When talking bout ovulation, we’re basically referring to that part of the menstrual cycle when a mature egg is released from the ovary and is available to be fertilized.
Knowing the exact time for your ovulation can be crucial for those trying to conceive. And for this, ultrasounds can be incredibly helpful tools.
Can you actually see follicles on an ultrasound after ovulation? To answer that, let’s first understand what follicles are. In basic terms, follicles are small sacs filled with fluid that are located in the ovaries.
Each follicle contains an egg. During the menstrual cycle, several follicles begin to grow, but typically only one (or sometimes two) reaches maturity and releases its egg in a process known as ovulation.
Before ovulation, these growing follicles can definitely be seen on an ultrasound. They appear as black circles amidst the brighter, white tissue of the ovary.
The size of the follicle can give a clue about how close to ovulation a woman is. But what about after ovulation?
What happens to the follicle after ovulation?
The story of the follicle takes an interesting turn after ovulation. As soon as the mature egg is released, the empty follicle undergoes a transformation.
Thus, becoming something known as the corpus luteum. This transformation is very important for the reproductive process.
The corpus luteum doesn’t just sit idly by; it gets to work producing hormones, specifically progesterone and some estrogen.
These hormones are essential because they help prepare the uterus for a potential pregnancy by thickening its lining, creating a supportive environment for a fertilized egg to grow.
In the event that the egg doesn’t fertilize, the corpus luteum has a lifespan of about a fortnight (14 days) before it breaks down. As it breaks down, hormone levels drop significantly.
This signals the body that it’s that time of the month again to shed off the uterine lining. However, if fertilization occurs, the corpus luteum gets a new lease on life.
Thanks to a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) produced by the developing embryo which keeps the corpus luteum functioning, thereby maintaining the necessary hormone levels to support the early stages of pregnancy.
Can You See Follicles On Ultrasound After Ovulation?
While the follicles themselves change form after releasing an egg, their remnants, now as the corpus luteum, can possibly be detected by an ultrasound.
The corpus luteum is like the soirée organizer for ovulation. It takes charge by producing hormones, mainly progesterone, and some estrogen.
These hormones are super important because they help prepare your body for a possible pregnancy by thickening the lining of your uterus, making it cozy for a fertilized egg to settle into.
On an ultrasound done after ovulation, while it’s gonna be difficult to see the follicles in their original “pre-ovulation” bubble form, you can see the corpus luteum.
It shows up as an area in the ovary where the egg left. This can be pretty useful because seeing the corpus luteum can help confirm that ovulation has taken place.
And this, I believe is an especially handy information for people trying to get pregnant or tracking their menstrual cycle for other reasons.
Factors Affecting Follicle Visibility
When doctors use an ultrasound to look at the follicles in the ovaries, there are a handful of stuff that can make it easier or harder to see these tiny structures:
Ultrasound Equipment Quality
The kind of ultrasound machine doctors use to check out the follicles in your ovaries really matters. Think of it like camera quality.
If someone uses a very new and high-quality camera, they’re going to get super clear and detailed photos. But if the camera is old or not very good, the pictures might be blurry or not show everything you want to see.
So, I mean to say, better ultrasound equipment makes for clearer follicle images. This makes it a lot easier for doctors to see the follicles’ size, shape, and even how many there are.
And these details tell a lot about your reproductive health; like how your ovaries are working and when you’re ovulating, making them very important.
Technician’s Experience
Just like how some people can find the little hidden objects in a picture better than others, a technician, with a great deal of experience, can make a huge difference in what you can see.
A technician who knows what they’re doing can adjust the ultrasound machine just right. They can move the probe around and tweak the settings such that they would easily catch the best possible images of the follicles.
This is really skilled work because those follicles can be quite small, and the ovaries don’t always sit in an easy-to-see place.
The more knowledgeable and practiced the technician is, the better your chances of getting a clear picture of your ovarian follicles.
Follicle size
Think about it like looking for fruit on a tree – it’s much easier to spot a big apple than a tiny blueberry, correct? Well, it’s kind of the same thing with follicles on an ultrasound screen.
Like we talked about, follicles are tiny sacs inside your ovaries where eggs grow. During that time of the month, they get bigger, ready to release an egg.
When they’re small, they can be super difficult to see because they blend in with all the other tiny things in your ovary. But as they grow, they stand out more and become easier to spot.
The best time to see them is usually in the first part of your period, right before an egg is released. This is when the follicles are at their biggest.
After they release the egg, they change and aren’t as easy to see. In that essence, it is clear that the larger the follicle, the more likely it is that the ultrasound can pick it up and show it clearly.
Ovarian Position
Not every woman’s ovaries sit in the same spot or at the same angle, which can make some examinations a bit like a witch-hunt. Your ovaries are small, almond-shaped organs sitting on each side of the uterus.
Depending on their exact location, which can shift due to a variety of factors like body type, health conditions, or even how full your bladder is, the visibility of the follicles can change.
For instance, if an ovary is tucked behind the uterus or if it’s lying deeper within your pelvic area, it’s probably going to be so hard for the ultrasound technician to get a clear view using the ultrasound probe.
When the ovaries are in a tough spot to reach with the ultrasound, even the best equipment and a guru technician would have difficulties getting a clear picture.
In these cases, you could be put into different positions or be made to run additional types of scanning to get a better look.
This is why sometimes you might be asked to change position or come back at another time for a re-scan when the position of the ovaries might be more favorable for imaging.
Presence of Ovarian Abnormalities
No doubts here! ovarian abnormalities, like cysts or endometriosis, can make the job of spotting follicles a bit like trying to find your way through a maze. Cysts are little fluid-filled balloons that grows on the ovaries.
Endometriosis, on the other hand, is a condition where tissue that’s similar to the lining inside your uterus starts growing outside it, sometimes on the ovaries.
Both of these can change the way the ovaries look and make it harder to see the follicles. Sometimes, technicians go an extra mile trying different positions with the ultrasound probe to get a better look.
In some cases, they might even suggest other kinds of scans to get a clearer picture of what’s happening inside.
This Is A Wrap
Before ovulation, follicles gets more pronounced and ready to release an egg. This, however, makes them easier to spot on an ultrasound because of their size. But after the egg is released, the story changes.
The follicle transforms into something called the corpus luteum. This looks different and might not be as easy to pinpoint as a growing follicle.
Because every woman is unique, whether these post-ovulation changes are easily visible or not would depend on factors above-mentioned.
That could be the quality of the ultrasound equipment, the skill of the technician, and the individual’s specific anatomy or any ovarian abnormalities they might have.
While spotting a follicle on an ultrasound after ovulation might be a bit more challenging, it’s possible!
