Fertility Treatments

Fertility Treatments

Ovulation Induction
Intrauterine Insemination
IVF
ICSI
Embryo freezing
MESA / TESA
Blastocyst culture

Ovulation Induction
Some women do not ovulate (produce an egg) regularly or sometimes not at all. Normally a woman produces an egg a month in the middle of the menstrual cycle.

Where there is difficulty in producing an egg regularly, medication can be given to induce (hence the term induction) a woman to produce an egg. The problem with most of these treatments is that more than one egg can be produced as a result. This can result in multiple pregnancies, a situation the newspapers may like but can be dangerous to the mother as well as babies.

Occasionally, hyperstimulation may occur. This is a high risk situation and should be prevented. To ensure safety as well as to ensure that a response occurs, ovulation induction should be monitored by ultrasound scan. This checks on the number and size of follicles.

Common medications used are clomiphene citrate (Clomid), tamoxifen, human menopausal gonadotrophins, and purified follicular stimulating hormones (FSH).

Clomid is the simplest and is used as first line treatment. The usual starting dose is 50 mg. daily for 5 daysn from day 2 to 6 of a menstrual cycle. Some regimes call for a day 5 start, ending on day 9.

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