ovaries take it in turns to ovulate?

[Cuppppatea]

Me again! Hi ! I feel like my ovaries take it in turns to ovulate every other month. I can always feel my left one but not really the right. My last cycle resulted in three follicles on the left - one which was over dominant, and one follicle on the right which didn’t get big enough. Got three eggs but non turned into blasts. I felt a very sore cyst growing during stimulation which was put down to me having very sensitive ovaries at the time by the dr. 😡 turns out it was found during egg collection and one of the reasons they told me I wouldn’t be ok for fresh transfer.

I guess what I’m asking is does this have any relevance for IVF? feel worried that my next go would be scheduled for the left ovary being dominant again . Thanks 😊

[Positivechangeplease]

Sorry you didn’t end up with any viable embryos for transfer. If you do, and they end up freezing them because you gain a cyst again, and they need to wait until it’s gone down or removed, then it doesn’t matter as frozen transfers have a very slightly better chance of implanting although it’s minor so both methods are pretty equal on chances.

It could be the drugs you took for stimulating the eggs? I got polyps due to the drugs and had to wait for them to be removed before having an embryo transferred.

It’s actually the case that ovaries take it in turns and there’s usually one dominant. I don’t think it makes a difference when they do the stims though because they’ll expect both ovaries to produce eggs. However there might be something in what you’re saying on if it’s the left’s turn they will produce more. But I reckon it doesn’t make too much difference when using stims.

[WillowPark]

I've always felt the same - ovulation cramps on my right ovary and a heavier period, then nothing and a light period the next month.

My egg collection was done on a "right" month and I got eggs from the right and nothing from the left, although there were follicles on my left at my last scan. I've never considered it might be a problem if we go again on a "left" cycle as both are being artificially stimulated, so while naturally one dominates each month, during IVF the natural selection is paused and they are both forced to dominate.

I have also been told by the nurses that my left ovary "sits high" - one said it was so high it was over the top of my uterus so both ovaries were on the same side (right) when they scanned. They can never find it in scans and have to manually press on my stomach to "bring it down" to confirm it is clear for my FETs. I assumed this was the reason why they couldn't collect from it and also why I don't feel it so much. Interested to know what you find out though!

(Another thing I wondered - I didn't realise the recommendation was to switch sides for injections each day. I did all my stims on one side. (My thinking was I'd move over once it became really uncomfortable and I was whipped in for EC before that point.) Something in my head made me worry I'd messed up and given the right more stimulation than the left, but I'm pretty sure that's impossible!!)

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

Hi Cuppppatea. Well, we are designed to ovulate alternatively, but on an odd occasion we might not. The beauty of IVF is that the meds work in both ovaries equally, but we do sometimes have resistant ovaries that don’t fully cooperate. Not usually noticed until treatment. Apparently it doesn’t matter if meds are one-sided, bu5 I like to scatter them about a bit. Good luck. Diane

[Fruitandflowers]

Mine alternate each month and I understood most women did. My right ovary always has more follicles on scans though and on my IVF rounds my right ovary has always responded better and been the one that has most follicles or the only one that they got mature eggs from.

[Cuppppatea in reply to Fruitandflowers]

Do you think the drugs override the natural inclination of alternation then? X

[Fruitandflowers in reply to Cuppppatea]

I think so yes, as in three rounds it was always the right one that had more follicles and on the last round they only got one at all and that was from the right. Unless it was just chance and each time it was naturally my right ovary month... But the meds don't seem to do enough to make my less responsive ovary catch up so it doesn't make them even for me.