Today's blog post is an attempt to clearly state the Ten Natural Steps that a woman's body needs to accomplish in order to achieve pregnancy. Ovulation Induction and Intra-Uterine Insemination are treatments that give an additional "boost" to a natural pregnancy path.
Step 1: The Hypothalamus/Pituitary complex secretes FSH and LH into the blood stream to stimulate the ovary and start the process toward ovulation.
Step 2: The ovary activates several follicles to start growing but only one becomes the dominant ovulatory follicle.
Step 3: Once the follicle reaches the appropriate size (24 mms), the hormone LH surges, the follicle ruptures and the egg is released into the culdesac, where the fimbria of the tubes are laying.
Step 4: The egg has to find and enter one of the fimbria to get into the tube.
Step 5: The sperm have to be waiting in the tube and when the egg enters, the sperm collect on the egg.
Step 6: Fertilization has to occur by one sperm entering the egg. The egg and sperm's genetic material unite.
Step 7: The fertilized egg divides and grows into an embryo (as it courses down through the Fallopian Tube over the next seven days).
Step 8: The embryo enters the endometrial cavity.
Step 9: The embryo has to hatch and the inner cell mass exits the shell and attaches to the endometrial lining.
Step 10: The endometrial lining has to grow around and accept the embryo (implantation). Pregnancy test will now turn positive and the embryo slowly develops into a fetus.
OVULATION INDUCTION assists in steps 1, 2 & 3.
INTRA UTERINE INSEMINATION assists in steps 1, 2, 3, & 5.
Thank you for this post. I've been dealing with unexplained infertility for over 2 years and am starting to consider medicated IUI. Not knowing what part of the process is "broken" in my body, I don't know what the odds are of IUI working for me. Thanks for the little bit of extra knowledge!
ReplyDeleteDear Dr,
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to know if I have already ovulated having an echography report saying that my endometre
is 8.5mm and proliferative?
Best Regards, M.Cris
Hello M.Cris,
ReplyDeleteThe ultrasound findings you describe cannot be used to determine if ovulation occurred or not. In order to ultrasonographically determine ovulation, one would need to follow the developing ovulatory follicle pre-ovulation then continue to follow the follicle until it is gone, which then indicates that it has ovulated. That is the only way that ultrasound can determine ovulation. Without seeing the follicle there, then gone, there is no way of knowing what happened after the fact.
Good Luck