Nowadays, many couples face infertility problems, but fortunately, there are several treatments present that can improve the chance of getting pregnant. USG scans are important for fertility treatment monitoring and they are used at different times for different purposes. Ultrasound is frequently performed during the IVF treatment cycle.

During IVF treatment, USG scans work by using high-frequency sound waves to generate a representation of your internal organs. A transducer is used during a USG scan to emit and receive high-frequency sounds. Ultrasound scans provide information about the ovaries, uterus, and endometrial lining. Specialize USG scans are used to estimate ovarian reserves and the shape of the uterine in detail and whether your fallopian tubes are open or not.

Here is a guide for you to understand why your doctor is asking you for frequent USG scans during IVF, why they are important, and why your doctor may postpone your egg retrieval.

1. Baseline USG Scan

A baseline ultrasound is performed at the beginning of IVF and will be taken during your monthly cycle. This USG scan provides information regarding the health of the ovaries and whether any matured eggs are being produced or not. If ovarian cysts are found during the baseline scan, additional treatment may be performed before starting the fertility drugs.

2. To Measure The Follicle Growth

This USG scan is performed to count the number of follicles that are developing and how quickly they are growing. Your doctor will change your medication depending on the follicle growth. When the follicles reach a particular size, your doctor will schedule an HCG injection (known as “trigger shot”) or the egg retrieval procedure. If there are few to no follicles are emerging during IVF, your cycle might be cancelled.

On the other hand, if you are having gonadotropin treatment or IUI, an extreme number of follicles are growing, then your cycle might be cancelled to avoid the risk of having multiple pregnancies.

3. USG Scan for Measuring Endometrial Thickness

Ultrasound will measure your endometrial thickness. Your doctor may change your fertility medication doses depending on the thickness of endometrial tissue.

4. Ultrasound- Directed Procedures

USG scan can also be used during the IVF treatment in the form of an ultrasound-guided procedure. For instance, during egg collection, an ultrasound-guided needle is used to retrieve eggs from the ovaries. Your doctor may use the USG scan during embryo transfer.

Why Doctor Postponed My Egg Retrieval?

During IVF treatment, many patients grow a very low number of follicles, and doctors may not be able to retrieve them. There are few reasons why a doctor may postpone your egg retrieval –

• Follicles May Have Ruptured: This can be a reason for postponing your egg retrieval. Your follicle may have ovulated before the egg retrieval. This may happen if the trigger shot (HCG injection) is given before the scheduled time or if the egg retrieval procedure takes place 37 hours or more after trigger injection administration.
• Due to Technical Problem: Your doctor may experience a technical problem during the egg retrieval procedure. This may happen if the patient is very obese or there are scar tissues (adhesions) in the pelvic region. Both obesity and adhesions make it challenging for the vaginal ultrasound probe to access your ovaries. In these situations, your doctor may not be able to technically access the ovaries to drain the follicles to find eggs.
• Usually, the number of eggs expected from the follicles seen while the USG scan is approximately 80-90%. Most importantly, there will always be one egg in a follicle. Hence, if there are a lower number of follicles, there is a chance that the egg is not collected in the follicle fluid.
• Another reason behind postponing your egg retrieval is due to empty follicle syndrome.
• Low Ovarian Response: Low ovarian response is typical in older women having IVF treatment. Your doctor may get to know about this after performing Anti Mullerian Hormone Test (AMH) because there is no other way to predict low ovarian response in advance.

Conclusion:

Pregnancy is the most awaited news, but many couples face issues while having a baby. But don’t worry because today technology has reached its peak where nothing is impossible. Hence, you no longer have to wait for the good news because there are many technologies for infertility treatment. Among them, In Vitro Fertilization is more versatile and has more success rate. The studies reveal that if a woman had a poor response in the first IVF cycle, she might have a chance to respond positively to the next cycle. So, IVF is accepted and done by many couples and most of them got good news after completing the treatment.

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