Every woman who watches her health knows that in her body the most complex cyclical processes occur every month. Their condition depends on them, as well as the possibility of becoming pregnant. Ultrasound allows you to track these processes, and at the conclusion of the doctor you can often see a description of the "yellow body."But what is it, the yellow body on the ovary in ultrasound, is not known to every patient.
Causes and functions of
Every month in the body of a woman who is of childbearing age, ovulation occurs - a mature egg leaves the follicle. If at that moment fertilization has not occurred, it dies off, and from the next cycle the process repeats. However, this is not the only indicator of a woman's readiness to conceive - from the cells of the follicle, a body is formed that has a granular structure and yellow color, which is manifested through internal filling. This is the case for all women, and the yellow body in the ovary is called a temporary gland and is referred to as the endocrine system of the body.
The main functional task of this gland is to maintain at the proper level the hormones of progesterone and estrogen, responsible for the safety and normal course of pregnancy. Also hormones prepare the mammary glands to produce milk in the future, have a beneficial effect on the nervous system.
When research is needed
On ultrasound of pelvic organs, doctors always evaluate the work of the ovaries, but there are cases when the examination and evaluation of the condition of the yellow body requires increased attention and control:
- suspicion of the cyst of the yellow body;
- monitoring of an already diagnosed cyst;
- when planning pregnancy( the study is conducted on the 13-14th day of the menstrual cycle);
- during infertility treatment;
- at an elevated level of hCG in the blood in the absence of pregnancy;
- when monitoring pregnancy in the first trimester in cases of threat of interruption;
- as part of the examination after removal of the cyst.
Acceptable dimensions of
There are limits to the norms that make it possible to understand what the different sizes of the gland indicate:
- 18-22 millimeters are the ideal indicators, indicating the onset of ovulation and the woman's readiness for fertilization;
- 21-30 millimeters - under the condition of the onset of pregnancy, these indicators indicate that the process is proceeding normally, without abnormalities and pathologies. In the absence of pregnancy, doctors diagnose the follicular cyst;
- 40 millimeters or more - in this case a woman is diagnosed with a cyst.
The fate of the yellow body
The further activity of the formed temporary gland depends on the situation. If conception does not arise, then after two weeks the yellow body stops functioning, before it decreases in size. Usually this is accompanied by the beginning of regular menstruation.
In the case of pregnancy, the development and work of the gland continues until the placenta is completely formed( 12-15 weeks), after which the production of hormones is shifted to it. And the yellow body gradually decreases, leaving in its place a small scar of white color.
Yellow body as a sign of pregnancy
When the woman sees an ultrasound in the record "a yellow body is found on the ovary," she does not ask the doctor what it is, mistakenly believing that the pregnancy has occurred. In fact, the sign of the appearance of this gland indicates the possibility of becoming pregnant. That is, a woman is healthy, and her reproductive function is normal.
To talk about pregnancy, having found a yellow body on ultrasound, it is possible only in the case when the study is carried out one to two days before the expected monthly, the gland is clearly visible, and its size is more than normal. In this case, the level of hCG corresponds to normal indices in the early stages of pregnancy, and the test strips give a weakly positive result.
Possible pathologies of
What is the yellow body, it is now clear, however, how to be if on ultrasound the patient hears the diagnosis of the yellow body cyst? Do you really have to forget about the opportunity to become a mother forever? It's not so bad - in most cases, the enlarged size of the gland does not interfere with conceiving and enduring pregnancy, since even in an enlarged state, it still continues to produce the necessary hormones.
The appearance of a cyst is due to a number of reasons, with some of them a woman is able to cope on their own:
- frequent stresses, nervous breakdowns and depression;
- smoking and other bad habits;
- work in harsh conditions, for example, where there are toxic substances;
- strict diets, starvation;
- long-term use of hormonal drugs that prevent the onset of pregnancy;
- is a sexually transmitted infection;
- functional circulatory disorders in the ovaries.
Certain cyst therapy does not require, it is important to monitor its changes, and when pregnancy occurs, monitor your health and not put yourself under stress. It is not recommended to lift weights, sometimes doctors insist on bed rest.
It is not worth worrying about the degeneration of the yellow body cyst to a malignant tumor - in medical practice there are no such cases. Many patients do not even guess about the increased size of the yellow body, since this phenomenon is asymptomatic.
Insufficiency of the function of the yellow body can lead to spontaneous miscarriage. For this reason, women are advised to either donate blood to HCG, or to come on ultrasound. If there is a lack of hormone production, the gynecologist should prescribe hormonal therapy. There are preparations containing synthetically produced hormones, which replace their lack in the body.
Place of origin
A doctor who conducts ultrasound can diagnose the presence of a yellow body on both the right ovary and the left one - it all depends on the female body. The formation of the gland usually takes place sequentially, then on one, then on the other. There is no fundamental difference for the onset of pregnancy - in both cases this means only the willingness of the egg to meet the spermatozoon, which will lead to conception.
There is an opinion that the sex of the child depends on the place of formation of the yellow body - if on the right ovary, there will be a girl, and on the left boy. There is no scientific justification for this method of determining the sex of the fetus, and any case that confirms it is a coincidence.
When is it better to do ultrasound?
Regardless of the reasons, conception planning or control of yellow body pathologies, it is recommended to monitor on certain days:
- the first ultrasound should be performed on the 5th or 6th day of the cycle, when only the monthly ones have ended. During this period ripening follicles can be clearly seen;
- the second study is scheduled for the 9th or 10th day, according to the results it will be clear on which of the ovaries the yellow body is formed;
- following is carried out on the 13th or 14th day, confirming the onset of ovulation or its absence;
- on the 13-15th day you can view the yellow body and estimate its size;
- from the 21st or 24th day it will be possible to understand whether a pregnancy has occurred. This will be evidenced by an increase in the size of the yellow body. The regress of the gland will confirm that ovulation has passed, and conception has not come. Also these days you can find out if the patient has a yellow body cyst.
Summing up, we can say that the yellow body is an important indicator that reflects the functions of the woman's reproductive system. To be frightened of its occurrence it is not necessary, however its sizes and a condition can tell about many things and help to become pregnant, or to prevent unpleasant consequences.
