Fertility Medications

Although drugs and doses vary between patients depending on medical conditions, responses and other related factors, following are some of the most common medications used by the Fertility Center to help patients prepare for assisted reproduction, control the reproductive cycle or enhance fertility:

prenatal vitamins – prepares the body for conception and balances out nutrition deficiencies

baby aspirin – minimizes the chances of miscarriage

birth control pills – regulates menstruation prior to an IVF cycle

Zithromax – helps prevent infection and harmful bacteria

Clomid or Femara (generic Letrozele) – inhibits estrogen to increase the release of follicle stimulating hormone, resulting in higher rates of ovulation and pregnancy

Repronex – provides follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone that help stimulate healthy ovaries*

Bravelle, Follistim, Gonal-F or Menopur – controls the timing of egg maturation, allowing more follicles to be produced*

Ganirelix – controls ovulation by rapidly suppressing the production and action of the luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) – induces ovulation or the release of eggs in the ovaries and is the hormone produced by an embryo shortly after conception

Novarel (hCG) – stimulates the release of eggs in the ovaries

Estrogen – stimulates growth of the lining of the uterus

Progesterone – prepares the lining of the uterus for implantation and fosters gestation, helping to achieve and maintain pregnancy

Lupron – controls ovulation by briefly increasing and then suppressing the production and action of the luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone

* NOTE: Women taking stimulation medications may experience symptoms of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome, a condition that causes swollen and painful ovaries. In rare cases, fluid may accumulate in the abdominal cavity and chest, causing bloating, nausea, vomiting or lack of appetite. Patients are required to be frequently monitored by ultrasounds and blood tests to minimize risks of hyperstimulation and resulting complications while taking these medications. About 10 to 20 percent of patients undergoing ovulation enhancement will have a mild case of hyperstimulation syndrome. In these cases, all embryos from the retrieval of the cycle are frozen until hyperstimulation is resolved. Then the embryos can be thawed and transferred into the uterus. Odds for achieving pregnancy are about with same with either fresh or frozen embryos. Less than one percent of all patients that experience ovarian hyperstimulation have a case severe enough to require hospitalization. The condition tends to resolve itself within a couple of weeks, unless pregnancy occurs. If pregnancy does occur, the condition is usually aggravated by the increase in pregnancy hormones. Ironically, Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome is less common in IVF pregnancies than in unassisted conceptions, most likely because the follicles are emptied of fluid and cells during the egg retrieval.