Patient's question:
My younger sister is 23 years old and has been married for half a year without getting pregnant. Upon investigation, she only has two menstrual cycles a year, meaning she has one every six months. Each menstrual period may last about 7 days, but after getting married, her cycle has shortened to 3-5 days. At the hospital, an ultrasound examination revealed normal uterine development, but with insufficient luteal function. The doctor prescribed progesterone injections and clomiphene. About 21 days after the liquid injection, she started her menstrual period. On the fifth day, she began taking clomiphene. Now, her basal body temperature is irregular. What should she do?Doctor's answer:
Luteal phase deficiency can easily lead to poor follicular development, incomplete luteal formation, and an imbalance in the ratio of estrogen and progesterone secreted by the corpus luteum itself. Infertility caused by luteal phase deficiency is not uncommon, accounting for approximately 3% to 10% of all infertility cases. The main manifestations of luteal phase deficiency include shortened menstrual cycles, frequent menstruation, infertility, or miscarriage, with miscarriages primarily occurring in the early stages of pregnancy. Patients with this condition generally experience no discomfort in daily life, except that they may have anovulatory cycles during several menstrual periods, or sometimes excessive and frequent menstruation or prolonged menstrual periods.