably. The follicle is a small fluid filed sac in a women’s ovary that contains one egg per sac. In natural conception, a follicle will “rupture” when it’s grown to the appropriate size, releasing a matured egg during ovulation. In the IVF & egg donation world, women often do not experience follicles rupturing naturally, so during egg retrieval a needle is used to manually rupture the follicle and collect the mature egg.

FET

FET stands for “frozen embryo transfer.” This tends to be the most common type of embryo transfer in IVF, as the alternative - Fresh Embryo Transfer - can only be performed 3-5 days following the egg retrieval itself.

Embryo

An embryo is a fertilized egg the represents the initial stage of development for a multi-cellular organism. In IVF, embryo’s are often grown for 3-5 (sometimes up to 7) days in a lab before they are considered stable enough for transfer.

OHSS

OHSS is short for “ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome" and is known as the #1 complication of egg donation, particularly affecting donors who collect a large number of eggs in a single retrieval. It is an exaggerated and prolonged response to the injectable hormones used during retrieval. Primary symptoms include significant pain in the abdomen, cramping, nausea, and fluid build up in the abdomen. Supportive care is typically indicated for minor cases, but more intense cases can often require hormonal medications that “abort” the hormones given during retrieval.