How Fertility Clinics Monitor Ovulation and Follicle Growth?
Fertility clinics monitor ovulation and follicle growth using transvaginal ultrasound scans and hormone blood tests. These track how your follicles are developing, check your uterine lining, and pinpoint the best time to trigger ovulation or retrieve eggs. Natural and IUI cycles need 2 to 5 scans. IVF cycles typically need 4 to 6 scans over 10 to 14 days. If you have ever sat in a waiting room wondering what the measurements on your scan report mean, this guide is for you. What Is Follicle Monitoring and Why Does It Matter? Every month, your ovaries contain dozens of small follicles. At the start of a cycle, a group of them begins to grow in response to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Usually, one of them pulls ahead and becomes the dominant follicle , the one that will release a mature egg during ovulation. The rest stop grows and fades away. Follicle monitoring tracks this process in real time. By measuring follicle size and counting how many are growing, your doctor can: Predic...