An Overview On The Medication For Infertility In Females

Being diagnosed with infertility can be bothersome. However, with the advances in the medical field most infertility problems can now be treated. Today there are now medication for infertility in females. The overall effectiveness of these medications is greatly dependent on several factors like the woman’s age, underlying cause of infertility, history of previous pregnancies and how long did she have the infertility problem. Research shows that infertility treatments can be most effective in women if the underlying problem is due to irregular ovulations. However, medication for infertility in females will be least effective if the underlying problem is caused by damage to the fallopian tubes or severe endometriosis.

The medication for infertility in females can be generally categorized into two forms which are oral medications and injectables. This article will briefly explain the difference between the two forms of medication for infertility in females and tackle their effectiveness and side effects.

The first form of infertility medications are oral medications. Clomiphene is the most commonly prescribed oral medication for infertility in females. Clomiphene is taken by mouth and causes the body to produce hormones that stimulate the eggs in the ovaries. Generally, patients take Clomiphene on the 3rd to 5th days of their menstrual cycle. It causes ovulation to occur in 80% of women and about half of them are able to achieve pregnancy. Some of the most common side effects of this oral medication for infertility in females are nausea, hot flashes, breast tenderness, headaches, mood swings and blurred vision.

The second form of medication for infertility in females are injectables. The most commonly prescribed injectables are Gonadotropins and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). These medications are directly injected to stimulate eggs to grow in the ovaries, leading to ovulation. Infertility specialists normally prescribe gonadotropins when a woman does not respond to clomiphene or to stimulate follicle growth for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).There are a few side effects for this medication for infertility in females, such as abdominal swelling, tenderness, bloating, and soreness. The chance of conceiving twins when taking injectables is also higher compared to oral medications and falls somewhere between 10% to 40%. However, the overall success rate of these medications is also higher than oral medications.