Patient's question:
I've been married for two years and haven't been able to conceive yet. My family is very anxious, worried about potential health issues. Last month, I went to the hospital for a check-up, and the report showed "no dominant follicles in both ovaries." I'm not sure what that means, so I'd like to ask everyone what dominant follicles are.What kind of help I need: What does "dominant follicles" mean?
Doctor's answer:
According to the morphological and functional changes during the process of follicular development, dominant follicles can be divided into three stages: primordial follicles, growing follicles, and mature follicles. In both the left and right ovaries, there is one follicle each, and the larger one is the dominant follicle, indicating that it is the one that will ovulate soon. The smaller one will ovulate next month, and ovulation alternates between the left and right sides. Among all ovulation detection methods, the most accurate one currently is transvaginal ultrasound monitoring. It can not only determine whether there is a dominant follicle in both ovaries but also measure the size of the dominant follicle and the thickness of the endometrium. In normal adult women, ovulation usually occurs 14 days before the next menstrual period. The likelihood of conception is high when the egg is released between 1.8 and 2.5 millimeters in size. Both too small and too large are not suitable. It is recommended to have intercourse during ovulation to significantly increase the chances of pregnancy.