Discover why your antral follicle count matters
At our Nashville fertility clinic, an important step in discovering a woman’s ovarian reserve is an antral follicle count. Antral follicles are tiny fluid-filled sacs that contain immature eggs. Counting these follicles can estimate how many eggs a woman still has in her ovaries.
Women are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have. When they reach puberty, eggs are released on a monthly basis. By the time a woman reaches menopause, her ovarian reserve has been depleted. An antral follicle count can help predict where a woman is on the timeline between puberty and menopause.
How we assess your antral follicle count
To assess your antral follicle count, we will perform a transvaginal ultrasound that reveals your antral follicles. The more follicles you have, the better your fertility potential. For women who will utilize IVF, this follicle count indicates how many mature follicles can be stimulated by the fertility medications.
In addition to this ultrasound, we will administer other tests to gain a complete picture of your fertility health.
- Bloodwork. Women undergo blood tests that provide additional information about their ovarian reserve and levels of hormones like anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), estradiol, prolactin, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).
- Preconception genetic screening. Genetic testing is another evaluation often done in conjunction with this testing. This screening helps us determine whether a woman has any inheritable genetic conditions.
What to do if your count is low
Ideally, our team will see eight or more antral follicles on your ultrasound, indicating that you have a higher chance of conceiving. However, if your count is low, there are still ways we can help you conceive.
- Low count. If the initial ultrasound reveals a low count, our Nashville fertility clinic may recommend waiting to move forward with certain fertility treatments until the count is higher. This number can vary from month to month. If your count does not increase after later testing, you might be a candidate for higher doses of ovarian stimulation medications during certain fertility treatments.
- Extremely count. In some cases, an extremely low count could be an indication that a woman will need to utilize donor eggs.
Our skilled team is here to help you develop a thorough understanding of your fertility health, and work with you to create an effective treatment plan that gives you the best chance of developing a healthy pregnancy.
Contact us for more information about your antral follicle count.