Corpus Luteum of Pregnancy (CLP)

In the first trimester , the most common ovarian cyst associated with pregnancy is the CLP.

The CLP secrets both estrogen and progesterone to support the pregnancy until the placenta can take over this hormonal function near the end of the first trimester . The CLP forms after ovulation and increases in size if a pregnancy occurs.

Ultrasound/Doppler - CLPs exhibit a gamut of sonographic patterns ranging from a simple cyst pattern to more complex patterns including diffuse internal low-amplitude echoes , layered echoes , single or multiple thin septations .

It is not possible to distinguish with certainty a CLP from a pathologic cyst on the basis of a single ultrasound examination . In the midtrimester (16-18 weeks) , CLPs will usually have regressed and disappeared .

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