natural IUI cycle follicle sizes

zeynsom · August 2014

My IVF cycle got cancelled due to a small cyst so instead my RE and I have decided to do a natural cycle IUI (no medicine or trigger) if I ovulate. Both first response and clear blue tests this morning said that I am having an LH surge today. I called and arranged my IUI for tomorrow morning. So far so good. I then was seeing an OB/GYN today for another reason and she did an ultrasound. She said that I had one 15mm follicle on one side and one 13.5mm follicle on the other side. Are not they just too small to ovulate? Do I have any chances to get pregnant with these sizes? Should I cancel my IUI (insurance covers it actually and it only costs me $25 so there is no reason to cancel but in any case).

BunnyBerry · August 2014

Sometimes an OPK will start being positive a couple days before ovulation. Do you think your RE office would be willing to give you an ultrasound first to see if the follies look ready or starting to rupture, and if not, come back the next day for better timing? Or even do a back to back IUI?

Tiko99 · August 2014

Hi. I would also ask for an ultrasound by the RE. Does the RE usually conduct an ultrasound before the IUI? Are you doing 1 IUI or B2B?

When I naturally surge my follicles are around 20-22 mm. I have big ass follicles....so far my big ass follicles have only resulted in BFN. Good luck!!!

emmuffy · August 2014

My follicles will usually be bigger than that - 1.8 to 2.1. I'd do another us and consider waiting longer

moto611 · August 2014

This happened to me on a medicated IUI. My RE said that if your body is already trying to ovulate, you don't have any choice about the timing. When I went in for monitoring my largest follicle was 15.4, but my LH was surging. So they had me take the trigger shot that night and do the IUI the next morning. My RE's office doesn't do ultrasounds on IUI day but they swore up and down that the timing was right. My RE's office considers any follicle over 15 large enough to have a mature egg and they say they've seen (in IVF cycles) mature eggs in follicles as small as 12 or 13. He did admit, when I pressed him, that a follicle that's under 16 is less likely to contain a mature egg than a larger one, but he said he felt my overall chances of getting pregnant were only slightly lower than if the follicle had been larger, and still plenty high enough to justify going through with the IUI. Also my estrogen levels were high, which he said hopefully indicated the egg was mature.

Anyway my point is that yes, it would be better if your follicles were a little bit bigger - but if your body is already starting to ovulate there might be nothing you can do about it. Delaying the IUI could cause you to miss the egg altogether. I think it's better to get the sperm in there early rather than late. According to my doctor, the 15mm one has a chance. Oh and according to google, the ultrasound measurements are not always accurate - so there's that.

zeynsom · August 2014

Thank you ladies. So I ended up asking for an ultrasound before my scheduled IUI today. (note: I had my LH-surge yesterday and tested and confirmed it three times). U/s showed no egg on the right where there was a 15mm yesterday so I assume that I ovulated! However, my lining was only 6mm (compared to 7.5 yesterday) which was disappointing. Given that 1) the released egg was less than 18mm (ideal min for IUI it appears), 2) my lining is 6mm (ideal is 8mm or above), and 3) we do not have any sperm issues, we have decided to skip the IUI and just BD this morning and tomorrow morning. I have no hopes for it to work but who knows maybe a miracle before we try IVF again next cycle?

natural IUI cycle follicle sizes

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