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How do fertility drugs work? – Dr. Sangeeta Gomes

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Fertility drugs are available in the form of tablets and injections. Tablets are those containing chemicals like clomiphene citrate, anastrozole and letrozole. These are usually given from the periods 2nd day or 5th day or 5 days. They can be in the dosage of 50 to 150 mg in the case of clomiphene citrate and 1 to 5 mg in case of anastrozole or letrozole. These medicines acts by selectively blocking the estrogen receptors or by blocking the aromatase enzyme, thereby reducing the estrogen to low levels in the body which indirectly stimulates the hyopothalamo pituitary axis to produce the follicle stimulating hormones. This follicle stimulating hormone acts on the ovary to produce more number of eggs. These medications are given in women with anovulation and also in women with PCOS. Multiple pregnancy rate is more with clomiphene citrate when compared to anastrozole. When a woman is on these drugs she has to be carefully monitored by serial follicular scans. Duration of treatment is from 3 to 6 months. There is risk of ovarian cancer of treatment is taken for more than 1 year the contraindications are liver disease and ovarian carcinoma. The side effects are nausea, vomiting, insomnia, hot flushes and pelvic pain. Also there is risk of multiple pregnancy, there is also another risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome wherein multiple eggs are formed in the ovary and it can lead to ovarian torsion also. The next fertility drugs are injections which contains the follicle stimulating hormone. It can be available in highly purified forms, prepared by DNA recombinant techniques or prepared by the post-menopausal women’s urine. The FSH and LH can be in the ratio of 2:1 or 1:1. These gonadotropins also acts in a similar way, they stimulate the ovary to form multiple eggs.

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