Is this sticky thread for newcomers ready to be posted?

pblge

Thread title: New to Infertility: READ ME FIRST!!

Welcome to the infertility forum! This is a very welcoming and supportive group, however infertility is a difficult and sensitive time. We would thus appreciate it if new posters took the time to familiarize themselves with our norms and etiquette before posting. For example, we ask that you please refrain from coming here just to post your success story!!! We're happy for anyone who has gotten pregnant after dealing with infertility, but we'd rather celebrate with you after we've been cheering you on through the process. Also, it is customary here to warn readers if your post mentions anything related to pregnancy or loss.

Here are some specifics:
- If you post a BFP announcement (congratulations!), please warn people in your title! Example: "Beta news: BFP mentioned!"
- If you mention a miscarriage in your post, please warn people at the top of your post. Example: "***Loss mentioned***."
- If you are posting here after your have gotten pregnant, congratulations! - Please warn readers if your siggy has a ticker or pictures or similar. Example: "****siggy warning***."
- If your post mentions older children, please warn people at the top of your post or in the title. Example, "***older child mentioned***.

Who should post here?
The forum is used by those who have a diagnosis of infertility (usually based on 12+ months TTC or 6+ months TTC after age 35, however there are other reasons for the diagnosis) and/or are undergoing IVF. If neither of these describe you, a different forum would likely be a better fit.

What other forums might be right for me?
- If you have not yet consulted a doctor about problems conceiving, or are in the early stages of working with that doctor, you may find that the Trouble-TTC forum is a better fit.
- If you would like to share or hear success stories, please visit Pregnant after IF or Success after IF. Please do not come here to post your success story! This is seen as extremely rude and insensitive to the women here, and it will not be inspiring or helpful.
- If you are struggling to TTC #2 or more , you may be a better fit in Secondary IF. Some women who had difficulty with other children choose to post here. This is totally fine, however we ask that you be sensitive about discussing your other child(ren) on this forum and consider not including baby pictures in your siggy.

What are some basics I should know before getting started?
- There are many websites about IVF. A good basic one is through WebMD. Reading these websites will help you a lot in preparation for your first IVF. Here are some basic IVF acronyms:

IVF = In vitro fertilization
IVM = In vitro maturation
FET = Frozen embryo transfer
ER = Egg retrieval
ET = Embryo transfer
E2 = Estradiol
ISCI = Introcytoplasmic sperm injection
PGD = Preimplantation genetic diagnosis
TESE = Testicular Sperm Extraction
WTF appt = What the f*** appointment, to discuss a failed cycle and next steps

Many more acronyms used on The Bump (TB) can be found here: acronyms decoder.
You can also find success rates for all US IVF clinics via the CDC SART site here.
For an explanation about how to count the days following your transfer (e.g., 3dp5dt), as well as a discussion about using a HPT, see this page.

This is the forum for me! How can I get started?
Please post an introduction and say hi! We look forward to getting to know you and helping you on your journey!

What's up with these badges and check-in groups? 

After you make your intro, feel free to join the monthly check-in group (for example, if you are doing an ER, ET or FET in the month of March, look for the "March Check-in" and get involved by making regular updates in the thread). You can also add the badge to your siggy as a way to identify yourself as a member of the group & for unity and pride! The link to the badge for the month should be posted on each check-in. Then you can add it to your siggy by following the instructions here. There is also a check-in group for those who are in between cycles or waiting to get started. Join us if it applies to you!

RunCC37

Oh yes!! What IFinTN said GREAT job!!

pblge

Good idea!! Does anyone want to write a bit about the badges? They're still pretty new to me, so I'm not sure I would get it right.

RunCC37

I'll take a stab at it:

IVF Check-in Groups and Badges: after you make your intro, feel free to join the monthly check-in group (for example, if you are doing an ER, ET or FET in the month of March, look for the "March Check-in" and get involved by making regular updates in the thread). You can also add the badge to your siggy as a way to identify yourself as a member of the group & for unity and pride! <<maybe add a blurb with directions on how to add badges to your siggy??>> There is a check-in group for those who are in between cycles or waiting to get started called "Hanging onto a Dream." Join us if it applies to you!

Feel free to edit (or scratch it!!)

Lady2010

Looks great. Thanks so much for running with this!!

Margritli

What about adding something like "6dp5dt = six days past a day five transfer"? I know that was something that was confusing to me at first. 

jaztastic

Great job!!

penad5

Thanks so much for taking this on!

pblge

Okay! I edited to add those two fabulous points. Thanks, ladies! I left off the name of the in-between-cycles group, as it sounds like that will change periodically, and it may not be easy to edit this once posted. 

RunCC37

Great job!!

pblge

NariaDreaming, could you please post the above as a sticky? It's been edited to reflect the suggestions in this post.

Also, I never heard anything from @BumpJackie about posting the blurb at the top of the page. We discussed it here. Here's the blurb the group decided on:

This is a forum for those dealing with infertility and/or undergoing IVF treatment. Because this board is a safe haven, please include “child/pregnancy mentioned” or “siggy warning” in your title or post, if applicable. This is a very emotional time for many so please take the time to read the "New to Infertility" thread for some etiquette before posting. If you are looking for (or would like to share) a success story, please visit PAIF or SAIF.

**
Maybe I did it wrong??? Thanks!!!

rlk2

Looks great! Thanks!