What exactly are the factors involved in obtaining this number of eggs for IVF? Why do some people get more than 20 eggs after ovulation and some people get only 1-2 eggs or even none? What is the reason for this?
Today, let’s talk to you about why this is.
Principles of egg cell acquisition in IVF technology
First, let’s look at the principle of natural cycle ovulation.
Every month, a group of follicles in a woman’s ovaries “wake up” and start to develop. Under normal circumstances, only one or occasionally two of the most sensitive follicles stand out in a natural menstrual cycle because of their different hormonal sensitivities! The other follicles that lack “sustenance” will shrink and disappear, which is a shame!
In the IVF ovulation process, we give exogenous follicles the “nutrients” they need to grow, so that those follicles that should stop growing can continue to grow and thus gain more eggs! It’s like creating a comfortable “nutrient pool” for the follicles to grow in!
By using this principle, we can answer two common questions.
1. Ovulation promotion uses the follicles that are supposed to be occluded, so there is no “accelerated follicular reduction” as some people suspect.
The basis of the number of egg cells you will obtain in the final egg retrieval depends on the number of follicles in the follicular pool.
Possible factors for the low number of eggs obtained
Let’s go back to the question: despite the help of external “nutrients”, the number of eggs obtained is still low.
The age factor: the number of eggs in the follicular pool is decreasing with age, so the number of eggs obtained will also decrease…
Declining ovarian function: In some women, the number of follicles in the follicular pool becomes smaller due to surgery and other reasons, resulting in a decline in ovarian function…, and the number of eggs obtained will also become low.
Low ovarian response: The follicles in the follicular pool do not respond well to exogenously given follicle stimulating hormones and have difficulty growing to maturity, so they also result in fewer eggs being obtained in the end.
Empty follicles: Empty follicle syndrome is the inability to obtain egg cells from the follicles during the egg retrieval procedure after controlled ovarian stimulation. In actual clinical practice, the probability of empty follicle syndrome is very low.
So, how can you maximize your IVF success rate when the follicle count is relatively low?
Firstly, you need the guidance of a professional assisted reproduction doctor to choose the most suitable pretreatment and ovulation protocol for you so that you can obtain sufficient number and quality of egg cells to prepare for obtaining quality embryos.
Secondly, lifestyle modification is the second and very important part of the program. Reduce late nights, get enough sleep, exercise, eat well and keep your body in the best condition before choosing the most suitable time for medical treatment.
Each person’s body is unique and not all people with low basal follicles are treated with the same ovulation protocol.
In addition, ovulation promotion uses the follicles that might otherwise be atretic to allow them to grow fully, so there is no such thing as “fewer follicles due to ovulation”!