The Medical and Surgical Practice of NaProTECHNOLOGY, 259-268, 2004
Chapter 20: Disorders of Human Ovulation: Sonographic Classification System
Thomas W Hilgers
Author affiliations
Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction, Omaha, Nebraska.ROR
Abstract
Serial transvaginal ultrasound monitoring of follicular dynamics -- growth, rupture, corpus luteum formation, and free fluid -- forms the basis of a systematic classification of human ovulation disorders, including anovulation, luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF), follicular arrest, premature luteinization, and PCOS-type patterns. Anchoring sonographic findings to the CrMS Peak day allows precise correlation between ultrasound events and cervical mucus biomarkers, creating a reproducible diagnostic taxonomy that drives targeted medical and surgical treatment within the NaProTECHNOLOGY framework.
how is ovulation evaluated by ultrasound, what is a luteinized unruptured follicle, what is empty follicle syndrome, can you ovulate without releasing an egg with regular periods, types of ovulation disorders diagnosed by ultrasound, serial follicular ultrasound monitoring for infertility, cumulus oophorus on ultrasound meaning, is my ovulation normal if my cycles are regular
Cite this article
Hilgers, T. W. (2004). Chapter 20: Disorders of Human Ovulation: Sonographic Classification System. The Medical and Surgical Practice of NaProTECHNOLOGY, 259-268.
Hilgers TW. Chapter 20: Disorders of Human Ovulation: Sonographic Classification System. The Medical and Surgical Practice of NaProTECHNOLOGY. 2004:259-268.
Related articles
Ovarian cystsLuteinized unruptured follicleCreighton Model cycle chartingFunctional cyst hormonal therapy
Hilgers TW, 2004·The Medical and Surgical Practice of NaProTECHNOLOGY
Ovarian cysts in NaProTECHNOLOGY are classified as functional (follicular cysts, luteinized unruptured follicle, corpus luteum cysts) or pathological (endometriomas, neoplasms) through serial cycle-timed transvaginal ultrasound correlated with CrMS Peak day observations and post-Peak progesterone and estradiol profiles. Management of functional cysts uses cooperative progesterone replacement and targeted HCG injections to normalize corpus luteum function and reduce cyst recurrence without contraceptive suppression, while pathological or persistent cysts are addressed through fertility-sparing laparoscopic surgery with anti-adhesion technique.
A prospective, controlled study of ovarian function using ovarian ultrasound and daily plasma hormone estimations (estradiol, progesterone [P], follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH], luteinizing hormone [LH]) was carried out on 175 spontaneously cycling patients with unexplained infertility. Forty-one (23.4%) demonstrated luteal phase cyst formation. In 21 cycles the dominant follicle reduced in size after the LH peak (cystic corpus luteum cycles), and in 20 no shrinkage was seen (luteinized unruptured follicles). Progesterone concentrations in the early luteal phase were significantly reduced in the luteinized unruptured follicle cycles. Elevation in plasma FSH was seen in the early follicular and luteal phases of both cyst forming groups and may be due to disturbances in ovarian metabolism. Follicular rupture is important for efficient P release by the corpus luteum.
Hilgers TW, 2004·The Medical and Surgical Practice of NaProTECHNOLOGY
The CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System (CrMS) rests on a decades-long body of research demonstrating that cervical mucus functions as a physiologically regulated biological valve, opening predictably at the periovulatory estrogen rise and closing in the post-Peak phase. Chapter 15 of Hilgers (2004) synthesizes hormonal, ultrasound, cytologic, and biophysical evidence to establish that a woman's external observation of her Peak Day reliably identifies the fertile window, and documents the system's effectiveness data for both achieving and avoiding pregnancy across a five-study meta-analysis of nearly 1,900 couples.