Modern woman increasingly hears a disappointing diagnosis from her gynecologist - "infertility". Doctors have been dealing with the issue of optimal assistance to a woman in the matter of motherhood for a long time. The reason that forced to study in detail and study the antral follicles in women was the process of artificial insemination. The guarantee of an effective, positive fertilization result will depend not only on the age of the woman, but also on their number.
Meaning and functions for the female body
For many women, the question: antral follicles in the ovaries - what is it, becomes relevant. While still in the womb, each woman receives her own supply of germ cells. Throughout a woman's life, primordial follicles are constantly decreasing, germ cells are dying, and the rate increases with each new year.
The most accelerated period doctors call adolescence and pre-climatic. And the last one is 36-37 years old.
Given such features and the rather young age of women - 37 years old - doctors made a discovery,that antral follicles can be read using an ultrasound machine. The size of such follicles can vary from 2 to 8 mm, while the method of counting is always reliable.
Having done a study, you can fully establish the number of follicles that are precursors to the formation of an egg. Such procedures made it possible to exclude microscopic analysis of the ovaries, establish an ovarian reserve in women, and predict the number of eggs that can be fertilized immediately.
How many follicles is normal?
The number and norm of follicles is an estimate of the upcoming superovulation during IVF. It is these indicators that will enable a woman to get pregnant and have long-awaited children.
There are established norms by which doctors can talk about a woman's high chances of a desired pregnancy or prescribe additional hormonal therapy.
If a woman has 1-4 antral follicles, then the chances of pregnancy are 0. Neither hormone therapy nor IVF will help such women.
If the indicators range from 4 to 10, there is a chance of getting pregnant if powerful hormone therapy is carried out. But as medical studies show, the chances of success are very, very low.
Indicators from 11 to 14 make it possible to think about the child and get the desired pregnancy. It is enough to give the right stimulation.
With indicatorsfrom 15 to 20 you can talk about high chances of a positive result. The right hormone therapy is enough, and a woman will be pregnant in a short time.
With indicators of 20 and above, you should already talk about therapy that will help you get not only he althy, but also high-quality eggs.
Indicators of follicle size: norm and pathology
As soon as a woman begins her period, the doctor can set the size of the follicle by day of the cycle. Every month, several follicles mature in the body at once.
On the 5th day of the cycle, a woman can see up to 10 antral follicles 2-4 mm in size. Their location is the periphery of the ovary.
By the 7th day, the size increases to 6 mm, while a network of blood capillaries is already visible on the surface.
8th day is the definition of dominant follicles, they will continue further maturation and increase in size.
On the 9-10th day, the doctor can diagnose the dominant follicle by its size of 14-15 mm, all the rest that have stopped growing will be within 8 mm.
11th day - the size reaches 16 mm. 12-13th day - the size increases by 2.2 mm, the production of a large amount of estrogens begins.
14th day - the diameter of the follicle already reaches 25 mm. When conducting an ultrasound, the doctor can already clearly determine the size of the follicle by day of the cycle, see signs of imminent ovulation.
15-16th day is ovulation, when the follicle ruptures and the egg is released for fertilization.
Howcorrectly calculate the number of follicles according to the size of the ovary?
You can also diagnose the number of follicles by the size of the ovaries. An ultrasound examination will be enough for a doctor, which will give data on the width, length, thickness of the organ. The calculation of the result can be obtained by the following formula: all indicators are added together. If the end result is less than 8, then the reserve is very low, there is no success for successful fertilization.
At above 12, you can talk about success and carry out artificial insemination.
Blood indicators as a diagnostic option
Some gynecologists use blood test data. The lower the AMH (anti-mullioned hormone), the less the reserve of follicles for the release of the egg.
Persistent follicle - the risk of developing a serious pathology
Some women fail to conceive for a long time and are diagnosed with an ovarian cyst on ultrasound. A persistent follicle always leads to such consequences.
This is a dominant follicle that develops to the point where it needs to burst. Since the persistent follicle does not allow the egg to come out, ovulation does not occur. The cause of such phenomena may be hormonal imbalance, an excess of testosterone. As a result, women are diagnosed with infertility.
To allow the egg to be released, women with persistent follicles are offered hormone therapy.
The holistic approach also includes pelvic stimulation through massage, ultrasound or laser.
Why can women have no follicles?
Some women of childbearing age experience a problem where antral follicles are completely absent. The reason for this phenomenon is an early menopause or ovarian dysfunction. The first sign of a violation is always menstruation. If they do not pass within 21 to 35 days, this is a sure sign of the development of pathology. You should immediately consult a doctor for diagnosis and hormone therapy.
Also, the cause of the death of the egg and follicles can be:
- pelvic surgery;
- use of medications that disrupt blood microcirculation in the reproductive system;
- past chemotherapy or radiation therapy;
- bad habits (alcohol, smoking);
- malnutrition, dieting or starvation;
- hormonal failure.
Every woman should understand that since her birth, a certain number of follicles have been laid inside, which, with age, will allow her to have children. Having found the first signs of infertility or problems with the reproductive system, you should immediately contact a specialist for diagnosis and further treatment.
