Ovulation

In the previous blog post, I mentioned ovulation usually occurs between phases 1 and 2 of a woman’s cycle. A woman could have an extremely delayed ovulation due to stress or other factors, not ovulating until day 30 or so. This would result in a 44-day cycle.

Factors that affect ovulation:

Medical causes for anovulation:

Ovarian Cysts

Ovarian cysts are enlarged fluid-filled sacs on the ovary. They are usually benign and resolve themselves. If cyst(s) causes pain, then further treatment may be required such as progesterone injections Surgery to remove the cyst should be the last resort as it may cause infertility. There are different types of ovarian cysts. A functional cyst may occur once or often. It allows normal functioning and resolves on its own. A follicular cyst is a result of when a follicle surrounding an egg grows to encase the egg instead of releasing the egg, which prevents ovulation. The follicle that encases the egg is known as the Luteinized Unruptured Follicle (LUF). This type of cyst usually goes away on its own as well, but can be treated with a progesterone injection. Another type of ovarian cyst is the corpus luteum cyst which forms in the opening where the egg was released and is filled with excess fluid or blood. This type of cyst resolves on its own as well. Dermoid, Cystadenoma/Cystoma, and Endometrioma are types of ovarian cysts as well. In most cases, ovarian cysts resolve themselves, but if they tend to cause pain then seek treatment from a physician.

I will further discuss medical causes for anovulation such as Endometriosis and PCOS in the upcoming weeks’ blog posts.

*Information gathered from Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler*