Medicines to Treat Female Infertility

Before medicine is prescribed for female infertility, a doctor will perform a complete physical exam on the patient. He will ask questions about the patient's present state of health (both physical and mental), medical history and sexual patterns. Some doctors will choose to talk to both partners while others will deal with the woman alone.

There are some common medicines that are used to treat infertility in women. These medicines include clomiphene citrate, human menopausal gonadotropin (or hMG), follicle-stimulating hormone (or FSH), gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog, metformin and bromocriptine. We'll take a brief look at each one of these medicines.

Clomiphene citrate, which is sold under the brand name Clomid, is a type of medication that makes ovulation take place by working on the pituitary gland in the brain. This medicine, which is taken orally, is commonly prescribed for women who have a variety of problems with ovulation including those who suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Similar to Clomid, human menopausal gonadotropin (or hMG) is sold under the names Pergonal and Repronex and this medication is geared for women who do not ovulate every month due to a problem or problems that exist with the pituitary gland. This injected form of medicine works specifically on the ovaries to stimulate ovulation to take place.

Follicle-stimulating hormone (or FSH) is sold under the names Follistim and Gonal-F and this drug works a great deal like hMG. What it does is it stimulates the ovaries to cause ovulation to kick into gear. This form of infertility medicine is most often injected.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog, often abbreviated to Gn-RH is meant for females who do not ovulate on a consistent basis every month. Women who have a tendency to ovulate before the egg is ready are advised to be prescribed this kind of infertility medicine. The Gn-RH analogs work on the pituitary gland of the brain to modify when the body goes about the process of ovulation. Most of the time the Gn-RH analog medications are injected or sometimes they are administered in the form of a nasal spray.

Metformin is sold under the brand name Glucophage. Physicians prescribe this medication for female patients who either suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or else who have insulin resistance. The action of this drug lowers the high levels of male hormones that exist in women who suffer from these conditions. Metformin allows the body to facilitate the ovulation process. This medication is taken by mouth. It is sometimes combined with either clomiphene citrate or FSH.

The last commonly-prescribed medication for infertility is bromocriptine, which is sold as Parlodel. Women who have problems with ovulation that is related to high levels of prolactin can be helped by way of this kind of medicine. Prolactin is a hormone in the body that stimulates the production of milk.

It is important to be aware that many medicines that are used to treat infertility can greatly increase a woman's chances having twins, triplets or quadruplets. Multiple fetuses tend to cause pregnant women more complications and they are considered high risk because there is the worry that they will be born prematurely.