Vaginal ultrasound is used for follicular ultrasound because it gives a better view than the abdominal method. This is generally done in the office of your infertility specialist and only takes a few minutes. A slim probe is inserted in the vagina to get an image of the pelvic area. You will see the image on a small television screen.
The follicular ultrasound allows your doctor to view all the structures in the pelvis, including the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus. This is a very useful tool for letting your doctor observe follicular development. He will also be able to check the thickening of the lining of the uterus, called the endometrium.
The first thing the doctor will see is the number of follicles that are developing. In a typical cycle, without the aid of infertility medications, one follicle ripens and one egg is released. With infertility medications, particularly injections, more follicles will develop.
Near the beginning of the cycle, this information will be used to make adjustments in the dosage of your medications. If the follicles aren’t developing enough, the dosage may be increased. If there are too many follicles, the doctor may reduce your medications. In some cases, particularly with IUI, the doctor may cancel a cycle with too many follicles, due to the increased risk of a higher order multiple pregnancy.
The size of the follicles will also be examined. This gives insight into how many follicles are developing into mature eggs. In addition, this information will be used to schedule egg retrieval procedures or to administer the HCg injection to stimulate the ovaries to release the eggs. If you are doing IUI, your procedure will be scheduled according to the development of the follicles.
It is not unusual for one or more ovarian cysts to be found during the ultrasound. These are generally follicular cysts or corpus luteum cysts. They will resolve with the next menstrual cycle or within two months and generally nothing needs to be done about them.
Related Articles:
Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome
Affording Fertility Medications
Fertility Medications: Gonadotropins