Infertility can be treated with medicine, surgery, artificial insemination
or assisted reproductive technology. Many times these treatments are combined.
About two-thirds of couples who are treated for infertility are able to have a
baby. In most cases infertility is treated with drugs or surgery.
Doctors recommend specific treatments for infertility based on:
- test results
- how long the couple has been trying to get pregnant
- the age of both the man and woman
- the overall health of the partners
- preference of the partners
Some common medicines used to treat infertility in women include:
- Clomiphene citrate (Clomid): This medicine causes
ovulation by acting on the pituitary gland. It is often used in women who
have Polycystic Ovarian
Syndrome (PCOS) or other problems with ovulation. This medicine is
taken by mouth.
- Human menopausal gonadotropin or hMG (Repronex, Pergonal):
This medicine is often used for women who don't ovulate due to problems
with their pituitary gland. hMG acts directly on the ovaries to stimulate
ovulation. It is an injected medicine.
- Follicle-stimulating hormone or FSH (Gonal-F, Follistim):
FSH works much like hMG. It causes the ovaries to begin the process of
ovulation. These medicines are usually injected.
- Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) analog: These medicines
are often used for women who don't ovulate regularly each month. Women who
ovulate before the egg is ready can also use these medicines. Gn-RH
analogs act on the pituitary gland to change when the body ovulates. These
medicines are usually injected or given with a nasal spray.
- Metformin (Glucophage): Doctors use this medicine for
women who have insulin resistance and/or Polycystic
Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). This drug helps lower the high levels of
male hormones in women with these conditions. This helps the body to
ovulate. Sometimes clomiphene citrate or FSH is combined with metformin.
This medicine is usually taken by mouth.
- Bromocriptine (Parlodel): This medicine is used
for women with ovulation problems due to high levels of prolactin.
Prolactin is a hormone that causes milk production.
Many fertility drugs increase a woman's chance of having twins, triplets or
other multiples. Women who are pregnant with multiple fetuses have more
problems during pregnancy. Multiple fetuses have a high risk of being born too
early (prematurely). Premature babies are at a higher risk of health and
developmental problems.
Doctors also use surgery to treat some causes of infertility. Problems with
a woman's ovaries, fallopian tubes, or uterus can sometimes be corrected with
surgery.
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is another type of treatment for
infertility. IUI is known by most people as artificial insemination. In
this procedure, the woman is injected with specially prepared sperm. Sometimes
the woman is also treated with medicines that stimulate ovulation before IUI.
IUI is often used to treat:
- mild male factor infertility
- women who have problems with their cervical mucus
- couples with unexplained infertility
Reference:
National Women's Health Information Center, USA
|