Ovulation Cycle
Personalized Attention to Your Fertility Needs
The process of undergoing fertility treatment is one that is comprehensive and meticulous. In order to evaluate women’s fertility potential, it is vitally important to monitor the events of the reproductive and ovulation cycle. At his New Jersey practice, Dr. Louis Manara employs a variety of techniques for tracking the progression of reproductive stages. Monitoring the ovulation cycle allows Dr. Manara to isolate the condition that is causing infertility, and prescribe a treatment regimen that will conquer the problem.
If you are interested in learning more about the techniques used to monitor ovulation and the reproductive cycle, contact the Center For Reproductive Medicine and Fertility in Voorhees, New Jersey today.
Examining Your Ovulation Cycle
Fertility specialists like Dr. Manara use a number of tools and techniques in order to monitor a patient’s ovulation cycle. Most treatments for infertility require monitoring to determine if therapy is being implemented safely and achieving the desired result.
This monitoring can include both tracking the ovarian hormone production and using ultrasonic monitoring of the maturation of the ovarian follicle toward release of the egg. This is beneficial because subtle ovulation defects may be diagnosed through this process. For ovulation cycle monitoring our New Jersey facility utilizes in-house vaginal ultrasound assessment, as well as an on-site endocrine laboratory to assure prompt and accurate results. By consistently tracking the progress of the administered regimen, Dr. Manara is able to make the necessary adjustments to ensure success.
Ovulation-inducing Medication
Clomiphene is an ovarian stimulant that mimics the effects of estrogen, which can induce ovulation. Dr. Manara uses this treatment in conjunction with planned intrauterine insemination and performs mid-cycle vaginal ultrasound for assessment of the size of ovarian follicles. The diameter of the individual follicles predicts the maturity of the eggs within the follicles and helps to plan the IUI treatment. On the day of the vaginal ultrasounds, hormonal measurements of estrogen, progesterone, and luteinizing are taken to plan the placement of sperm.
Injectable Medications
Dr. Manara also employs injectable medications such as Follistim, Gonal F, Bravelle, and Menopur for treatment of ovulation disorders. This is a more complicated process because if comes with a greater risk of multiple births or ovarian hyperstimulation. During monitoring for an injectable medication treatment cycle, patients are asked to come in early in the cycle for a baseline evaluation. In addition, a careful assessment of the ovarian follicle count allows for more accurate individualization of the proper dose of medication. Dr. Manara will also measure hormone levels to shed light on the egg quality and the potential for successful treatment. Hormone levels are monitored frequently throughout treatment due to variability in their levels.
After the initial assessment, the injections are administered over the course of five days. At a follow-up visit, Dr. Manara will use vaginal sonography to assess treatment progress. If the process of egg maturation is not complete at this time, a repeat evaluation may be scheduled in 24-48 hours depending on the circumstances. By this point, most patients have responded appropriately and are near ovulation.
Once the eggs are mature, HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is used to trigger the eggs release. After HCG is administered, the egg is typically released within 36 hours.
In Vitro Fertilization
Monitoring for in vitro fertilization is quite similar to monitoring of a typical injectable stimulation cycle as described above, however monitoring is more frequent so that proper dosage adjustments may be made in a timely fashion. This is necessary because IVF treatment usually requires the use of higher doses of medication so that multiple eggs may be recruited. Typically, a patient receiving stimulation for IVF may be seen 4-5 times before she is ready for egg retrieval.
More Information on Tracking the Ovulation Cycle
Patients who visit Dr. Manara’s fertility practice receive personalized, attentive care throughout the entire fertility treatment process. If you are interested in learning more about how we track the ovulation cycle, please contact our New Jersey practice today.
