If you are struggling with infertility, chances are you will use fertility drugs in the process of getting pregnant. Depending on the nature of your infertility, your doctor may recommend a variety of drugs, including both oral medications and injectable gonadotropins. Below, we will take a look at some of the most commonly used and effective fertility drugs.

Best Reviewed Fertility Drugs

ClomidClomid is an oral medication that stimulates the pituitary gland to produce more gonadotropin hormones, which stimulate the ovaries to mature egg follicles. Clomid is frequently prescribed as an initial course of treatment, often in conjunction with intrauterine insemination (IUI), thanks to its ability to stimulate ovulation in women who ovulate irregularly or who do not ovulate at all. Clomid should not be used for more than 4 cycles.‍

Femara (letrozole)

‍Femara is another oral medication that stimulates follicle production, and has relatively recently been introduced as a fertility drug, though it has been used for other purposes for years. Femara has been studied and appears to be equally successful on up to 5 cycles. In addition, a very well done study shows that Femara is more effective than Clomid in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

‍Gonadotropins

‍Gonadotropins are injectable medications that are identical to the fertility hormones the body naturally produces. They include follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), leutinizing hormone (LH), and human chorionic gonadotropin hormon (hCG). FSH is used to promote egg follicle development, while hCG is used as a "trigger" injection prior to egg retrieval during IVF.Gonadotropins are usually used during IVF, and have a powerful ability to produce ovulation and superovulation even in women who have been resistant to previous treatments. However, gonadotropins are very expensive due to the fact that they are hard to produce. In addition, gonadotropins have a higher risk of side effects such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), as well as multiple pregnancies, so careful monitoring is required.

‍Ganirelix

‍Ganirelix is frequently used to prevent premature ovulation in women going through fertility treatment, particularly women going through an egg freezing cycle. During an IVF cycle or an egg freezing cycle, it is important that the woman not ovulate before the eggs are retrieved; Ganirelix is used to ensure that this does not happen. Ganirelix is an injectable drug that can be self-administered at home, typically for several days before the egg retrieval date. Dr. Randy Morris would be happy to meet with you about your fertility. To schedule your consultation today, please click below and enter your information or call IVF1 at (630) 357-6540.