Female reproductive system has special properties, which are laid even before the birth of every woman. Being still in the mother's womb, a certain number of follicles are laid in the girl's reproductive system. At this point, their number exceeds half a million. However, at the time of puberty, there are no more than fifty thousand left. Only some of them are destined to ripen and release an ovule at the time of ovulation. For the entire reproductive period of women, only five hundred follicles fully ripen, the rest gradually die. Thanks to follicles in the ovaries, conception occurs. If their maturation is wrong, pregnancy problems arise.
What is the follicle
The maturation of the follicle is a rather complex process and begins in the first half of the menstrual cycle under the influence of special hormones. Over one month cycle, more than two dozen follicles mature, but only one dominates. From it subsequently comes the egg. This is how ovulation occurs.
With a constant monthly cycle, you can see on the seventh day with the help of ultrasound ripened follicles - they are like bubbles or bags. If the study is repeated after a few days, you can see that one bottle is slightly larger than the rest. Hence, an egg will emerge from it. Increasing in size to 20 mm, the sac breaks and ovulation occurs. In its place appears a yellow body, which dissolves itself after a while. The yellow body produces hormones necessary for pregnancy.
Interrelation of the follicle and ovaries
Ovaries are one of the main organs on which the reproductive health of the female body depends. The scientists found out that at the time when the woman herself was in a prenatal state, she had formed about a million egg cells. The older a woman becomes, the fewer eggs she has. Closer to fifty years, eggs disappear, and menopause occurs. These organs are paired and connected through the appendages with the uterus. One ovary is slightly higher than the other, with the right organ slightly heavier than the left one. With chronic disease of one of the ovaries, or when it is removed, the woman still has a chance to become a mother, the main condition is the working capacity of the remaining organ.
It is in the ovary that there is an ovum that ripens from the follicle when it ripens and moves towards the sperm. If conception does not occur, the ovaries perform their function again, and every menstrual cycle repeats, until the onset of menopause.
Ovaries perform three main functions:
- Vegetative.(Appearance of primary and secondary sexual characteristics);
- Generative.(Egg production);
- Hormonal.(Development of the following types of hormones: androgens, estrogens and progesterones).
During ovulation, the ovaries increase in size, this is clearly seen in ultrasound images. A woman can, based on her own feelings, find out when exactly she will have ovulation:
- Within a few days, mucous discharge appears, of a transparent color;
- In the lower abdomen, mild pain may appear;
- On the day when the rupture of the ovarian follicle occurs, the basal temperature drops, and then rises again;
- When taking the test for the hormone LH, the doctor will notice his elevated level.
Sometimes two follicles mature at the same time. In this case, a woman with successful fertilization will have a two-fetal pregnancy.
One of the most common causes of infertility is the follicular ripening. This can occur in the following cases:
- When ovarian dysfunction occurs. In such a situation, the hormonal function of the ovaries is impaired, ovulation does not occur. The longer the disease does not undergo treatment, the more the ovaries work.
The main symptoms of dysfunction can be malfunctions in the menstrual cycle, absence of ovulation, menstruation accompanied by severe pain in the lower abdomen, the appearance of amenorrhea, miscarriage of pregnancy .
The cause of ovarian dysfunction can be: obesity, the course of the inflammatory process in the lower genital organs, chronic diseases of the uterus, appendages, cervix, thyroid disease.
To diagnose the disease, it will be necessary to donate blood to hormones, bacterial sowing from the vagina, make a biopsy and examine the pelvic organs with the help of an ultrasound machine.
In order to cure dysfunction of the ovaries, first of all it is necessary to eliminate the cause of the disease, then adjust the monthly cycle and the hormonal background of the woman.
- If the endocrine system fails. At the first complaints on a state of health, the gynecologist should direct the patient to donate blood to determine the level of thyroid hormones. If the results of the studies deviate from the norm, the gynecologist will conduct further treatment together with the endocrinologist.
- When inflammation occurs in the genitals. The results of blood and urine tests will show whether there is inflammation of the pelvic organs. Symptoms can be pain during sexual intercourse, irregular monthly pains during the menstrual cycle.
- Follicles may not ripen in women whose bodies are approaching menopause.
- When benign and malignant tumors occur.
- Prolonged depression and frequent nervous disorders may also occur as a cause of non-maturation of the follicle.
The appearance of the listed reasons can become a big problem for the woman's genital function. In case of failures in its development, the follicle may stop at a certain stage of its development, not reach the right size, do not burst, and as a result the egg can not go outside.
The doctors also consider abnormal premature or earlier ripening of the vesicle.
Follicle development occurs in two ways:
- Isolation from the total mass of one dominant vesicle. The monthly cycle is normal, there are no painful symptoms, there are no problems with conception;
- Absence of a dominant bubble. In this case, the menstrual cycle is lost, the egg does not ripen, ovulation does not occur. The body begins to produce an elevated level of male hormones, and the woman has problems with conception.
How the follicle ruptures in the ovary
In a healthy woman, rupture of the follicle in the ovary does not cause any special symptoms. This procedure occurs every menstrual cycle and, if desired, the fair sex can become pregnant at any time.
Maturation of the follicle occurs in both ovaries. There are times when one dominant vesicle appears simultaneously in the ovaries. This is not a cause for concern, most likely a woman will have twins. Ovulation passes without failure, and the egg leaves the ruptured sac.
The situation is worse when a persistent follicle appears. The bottom line is this: a small follicle grows and develops as it should. It reaches the required size and is ready to burst, releasing a mature egg. But there is a failure and the gap does not occur. So a cyst is formed on the ovary, which eventually can grow. The first symptom of the appearance of the cyst is the failure of the menstrual cycle.
If the diagnosis shows a persistent follicle in any of the ovaries, ovulation will not occur. The causes of the disease can be a lot, from the increased content of the male hormone, to the inflammatory process in the appendages and ovaries. If you do not take time to medicate, the woman risks becoming barren.
Treatment of a non-ruptured vesicle begins with hormone therapy. From the fifth to the ninth day of the menstrual cycle, drugs that suppress the male hormone are taken. Next, the doctor prescribes intramuscular use of hormones, which lasts no more than a week.
With the normal functioning of the female genitalia, the follicle breaks and releases a mature egg. In a healthy woman, ovulation occurs every month and guarantees a positive result of conception. If a failure occurs in the formation and rupture of the follicle, the egg can not meet the spermatozoon and pregnancy will not occur. A non-burst follicle forms a cyst, which, if untimely, can give rise to a number of complications, including infertility. The presence of a cyst can be detected by ultrasound. The appearance of a tumor on the ovaries is accompanied by symptoms in the form of pain in menstruation, failure of the menstrual cycle.
