Fertility medications are those types of drugs that have been formulated to help women, and couples, be able to become pregnant, and carry the pregnancy to term. There are a whole range of fertility drugs on the market these days, and even include generic variations. The generic variations often have worse side effects, may vary in formulation, and often have lesser success rates, so for the purpose of this article, those fertility medications discussed will be limited to the namebrand fertility drugs only.
Infertility and Problems with Ovulation
One of the more prevalent fertility medication types prescribed today are those that assist with ovulation, and support ovarian health. These infertility medications help by allowing the ovaries to produce more mature eggs, or to produce more than one for use in IVF procedures. These fertility medications are generally prescribed after the woman has definitely been diagnosed as infertile. That means that you’ve gone at least a year, with unprotected sex, and haven’t become pregnant. This also means that your mate’s sperm count is acceptable.
Clomid, whose active ingredient is clomiphene, is one of these ovarian health fertility drugs. With this medication you may produce more than one egg, which is useful for those going through IVF treatment. As an IVF drug, Clomid works very well, and it comes in both a pill form and an injectable. The cost is affordable for most, and it has an 80% track record within the first six months of use.
Follistim is another fertility drug that is a follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). This is an injectable hormone, and is often prescribed for women when Clomid isn’t doing the trick. When on this hormone, it is so effective that the doctor will want to monitor you to make sure that your ovaries aren’t producing more than a couple of eggs. Ovarian hyperstimulation is not a good thing.
Infertility Meds to Regulate Your Hormones
The other type of fertility medication that might be prescribed to you is that type of medication that will help to balance out the hormones in your body. Too much estrogen, or progesterone, can cause the embryo to have attachment issues. These fertility meds are designed to help provide a better environment for the embryo, and is a common IVF med.
Femara, whose active ingredient is letrozole, helps to lower the amount of Estrogen in the body. This also reduces the risk of a multiple pregnancy, and is a good alternative to Follistim or Clomid if you’re having bad reactions to the others.
Endometrin’s active ingredient is progesterone. This hormone is used as an IVF medication because it helps to balance the body’s system and prevent rejection of the embryo. This is prescribed as a vaginal insert and helps the embryo to stay implanted. This is often prescribed in combination with other balancing types of hormones.
Fertility Drugs Support and Promote Healthy Pregnancies
It has to be said, however, that successful pregnancies are a partnership between the fertility medication and the woman’s capacity to take care of herself. Success depends not only on the fertility med’s ability to produce the proper effect, but on the woman’s willingness to engage in healthy activities, diet, and exercise. This seems to be the winning combination among those who took the mentioned fertility drugs, and went on to become parents.