What does af mean in pregnancy

Parenting in the modern day is hard enough with balancing work life, home life, and social media – but what about all the new language we have to deal with? If you’re joining a new community of mommas, chances are you’ll be connecting over your smartphone and social media – which means you’ll have to learn the lingo.

So, what does BFN mean in pregnancy? We’ll give you a hint: it’s one of a few abbreviations you’re going to have to pick up throughout your pregnancy journey.

In this article: 📝

• What does BFN stand for in pregnancy?
• Why might my BFN result be wrong?
• What does DH mean in pregnancy talk?
• What does AF stand for in fertility?
• What does BFN stand for in medical terms?
• How to deal with a BFN
• Share your story on Peanut

What does BFN stand for in pregnancy?

If you’re trying for a baby, it’s not something you want to hear! A BFN stands for ‘big fat negative’, and it’s paired with, unsurprisingly, BFP – big fat positive.

You may have also heard of the BFP pregnancy test. This relies on a strip of litmus paper which you can dip into a container of your urine. It’s arguably easier than peeing on a stick, and up to 99% effective! Of course, while a BFP is likely to be a true representation (false positives are extremely rare), it’s not always the case with BFNs.

One reason for this is timing your pregnancy test. It can be easy to get disheartened and tell everyone you’ve suffered a BFN, but it could simply be an issue of timing.

Why might my BFN result be wrong?

When you take a pregnancy test, the test is looking for signs of the hormone human gonadotropin. This usually kicks in at around five weeks into the pregnancy as your baby develops.

There needs to be enough of this hormone present in your urine for the results to show up. So, it may simply be a case of taking the test at the wrong time of day – for example, if you’ve had too much water. Or, you may be too early on in your pregnancy, so don’t be disheartened if you do get the BFN!

So, now that we know where we’re at with the BFN, what other terms should you know about?

What does DH mean in pregnancy talk?

Unlike something scientific like IVF (that’s in vitro fertilization, since you asked), DH is far simpler to remember. It means ‘darling husband’, so you’ll likely see it cropping up when married couples discuss their conception plans.

Other variations of this include ‘DS’ (darling son), ‘DC’ (darling child) and ‘DD’ (darling daughter). You can also switch out the ‘darling’ for ‘dear.’ No mention of darling wives or girlfriends, but we’ll get there, ladies!

What does AF stand for in fertility?

We’ve probably all heard the various kid-speak of ‘adjective’ + AF, but we’re keeping this one PG-13. Rather, in a fertility context, ‘AF’ means ‘Aunt Flo.’ If you’re trying to get pregnant, this one’s just about as welcome as a BFN, as it usually means your period has started and the egg has not been fertilized.

If you’re not sure though, it’s always wise to check. Some women experience symptoms of pregnancy and have negative tests, and vice versa – so speak to your doctor.

What does BFN stand for in medical terms?

Quite apart from the negative ‘big fat’ meaning, you may have also heard of BFN in a medical context. For example, you may have seen the term ‘breastfeeding network.’ These organizations help to give women advice on breastfeeding, including the benefits for mother and baby, and how long to do it for.

In slightly scarier terms, it may also mean ‘benign ethnic neutropenia’, which is an asymptomatic condition in adults of African and Middle Eastern descent. If you see this one on anything other than a pregnancy forum, it would be a disease – but it’s safe to say it’s more likely to do with conception!

How to deal with a BFN

So, you’ve been trying for a while and you’ve been confronted with another BFN. What should you do? First of all, it’s worth noting that conception times vary hugely depending on a range of factors. For example:

• Eight out of 10 couples under the age of 40 can take up to a year to get pregnant
• Nine out of 10 couples will get pregnant after two years of trying.

If you’re under 30, you have a 70% chance of getting pregnant within a year. This falls to 60% by age 35, and 40% by age 40. It’s still possible after age 40, but this may be considered a ‘geriatric pregnancy’ and your doctor may suggest fertility treatment.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle, cut out the alcohol, and keep those coffees to a minimum. If you’re both a healthy weight and don’t smoke, you can up your chances of conceiving naturally. If you’re under 40 and haven’t conceived within a year, you may wish to discuss your options with a doctor or request some tests.

Share your story on Peanut

We get it, trying to conceive can be stressful. But you’re not alone, Join Peanut to connect with other women, build friendships, and find support.

Read next:
TTC Meaning: The Language of Trying to Conceive
Blighted Ovum: Symptoms & Support
Becoming and Being a Lesbian Mom

Index Share

The following abbreviations and acronyms are frequently used on online support groups where women discuss their trying to conceive experiences.

2WW: Two week wait (before testing, not always 2 weeks)

AF: Aunt Flo, your period.

