Have you ever thought about how many eggs are left in your ovary? As soon as the menstrual cycle starts in a woman, the ovaries begin to ovulate.
Guess what? You can identify it easily through the antral follicle count. Do you know about it? Keep exploring this article to learn about them in detail.
What are Antral Follicles?
Antral follicles are small follicles in which your body selects one follicle to mature and release as a single egg during ovulation. You can measure and count it under ultrasound, and the size ranges from 2 to 9 mm in diameter.
What is the Antral Follicle Count (AFC)?
The antral follicle count in a woman helps predict the number of mature follicles the ovary can successfully stimulate with FSH medication during fertility treatment.
AFC offers deep insights into a female’s ovarian reserve, and doctors can effectively measure antral follicle count through ultrasound imaging. Accessing and analyzing the exact antral follicle count helps couples undergoing IVF or other ARTs.
How is AFC Measured?
Doctors typically use transvaginal ultrasound to measure and examine the antral follicles. Your healthcare provider inserts a specialized ultrasound into the vagina.
It visualizes the ovaries and counts the number of antral follicles in both ovaries. A transvaginal ultrasound test takes around 30 minutes and can be taken at any time of the menstrual cycle.
However, the best time to measure antral follicles is at the beginning of a woman’s menstrual cycle, the early follicular phase. The follicles will be most visible and measurable during this phase.
Normal Antral Follicle Count By Age
Doctors can examine the antral follicles through transvaginal ultrasound, but what is a normal measure of antral follicle count according to a woman’s age?
Take a glance at the table to know the normal range of antral follicle count by age.
| Age | Antral follicle count in both ovaries |
|---|---|
|
20 to 24 years |
15 to 30 |
|
25 to 34 years |
>12 to 25 |
|
35 to 40 years
|
<8 to 15 |
|
41 to 46 years |
4 to 10 (Pre-menopausal stage) |
|
46+ years |
0 to 3 follicles |
Importance of AFC in Fertility Assessment
Fertility assessment is one of the best ways to completely know a woman’s reproductive health. Particularly, female fertility assessment can be even more helpful for women who are actively trying to conceive.
The female’s fertility assessment may include blood tests, medical history, hormonal examination, AMH (ovarian reserve testing), Antral Follicle count tests, etc.
The possibility of follicles developing into mature eggs makes the antral follicle count the most essential test in fertility assessment.
More than a natural pregnancy, AMH and AFC tests are quite useful for women undergoing in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments.
Factors Affecting AFC
According to the sources, age is an important factor affecting antral follicular count. As the age declines, the chances of follicle growth and maturation also decrease. In addition, abnormal hormone levels and lifestyle changes prevent follicle growth and block egg maturation.
So, consider consuming nutritious-rich foods and prescribed supplements to improve overall health and promote follicle maturation.
How To Increase Antral Follicle Count?
Unfortunately, increasing antral follicle count naturally is not possible. Still, you can focus on these tips to improve the fertility rate and overall reproductive health.
- Quit smoking, as this habit can highly create a negative impact and mutate the eggs, which makes them unfit for fertilization.
- Long-term stress can interfere with the ovulation process, so make regular exercise a habit.
- Eat a balanced diet; if you want, you can add supplements properly. You can consume fibre-rich fruits and vegetables to improve the egg quality.
Does Low AFC Reserve Mean Infertility?
No, low antral follicle reserve doesn’t mean infertility. However, the chances of a successful pregnancy are too low.
If it is your case, trying early conception can effectively help and increase the chances of successful pregnancy outcomes.
In some cases, women with low antral follicle count may not produce sufficient mature eggs to promote pregnancy. In this situation, they must opt for fertility treatments. IVF procedures will give them better results and make them mothers soon.
AFC vs. Other Fertility Indicators
The ultimate aim of antral follicle count is to predict the number of matured follicles so that a fertility expert can determine the success of pregnancy.
Similarly, two more important fertility indicators are primarily used before beginning any fertility treatment.
AMH Screening
Anti-mullerian hormone screening tells the number of remaining eggs. This test also reveals how the injectable fertility drugs will work and stimulate the ovaries to mature multiple eggs.
Usually, higher AMH levels mean higher ovarian reserve and lower levels indicate lower reserve. AMH hormones are also pivotal for the unborn baby’s sex organ development, so include foods rich in AMH to promote better pregnancy outcomes.
FSH Screening
Follicle Stimulating hormone testing doesn’t help to predict the ovarian reserve, but it stimulates the ovary to ovulate. This test takes place on the 3rd day of the menstrual cycle, and a level of 10 or below this level is considered normal.
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Conclusion
Understanding what antral follicle count is helps in making informed decisions when it comes to undergoing any fertility treatment. Because it provides insights into ovarian reserve and what could result from natural or insemination fertilization.
FAQs
Yes, antral follicle count changes (i.e.,) AFC starts decreasing with age. Recent study results show that women aged 25 to 46 experience an AFC level decline of around 5 percent, while it is almost 12% for women aged 37.
Therefore, antral follicle count changes over time and declines over age.
Antral follicle count is not a major predictor compared to other fertility predictors like AMH. The AFC levels can’t determine or predict your chances of natural conception or pregnancy through fertility treatments like intrauterine insemination.
Implementing lifestyle changes won’t improve antral follicle count, but following a balanced diet and other lifestyle adjustments promotes and supports your egg’s overall health.
