Ovulation Stimulation

All Is Not Lost-There Is A Way To Have A Baby

The journey to fertility can be a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows as couples go from the disappointment of discovering they are infertile to the excitement and anxiety of finding there may be a way to have their baby after all. With the tremendous amount of research and information now available to couples facing infertility, the choices provided by medicine and surgery are sometimes overwhelming. The hope of fulfilling the dream of parenthood is weighed against the high emotional and financial cost of fertility treatments-and then there's the consideration of side effects produced by drugs.

The Frequent Cause Of Infertility In Women Is Ovulation Disorders

The causes of infertility range from cigarettes to genetics and everything in between. One of the most frequent causes of infertility in women is ovulation disorders, and the primary treatment for such disorders is fertility drugs. Regardless whether the drugs are injected or taken orally, these medications generally work to stimulate the release of hormones which will either trigger ovulation or regulate it. No matter whether the overall treatment is in vitro fertilization, intrauterine insemination or medication only, fertility drugs are an integral part of the process.

Using Clomid As The First Line Of Treatment

The first choice and most frequently used drug for fertility treatment is clomiphene citrate, marketed as Clomid or Serophene. Used for over 25 years with a good success rate, Clomid and Serophene are antiestrogen drugs which cause the hypothalamus and pituitary glands to secrete hormones which will stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs. Between 60 to 80 percent of women who use these drugs will ovulate and about half of that number will go on to conceive a pregnancy.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a primary cause of infertility in women. One of the results of PCOS is irregular menstrual cycles caused by a lack of ovulation. Usually, Clomid is prescribed as a treatment for PCOS and if that fails, the traditional next-step is injectable gonadotropins. This treatment is generally very effective, however, it is also very expensive and there is the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation as a result of using gonadotropins.

When Clomid Fails

There is another drug which is being called upon to treat infertility when Clomid fails. It is called metformin and is marketed under the trade name Glucophage. Originally designed to treat and control diabetes, metformin has been found to be effective in facilitating ovulation in women with PCOS. Many women, who do not respond to metformin on its own, have a good response when metformin is combined with clomiphene citrate. Still, there are women who don't respond to this mixture and end up taking injectable follicle stimulating hormone medications to stimulate ovulation.

There are several injectable hormones used to treat infertility by stimulating ovulation. These include human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), GnRH Agonist and GnRH Antagonist. As with Clomid, injectable hormones produce a high rate of success for pregnancy and of the women who do ovulate, as many as 50 percent become pregnant.

 

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