With the advent and development of the procedure of artificial insemination, scientists around the world felt the need to evaluate the qualitative and quantitative composition of female eggs . At the same time, it was necessary not only to take into account the nominal age of a woman, but also to know how much she is really capable of becoming pregnant. To solve the problems, new methods were invented, one of which was the counting of antral follicles.
Antral follicles - what is it?
These follicles, which have a size of not more than 8 mm, are in the ovaries and are counted by ultrasound transvaginal ultrasound. This way of establishing their number is considered to be the most reliable. The number of antral follicles completely coincides with the number of primordial follicles in the ovaries. The latter are the precursors of the egg as such. Therefore, the described study allows to avoid microscopic analysis of the ovaries. As a result of counting antral follicles in the ovaries, it is possible to accurately establish the woman's ovarian reserve, namely, the number of her eggs that is ready for immediate fertilization.
What is the norm of antral follicles?
Regular researches of foreign specialists made it possible to establish a certain regularity between the number of antral follicles and the possibility of a woman to give birth. So, for example, if there are less than 4, then the response to ovarian stimulation will be poor or very low. The likelihood of the onset of fertilization is very small and it is recommended to do IVF.
If the number of antral follicles reaches a value of 7, then a weak response to stimulation is possible, and the woman needs to prepare for unsuccessful attempts to become pregnant. The same applies to the number of 8-10 pcs. But when the follicles are about 15-26 pieces, the probability of pregnancy is extremely high. However, doctors advise to pay closer attention to their health, if the number of antral follicles during pregnancy exceeds the value of 26 pcs .- this may well be a sign of polycystic ovary.