Follicular What?

Dr. Rupe may be horrified that I am attempting to address something medical in a post. I'm writing about ultrasounds and since I've been on the receiving end of about 100 of them, I think my point of view is valuable. She can always pipe up if I need correcting.

I've completed my round of Clomid so this week I will begin monitoring at the fertility clinic. They do this by performing follicular ultrasounds. Since ovulation usually occurs around day 14, I will first visit the clinic for the ultrasound on day 13 of my cycle. Through transvaginal ultrasound (yes, it's exactly what it sounds like it is) they will take a look at my ovaries and the follicles that are developing.

Wikipedia defines a follicle in this way. . .(if she wasn't before, Dr. Rupe is now officially horrified that I am taking my medical definitions from an online mega-dictionary). . .

Ovarian follicles are the basic units of female reproductive biology, each of which is composed of roughly spherical aggregations of cells found in the ovary. They contain a single oocyte (aka ovum or egg). These structures are periodically initiated to grow and develop, culminating in ovulation of usually a single competent oocyte in humans. These eggs/ova are only developed once every menstrual cycle (e.g. once a month in humans).

So basically the eggs grow in the follicles and once they are mature, they are released. My problem? The eggs that are released are no good. I have bad eggs. Probably not mature enough before they are released (something I used to say a lot about boys in high school). This is why I have recurrent miscarriage. By doing the follicular ultrasounds, my fertility specialist can see how the follicles are developing. When we see follicles that are nearing maturation, I will be given an HCG shot to administer at home which will stimulate ovulation. The way my fertility specialist explained it to me, it sounds like the HCG also ensures that the egg that is released is fully mature and thus a viable egg. Our daughter, Hope was conceived this way so I am hopeful that it will work!

You may be wondering why I mention a health care provider other than Dr. Rupe. Unfortunately, Obstetricians do not typically administer this type of monitoring or the HCG shot. After knowing exactly what we needed, I asked Dr. Rupe if she could do the follicular ultrasounds and HCG shot this time around. She cannot and so I will try to make do seeing a less than awesome doctor until I can return to her care. Once I do conceive and make it past 9 weeks, I get to return home to Dr. Rupe. I pray that will be very soon.

If you or someone you know is struggling to conceive, talk to your doctor about whether or not it is time to see a specialist. Your OB/GYN probably knows everything they need to know to help you conceive however their office may be limited in the measures they can take. I never dreamed something as simple as a hormone shot could mean the difference between miscarriage and the life of my daughter, but it did.