What does a polycystic ovary look like?
In a polycystic ovary, the numerous small cystic structures, also called antral follicles, give the ovaries a characteristic “polycystic” (many cysts) appearance on ultrasound. The older literature on ultrasound evaluation and diagnosis of “polycystic ovaries”required that: • At least one ovary is greater than 10 cm³ in volume – or – • At least one ovary has 12 or more antral follicles seen by ultrasound However, in my opinion this is outdated. Ultrasound equipment has improved and we currently see more antral follicles than we did in the past. • In our practice, patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome generally have 40 to 100 antral follicles (total) • I would generally not be considering a diagnosis of PCOS if the woman has less than a total of 30 antral follicles (sum of counts from both ovaries).
