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Fertility drugs for women

close up of woman holding a pill and glass of water
Photo credit: iStock.com / Doucefleur

For millions of women struggling to conceive, fertility drugs are the first step in treatment. What do these little pills and injections do exactly? In short, they promote ovulation.

What are common fertility drugs for women?

Your doctor may have you try one of these standard medications, which may be all you need to get pregnant:

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  • Clomiphene works by stimulating the hormones in your brain that trigger an egg (or several) to develop and be released from your ovaries.
  • Gonadotropins stimulate your ovaries directly to produce an egg (or several).

Some women need to combine these drugs with intrauterine insemination (IUI) or an assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedure, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). Women undergoing IVF also take other types of fertility medications to prepare the lining of the uterus for pregnancy and to prevent the ovaries from releasing eggs early.

How does fertility medication differ?

That depends on the woman and why she's having trouble getting pregnant. For instance, women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) generally respond well to clomiphene, but those who don't may be given the insulin-sensitizing drug metformin to help them ovulate. Some women with PCOS respond well to a combination of metformin and clomiphene.

Women with hyperprolactinemia have too much of the hormone prolactin in their blood, which interferes with ovulation. Women with this condition who want to conceive will most likely take bromocriptine or cabergoline to restore ovulation.

What are the risks of fertility drugs?

Many of these drugs have been used safely and successfully for more than 40 years. But like other fertility treatments, these drugs can increase the chance of conceiving multiples – and the more babies a woman carries, the greater the risk of complications, including miscarriage and premature labor. About 10 percent of women who take clomiphene have multiples (mostly twins), and about 30 percent of women who take gonadotropins have multiples (again, mostly twins).

Click on the links below for more information on the most popular ovulation-inducing medications, including their costs, success rates, and side effects.

  • Clomiphene
    Brand names: Clomid and Serophene
  • Gonadotropins
    Brand names: Repronex, Menopur, Bravelle, Follistim, Gonal-F
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Sources

BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.

CDC. 2016. Assisted reproductive technology (ART). U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/art/reports/index.htmlOpens a new window [Accessed November 2016]

Mayo Clinic. 2015. Clomiphene (oral route). http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/clomiphene-oral-route/description/drg-20063072Opens a new window [Accessed November 2016]

MedlinePlus. 2010. Clomiphene. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682704.htmlOpens a new window [Accessed November 2016]

National Infertility Association. Undated. IUI. http://www.resolve.org/family-building-options/iui/Opens a new window [Accessed November 2016]

UpToDate. 2015a. Patient education: Infertility treatment with gonadotropins (beyond the basics). http://www.uptodate.com/contents/infertility-treatment-with-gonadotropins-beyond-the-basicsOpens a new window [Accessed November 2016]

UpToDate. 2015b. Patient education: Ovulation induction with clomiphene (beyond the basics). http://www.uptodate.com/contents/ovulation-induction-with-clomiphene-beyond-the-basicsOpens a new window [Accessed November 2016]

Karisa Ding

Karisa Ding is a freelance health writer and editor with expertise in preconception, pregnancy, and parenting content. A mother of two, Ding finds great joy in supporting new and expectant parents by providing information they need for the life-changing journey ahead. Ding lives in San Francisco with her family.

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