Understanding Fertility Problems: Improving Ovulation with Medicine
Your fertility depends on if you can ovulate. This is when an egg is released from an ovary. If you are not ovulating, you may be given hormone medicine to help. Read below to find out how these work.
How hormone medicine can help
Hormones are chemicals that your body makes naturally. Each type of hormone has its own function. In some cases, hormones are used for assisted reproductive treatment (ART). Hormone medicine can help:
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Make more eggs. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) causes the ovaries to make more mature eggs each month. Normally 1 egg matures each month. Note that this does not make you run out of eggs faster.
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Trigger ovulation. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is used to cause ovulation. This can help by controlling the timing of when an egg can be fertilized after sex. It may also be used for ART.
Hormone medicine can also help change the levels of other hormones. To help you ovulate, you may be given medicine to treat:
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Anovulation or oligovulation. This is when you don't ovulate or don't ovulate regularly.
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High levels of the hormone prolactin. This can stop ovulation from occurring.
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An imbalance of thyroid hormone levels. This can cause problems with fertility. It can also cause miscarriage.
Types of hormone medicine
This chart shows some hormone medicines that can help with fertility. Talk with your healthcare provider about how they work. Be sure you know how and when to use them. Know about the possible side effects. Some medicines carry a small but serious risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). This needs treatment right away.
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Medicine
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How it works
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How it is taken
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Possible side effects
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Clomiphene citrate
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Causes eggs to develop
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Pills
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Hot flashes, blurred vision, breast tenderness, nausea, mood swings, ovarian cysts, and increased chance of having twins
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Follicle-stimulating hormone or FSH
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Causes the ovaries to make more mature eggs
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Injections
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Increased chance of multiple births. Small but serious risk for OHSS.
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Human menopausal gonadotropin or hMG
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Causes eggs to develop
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Injections
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Increased chance of multiple births. Small but serious risk for OHSS.
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Human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG
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Triggers ovulation
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Injections
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May make enlarged ovaries worse when combined with hMG or FSH medicines
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Dopamine agonists
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Decreases prolactin, a hormone that can prevent ovulation
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Pills
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Nausea, nasal stuffiness, dizziness, and headache
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Levothyroxine
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Restores thyroid hormones to a normal level
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Pills
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Nervousness, irritability, headache, insomnia, diarrhea, weight loss, and changes in menstruation
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Progesterone
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Helps the endometrium get ready and helps maintain a pregnancy
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Pills, vaginal cream
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Breast tenderness, mood swings
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Note: This chart is not a complete list. It does not endorse any type or brand. It does not show every side effect or reaction. It does not show every precaution or interaction. Only your healthcare provider can advise or prescribe these types of medicine.
Online Medical Reviewer:
Donna Freeborn PhD CNM FNP
Online Medical Reviewer:
Heather Trevino
Online Medical Reviewer:
Irina Burd MD PhD
Date Last Reviewed:
1/1/2022
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