Average Number of Follies

What is the average number of follicles a woman normally produces each month? Of those follicles, how many on average reach the mature phase (18mm+)? Any idea?

Re: Average Number of Follies

If you are unmedicated. Usually just one follicule take the lead and matures. Follies grow over I believe 3 month period. That's why,....natural herbs like vitex, don't take effect usually for at least three cycles.

If you are medicated, with clomid/femara/injectibles, you are basically tricking the body, so more follicules, mature. Each person reacts differently to the meds and each cycle can also be different.

One cycle on 5 mg of femara I had 2 mature follies, another cycle I had 4 mature follies at O time. When I had 4 mature follies, it was my third cycle on the med. (hence the three month follicular cycle). Clomid and injectibles will usually increase the follicular growth a lot more than femara.

I am really not sure how many follies a person has each month that don't mature but I believe there are many. If you have pcos you will have a lot more follies ...because your fsh and LH are not in a 1:1 ratio. Women with pcos, usually have more follies but don't go that extra way to maturity. Also, not all follies carry eggs.

Re: Average Number of Follies

Michelle, you are so awesome. I knew you'd have an answer for me. I was never monitored throughout an entire cycle without meds, so I always wonder how many follicles I would have produced naturally, without the Clomid. I believe I had four on each side, 4 of which were b/t 18 - 22mm. I wondered if that was normal or not. I've read on here that ppl doing IVF/injectibles are getting over 20 follies!

Re: Average Number of Follies

you can produce a large amount of follies naturally, its growth that matters most . Most months I have at least 20 follies starting at less then 10, which is considered unmeasurable...Then I end up with only 1 mature follie at O time ( even on meds) ...I have had a month where I had 2 but one is always much behind the other and not considered mature enough.