BD: Baby Dance. Have intercourse for conception purposes or by extension any form of insemination.

BFN: Big Fat Negative (pregnancy test)

BFP: Big Fat Positive (pregnancy test)

CD: Cycle Day

CH: Crosshairs- the lines drawn on the chart to indicate ovulation

CL: Coverline

CM: Cervical mucous, also known as cervical fluid. It is fluid produced by your cervix as you approach ovulation due to increased estrogen.

CP: Cervical Position

DH, DD, DS: Dear Husband, Dear Daughter, Dear Son

DPO: Days Past Ovulation

EDD: Estimated Due Date

EWCM: Eggwhite cervical mucous. See Eggwhite cervical fluid.

FSH: Follicle Stimulating Hormone

GnRH: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone

HPT: Home pregnancy test. Measures levels of the hormone hcG which are produced in pregnancy.

HcG: Hormone detected by pregnancy tests. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin.

IVI: Intra-vaginal insemination

ICI: Intra-cervical insemination

IUI: Intra-uterine insemination

IVF: In-vitro fertilization

LH: Luteinizing Hormone

LMP: Last menstrual period. The first day of your last period.

LOL: Laughing out loud

LP: Luteal Phase

LPD: Luteal Phase Defect

M/C: Miscarriage

O: Ovulation

OPK: Ovulation Prediction Kit. OPKs measure luteinizing hormone, the last hormone to peak before ovulation.

POAS: Pee on a stick

RE: Reproductive Endocrinologist- Fertility Specialist

TTC: Trying to conceive.

VFL: Very Faint Line, most likely on a pregnancy test.

Index Share

Start Charting Here!
FREE Web, iPhone & Android Apps

By Lindsay Meisel | Published Sep 28, 2017 | Last updated Jul 16, 2019 ✓ Fact checked

All content on AvaWorld is fact checked to ensure impeccable accuracy

Here at Ava, we take data—especially fertility and pregnancy data—very seriously. Our team is led by premier data scientists, obstetricians, gynecologists, and reproductive endocrinologists, many of whom hold PhDs and decades of experience in their respective fields. So, when you read content on AvaWorld, you can trust that it’s backed by science and has been thoroughly researched and vetted by our experts.

If you just dipped your toe into the world of online forums for women who are trying to get pregnant, you might be totally overwhelmed by all the acronyms. It’s okay—you’ll grow to love them, really. When you’re 7DPO and have to flush your FMU so your don’t POAS  and see the dreaded BFN, it’s really fun to talk in a secret language to other women who understand what you’re going through.

So don’t fret: here’s your handy guide to the most common acronyms. You’ll know them all by heart in no time.

2WW: Two week wait (before testing, not always 2 weeks)

AF: Aunt Flo, menstruation

BBT: Basal body temperature

BC/BCP: Birth Control Pill

BD: Baby dance. This means having sex for conceptive purposes, or any other form of insemination such as IUI or IVF. (The Ava community invented their own term for this. See entry for “GSD” below.)

BFN: Big Fat Negative (pregnancy test)

BFP: Big Fat Positive (pregnancy test)

CD: Cycle day

CM: Cervical mucus.

CP: Chemical pregnancy (a very early miscarriage)

DPO: Days past ovulation

EWCM: Egg white cervical mucus, the most fertile kind.

FSH: Follicle Stimulating Hormone

FMU: First Morning Urine

FP: Follicular Phase

FRER: First response early result pregnancy test

GSD: Get Shit Done, or do what you need to do to make a baby (sex, IUI, IVF…)

HPT: Home pregnancy test. Measures levels of the hormone hcG.

HSG: hysterosalpingogram, a test that looks inside the uterus and fallopian tubes.

HcG: Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. Hormone detected by pregnancy tests.

IUI: Intra-uterine insemination

IVF: In-vitro fertilization

LH: Luteinizing Hormone

LMP: Last menstrual period. The first day of your last period.

LP: Luteal Phase

LPD: Luteal Phase Defect

MC: Miscarriage

MFI: Male Factor Infertility

NTNP: Not Trying, Not Preventing

O: Ovulation

OPK: Ovulation Prediction Kit. OPKs measure luteinizing hormone, which surges about one day before ovulation.

PCOS: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

POAS: Pee on a stick

RE: Reproductive Endocrinologist

SA: Semen analysis

SMEP: Sperm Meets Egg Plan

TCOYF: “Taking Charge of Your Fertility,” a book by Toni Weschler about how to monitor your body’s natural fertility signs.

TTC: Trying to Conceive

TWW: Two Week Wait, the roughly two week period between when you ovulate and when you’re supposed to get your period (and when you can take a pregnancy test)

By Lindsay Meisel | Sep 28, 2017