Corpus luteum in the ovary: what is it

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

When a woman is healthy, her body works well, and every month it is ready for the birth of a new fetus. For the onset of a full-fledged pregnancy, not only a mature egg is required, but also a special gland called the corpus luteum.

This is a temporary formation on the ovary, as confirmation that normal, healthy ovulation has passed. Ultrasound examination of the corpus luteum in the ovary? What is it, the uzist doctor will answer. This is a confirmation that the female body is capable of childbirth.

The yellow body, or the luteal gland, is a temporary endocrine formation. They named it for the yellowish color of the substance contained in it, in fact, it is a pregnancy hormone. It appears only after the passage of normal ovulation. A ripe egg emerges from the ovary that has grown it, tears apart the follicle that held it.

This indicates the onset of the luteal phase. VT is formed from follicular cells; it can be seen on ultrasound only if the examination coincides with the moment of ovulation.

How VT develops

The passage of ovulation is not a simple process, it lasts for some time in the body, while the eggs mature, follicular cells are formed. In this way, the body prepares for the fertilization of the egg, so that pregnancy begins.

During the same period, VT develops in several stages:

The cells of the bursting folliculocytes multiply, which occurs only after ovulation.

1. There comes an increase in the mass of VT, the appearance of a normal circulatory system in the tissues, this gives him the opportunity to participate in conception.
2. VT produces its own hormones. This is possible starting from the 7th day after the release of the egg from the follicle. The luteal body by this time grows to its physiological size. This enables him to produce progesterone and estrogen, which are VT hormones. Their appearance prepares the female body for the normal course of all pregnancy cycles. In this case, the body of the uterus actively produces endometrial tissue, it prepares for the possible penetration of the embryo.
3. The life span of the VT is determined here. This is influenced by whether conception has occurred or not.

When the egg is not fertilized, the luteal gland shrinks in a few days and is reborn into scar tissue. Progesterone ceases to be produced, the prerequisites for the onset of menstruation appear. Its role is to remove an egg that has not fulfilled its task with blood, and with it, endometrial cells. The not useful VT turns into another tissue, changes color to whitish. Over time, it becomes another scar on the body of the ovary.

Therefore, the ovaries normally have a scar structure. When a woman has a corpus luteum in the ovary on an ultrasound scan, she is interested in what it is. The doctor explains the tasks of the gland, its role in the formation of pregnancy.

When fertilization is carried out, VT carries out its functions for another 3 months, until the placenta is completely formed. In the future, the placenta begins to produce hormones itself, previously produced by the luteal gland. Then the luteal gland becomes a protector against the formation of another pregnancy, so that it does not overlap with the already formed one.

To do this, VT blocks the maturation and release of other eggs, which are normally constantly produced by the woman's body.

VT parameters

Observe the appearance and development of the size of the VT on control ultrasound.

This is important when:

• planned pregnancy;
• monitoring the development of pregnancy in the first weeks;
• infertility treatment.

The normal size of the VT after ovulation is 12-20 mm. It increases daily, and by 19-28 days it becomes as large as 23-29 mm.

The ultrasound machine shows VT with a rounded, heterogeneous mass. It is also visible when a transabdominal ultrasound is performed, through the walls of the peritoneum. However, the most reliable results are obtained with transvaginal ultrasound when an intravaginal probe is used.

The luteal gland is usually visualized on one ovary. This indicates the passage of ovulation, but not the beginning of pregnancy. VT provides a normal background for conception, by the synthesis of hormones makes it likely to occur. Progesterone begins to prepare the epithelium of the uterine body to strengthen the embryo. This value has a corpus luteum in the ovary, which is visible on an ultrasound scan, and the doctor does not have a question what it is.

VT usually occurs in one ovary. This proves that from this side the cycle was the most active, that is, it was in it that the most productive follicle grew.

Ovarian activity does not always occur in a clear sequence; in the normal state of the body, ovulation occurs in everyone, through a cycle. Therefore, VT grows now on the left, then on the right on one of the ovaries. This has no effect on the formation of pregnancy.

Pathology of ovulation and VT growth

There are situations when VT is not visible on ultrasound, although the woman's ovulation time has already come. This is explained by the fact that it is possible that ovulation in this cycle did not work. In medicine, such a case is called an empty cycle, anovulatory. This position is considered normal during the formation of the cycle in puberty, after childbirth, during lactation, during menopause. Often, the regular absence of ovulation indicates hormonal disorders, pathologies of the genital organs.

Without VT hormones, pregnancy does not develop normally, because the fetus dies when there is no adequate nutrition.

VT pathologies are few in number, but they are often found in gynecological practice, and usually become one of the obvious causes of infertility.

Main pathologies:

• complete absence of VT;
• lack of gland function;
• cyst.

The absence of VT leads to inadequate ovulation, the impossibility of normal conception. When IVF is performed, the presence of VT is also important, and when it is not in a given cycle, doctors invoke it using hormonal stimulation. Lack of VT functionality indicates insufficient progesterone synthesis.

At the same time, an ovary with such VT produces a normal egg that is ready to be fertilized. However, a low progesterone level always aborts a pregnancy.

On ultrasound, VT failure is diagnosed by the discrepancy between its parameters, when the body of the gland does not reach 10 mm. Diagnosis is clarified by a blood test in the laboratory, when the progesterone content is checked. At the same time, an ultrasound scan constantly checks for the presence of a corpus luteum in the ovary, and explains to the patient what it is, what value it has for the development of a normal pregnancy.

VT cyst is diagnosed by ultrasound also according to its parameters. When the gland grows larger than normal size, above 30 mm, the diagnosis is made: a cyst.

In such a situation, the iron fully performs its functions, produces the necessary progesterone. And pregnancy, despite the presence of a cyst, usually develops within normal limits. The cyst of the gland does not harm the body, because it disappears simultaneously with the degeneration of the VT. But with its growth, constant supervision of the attending physician is necessary.