Information
Folliculometry is an ultrasound examination designed for women who are trying to conceive. It is used to assess the state of follicles in the ovaries and to predict the course of ovulation. Ovulation is an essential condition for natural conception. For women who are having difficulty becoming pregnant, folliculometry is among the first straightforward fertility examinations.
How ovulation normally works
Women are born with a supply of approximately 1.5 million follicles in their ovaries. Each follicle contains a female reproductive cell — an oocyte, or egg — surrounded by several layers of cells. For an egg to be ready for fertilisation, it must first mature. In practice, this means that a primary follicle just a few hundredths of a millimetre in size grows into a mature follicle approximately 20 millimetres in diameter. Over a woman's entire fertile life — from her first period to menopause — only around 400 follicles complete this journey. The rest remain unused or die before reaching maturity.
Roughly 40 to 90 days before each menstrual cycle, a group of 10 to 20 follicles is selected in the ovaries and begins to grow and mature. Only one follicle from this group becomes dominant, and it is fully mature approximately 1.5 days before ovulation. During ovulation, the follicle ruptures, the egg is released into the fallopian tube, and fertilisation can take place.
What to expect during the examination
Folliculometry is an ultrasound examination performed using a thin probe inserted into the vagina. The examination is carried out repeatedly over several days so that we can monitor follicle growth. This allows us to determine with a high degree of accuracy when ovulation will occur and whether it is taking place in a way that is compatible with natural conception.
