ALL ABOUT FERTILITY DRUGS – INFO FROM A COLORADO FERTILITY CENTER

Fertility drugs are medications that work by causing the release of hormones in the female human body. Once these hormones are released, they can jump start ovulation, or in some cases, regulate it back to normal. These drugs are the primary treatment for women who have ovulation problems. The medicine can be injected or taken orally.

There are numerous infertility medications and keeping up with the names of them can be difficult. However, these drugs are necessary for women who are having conception and infertility issues, even when using assisted reproductive techniques, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Of course, an alternative course of struggling to have children is to not have children. Many people choose a path of being childless and go on to live a happy life together. The decision should always be a mutual agreement to where even adoption isn’t an option. Otherwise, if you don’t crave to be parents, fertility drugs are a first choice option. If that doesn’t work, then looking into other ways of having a baby includes adoption and various forms of reproduction techniques.

Clomid and Serophene

The first choice of treatment for infertility is with a drug called Clomid (clomiphene citrate), which is an anti-estrogen substance. It’s been around for over 25 years and is very effective in treat infertility. Clomiphene is given when ovulation is not normal. The woman receives the drug to normalize the ovulation in most cases. Serophene is also an anti-estrogen drug, both of these drugs cause the pituitary gland and hypothalamus which are located deep in the brain to release hormones.

Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) are substances generated by the female body, which stimulate the ovaries to start producing eggs. Clomid and Serophene fertility drugs can be combined, and often, are used to assist with various reproductive techniques. They can also be used with artificial insemination.

Usually, the doctor will start your dosage of clomiphene out at around 50 milligrams a day for about five days. After your period starts, the physician will have you to wait between three to five days to start the first pill. Ovulation will usually begin about a week or seven days after you’ve ended the drug. Sometimes, ovulation does not occur or is delayed, and in these situations, dosages of Clomid may be increased to around 100 to 150 milligrams a day each month.

Ovulation should begin and once it does, the doctors will let you remain on the medication but not any longer than a six month period. The doctor will prescribe you a different medication or have you to see a infertility specialist if you haven’t conceived after a six month time. With the medication clomiphene, if you become pregnant, it usually will happen within three cycles. Usually up to eighty percent of women taking the drug will ovulate. It’s estimated that around half of these women will get pregnant from taking clomiphene.

Clomiphene has some side effects but are usually mild. Some will include blurred vision, nausea, hot flashes, headache, and bloating. There is also changes in the mucus from the cervix. Now you wonder if this cervical mucus will keep the sperm from entering the uterus or when you are fertile. Clomiphene among other fertility drugs can and will increase chances of multiple births even though it’s not as likely as injectable hormones causing this.

Injectable Hormones

If you have taking clomiphene and find it isn’t working, your doctor may suggest the injectable hormone to help stimulate ovulation. Listed below are the different types of these medications:

• Gonadotropin releasing hormone antagonist (GnRH antagonist), such as Cetrotide and Antagon.
• Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), such as Bravelle, Fertinex, Gonal-F, and Follistim.
• Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), such as Lutrepulse and Factrel. This is a hormone which stimulates and releases FSH and LH, which are hormones released from the pituitary gland.
• Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), such as Ovidrel, Pregnyl, Novarel, and Profasi. These work as ovary triggers and are often used with other drugs.
• Gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRH agonist), such as Zoladex, Synarel and Lupron.