Michelle Emblenton, a biochemist at inviTRA, talks about the different degrees of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome or OHSS:
In cases where OHSS occurs after ovarian stimulation it is usually very mild. The patient will have enlarged ovaries and elevated levels of estradiol in the blood. The patient may also possibly experience some mild discomfort, nausea or abdominal swelling.
Although most cases of OHSS are mild, about four of them proceed to become moderate cases, where there is increased discomfort and abdominal distension or swelling. In a limited number of cases, the OHSS may progress to a much more serious form of disease, in which vascular permeability occurs and this can lead to problems with blood coagulation and things like thrombosis and blood clots. Additionally, it can lead to fluid accumulating in the lungs. There is also the possibility of ovarian torsion or a rupture of an ovarian cyst. These things fortunately are very uncommon, but to avoid ending up in this situation, it is very important to have good monitoring.
A good monitoring procedure will pick up any problems early and therefore help us minimize the risks that may affect the patient. Things to pay specific attention to are a sudden increase in your waist size and volume, increased volumes of urination, any pain (especially in the legs) or any breathing problems or difficulty in breathing. If you are displaying mild or moderate symptoms of OHSS, your specialist will monitor you with ultrasound checks to monitorthe progress of the syndrome. Usually a mild form of OHSS can clear up on its own without needing any special treatment.
