Ovulation induction therapy - "turning waste into treasure"?

When assisting pregnancy, reproductive doctors often use ovulation induction treatment. What is ovulation induction and in what situations is it necessary? Let's talk about ovulation induction.

| The miraculous process of follicle development

Egg cells are women's innate wealth. Women have 300,000 to 400,000 egg cells during puberty. Although the number of egg cells is not small, only 0.1% of the follicles can mature and ovulate in a lifetime, which is about 400 to 500. Where do the remaining 99.9% of the egg cells go?

In fact, under natural conditions, most follicles will leave the growth and development track and go to death. In each batch of several follicles that develop at the same time, only one dominant follicle can eventually mature and ovulate, while the remaining follicles will die and become atretic.

| What is ovulation induction?

There are many types of ovulation-inducing drugs and plans, but the ultimate goal is the same, which is to regulate the hormone levels in the body through drugs, make full use of the follicles that would otherwise be atretic, allow them to enter the track of growth and development, and thus induce 1-2 or even more follicles to develop and mature at the same time, obtain more mature eggs, and achieve the purpose of assisting pregnancy.

| In what situations can ovulation induction treatment be used?

Ovulation induction, as the name suggests, is to promote the development of follicles and ovulation, and is aimed at women who want to have children.

The most common are patients with ovulation disorders, persistent anovulation or occasional ovulation, such as polycystic ovary syndrome and hypothalamic-pituitary ovulation disorder. In addition, patients with poor follicular development leading to small follicle ovulation, insufficient corpus luteum function, or follicles that can mature but cannot be discharged naturally can all receive ovulation induction treatment. In addition, for those who receive in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer to assist pregnancy, which is commonly known as "test tube babies", most of them also need ovulation induction treatment.

| Will ovulation induction accelerate ovarian failure?

Many female friends who need to receive ovulation induction treatment are worried that the extra eggs released during the ovulation induction process will consume the eggs stored in the ovaries in advance, causing ovarian failure and early menopause. In fact, according to existing research, we don’t have to have such concerns.

Oocytes are stored in the ovaries in the form of primordial follicles. If the ovaries are compared to a "vault", the primordial follicles stored in the ovaries are "deposits". With the increase of age, the "deposits" in the "vault" continue to decrease, and the ovaries will gradually fail. Ovulation induction treatment is a way to make more "benefits" from the "funds" that have been withdrawn. It is to make full use of these follicles that should have died and closed, and use drugs to make them eventually mature and obtain more mature eggs, which is equivalent to the process of "turning waste into treasure". Therefore, the "deposits" in the "vault" will not be overdrawn in advance, and the failure of ovarian function will not be accelerated.

| Is ovulation induction treatment suitable for everyone?

So, since ovulation induction has so many benefits, can every woman who wants to have a baby do it? Of course not.

First of all, there are some contraindications for ovulation-inducing drugs, and they are not suitable for everyone. Any drug has certain side effects. For women with normal follicular development and ovulation, inappropriate use of ovulation-inducing drugs will cause abnormal hormone levels in the body. In addition, ovulation-inducing treatment may also cause some complications, such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Patients may experience pleural effusion, abdominal distension, oliguria, dyspnea, thrombosis, etc. If not discovered and treated in time, it may endanger life. Don't blindly pursue "multiple births" and use ovulation-inducing drugs without following doctor's advice.

Summary

Therefore, female friends who need ovulation induction treatment must go to a regular hospital, use medications reasonably under the guidance of a reproductive doctor, and maintain a positive and optimistic attitude to achieve better results in the process of conceiving a baby.

(All pictures are from the Internet)