What does the luteal phase mean?

After ovulation, women will enter the luteal phase. Having sex during the luteal phase generally will not result in pregnancy, which can also be said to be a safe period. Of course, this estimate is not necessarily accurate. For women who successfully conceive, hormone secretion will change during the luteal phase, which will help the fertilized egg to implant. If the luteal function is insufficient, it can easily cause women to be unable to conceive.

After the egg and follicular fluid are discharged, the pressure in the follicular cavity decreases, the follicular wall collapses, the granulosa cells protrude into the cavity, forming many folds, and the cells, connective tissue, and blood vessels of the follicular membrane also invade the granulosa cell layer. At this time, the capillaries in the inner layer of the bubble membrane bleed, and the cavity is filled with serous fluid and blood, which are called blood bodies. Then, under the action of luteinizing hormone, the cells further divide. At this time, the cytoplasm will have yellow pigment particles and fat droplets, which appear yellow to the naked eye, hence the name corpus luteum.

What is the female luteal phase - in other words, the remaining follicle after ovulation quickly forms a new endocrine gland. The development and outcome of the corpus luteum depends on whether the egg released by the follicle is fertilized. If not fertilized, it will last for about 12-14 days and then degenerate, which is then manifested as menstruation in women. If the egg has been fertilized, the corpus luteum will last until the 6th month of pregnancy before beginning to degenerate.

The diagnosis of luteal insufficiency can be preliminarily determined based on basal body temperature. If the basal body temperature does not rise high enough, the temperature difference between before and after ovulation is less than 0.5°C (normally the body temperature rises by about 0.5°C after ovulation); the number of days with elevated body temperature (luteal phase) decreases, such as less than 11 days, there is a high possibility of luteal insufficiency.

At the same time, a clear diagnosis can be made by combining endometrial biopsy and judging the degree and grade of glandular secretion. Hospitals with the necessary conditions can measure progesterone levels. If the peak progesterone level is less than 10 ng/mL, it can be considered as luteal insufficiency. What is the female luteal phase - the normal value is generally above 14 ng/ml. The diagnosis of corpus luteum function should be made with caution, and generally more than two cycles of observation are required to confirm the diagnosis.