POP
Abbreviation with 5 meanings
| Stands for | Pelvic organ prolapse |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 5 |
| Categories | Medical, Technology & Computing, Business & Finance |
| Also written | PoP |
POP has five meanings. The most common are Pelvic organ prolapse (obstetrics & gynecology) and Progestin-only pill (obstetrics & gynecology); it can also stand for Point of presence, Point of purchase and Point of parity.
Meanings of POP at a glance
| # | POP stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pelvic organ prolapse | Medical › Obstetrics & Gynecology |
| 2 | Progestin-only pill | Medical › Obstetrics & Gynecology |
| 3 | Point of presence | Technology & Computing › Networking |
| 4 | Point of purchase | Business & Finance › Marketing & Advertising |
| 5 | Point of parity | Business & Finance › Marketing & Advertising |
1. Pelvic organ prolapse
Medical · Obstetrics & Gynecology Abbreviations
Descent of the bladder, uterus, vaginal vault or rectum into or beyond the vaginal opening because of weakened pelvic floor support, often after childbirth and with aging. Symptoms include a bulge, pressure and urinary or bowel difficulties.
Example: Stage II anterior wall POP on POP-Q; fitted with ring pessary, PT referral.
Severity is graded with the standardized POP-Q system, introduced in 1996. Treatment options include pelvic floor muscle training, vaginal pessaries and surgical repair. Many women with mild prolapse on exam have no symptoms and need no treatment. In contraception POP means progestin-only pill.
2. Progestin-only pill
Medical · Obstetrics & Gynecology Abbreviations
Oral contraceptive containing only a progestin, without estrogen, suitable for people who are breastfeeding or cannot take estrogen because of clot risk, migraine with aura or other conditions. It is taken every day without a hormone-free week.
Example: Postpartum, breastfeeding; start POP (norethindrone 0.35 mg) daily at same time.
Often called the "minipill". Traditional norethindrone pills must be taken within the same three-hour window each day, while drospirenone-only pills allow a 24-hour window. In 2023 the FDA approved norgestrel (Opill) as the first over-the-counter daily birth control pill in the US. In gynecology POP also means pelvic organ prolapse.
3. Point of presence (PoP)
Technology & Computing · Networking Abbreviations
A physical location, usually a data center or carrier hotel, where a network operator, CDN or cloud provider has equipment and connects to other networks or customers. The more PoPs a CDN operates, the closer it can serve content to users.
Example: The CDN added a PoP in Lagos, cutting load times for West African visitors.
Also written POP. In the dial-up era it meant the local phone number and modem bank through which subscribers reached their ISP. CDN and DNS providers advertise PoP counts as a measure of reach. In email, POP refers to the Post Office Protocol (POP3) instead, so the surrounding text decides which is meant.
4. Point of purchase
Business & Finance · Marketing & Advertising Abbreviations
Place where a customer decides to buy, usually a store aisle or checkout, and the displays, signs, shelf talkers and end caps placed there to influence the decision.
Example: The new POP display beside the registers doubled sales of the travel-size packs.
Also called point-of-sale (POS) materials. Studies of shopper behavior suggest many supermarket purchase decisions are made in store, which is why brands invest in POP. Displays placed at the end of aisles are called end caps or gondola ends.
5. Point of parity
Business & Finance · Marketing & Advertising Abbreviations
In brand positioning, an attribute a brand must match competitors on to be considered credible in its category, such as a budget airline still offering safe, on-time flights.
Example: Free returns are now a POP in online fashion, not a differentiator.
The concept comes from Kevin Lane Keller's brand positioning framework, which pairs points of parity with points of difference.
Related abbreviations
More obstetrics & gynecology abbreviations
- PID – Pelvic inflammatory disease
- PIH – Pregnancy-induced hypertension
- PMS – Premenstrual syndrome
- POI – Primary ovarian insufficiency
- PP – Postpartum
- PPH – Postpartum hemorrhage
- PPROM – Preterm prelabor rupture of membranes
- PROM – Prelabor rupture of membranes
See all 89 obstetrics & gynecology abbreviations →
More networking abbreviations
- PAN – Personal area network
- PAT – Port address translation
- PDU – Protocol data unit
- PoE – Power over Ethernet
- POP3 – Post Office Protocol version 3
- PPPoE – Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet
- PPTP – Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol
- PSK – Pre-shared key
See all 113 networking abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.