Medication For Ovulation
| Clomiphene (Clomid, Serophene) | An oral medication that acts indirectly to stimulate ovulation by causing the pituitary gland to make more LH and FSH. Typically taken cycle days 5-9 (or 3-7) for 5 days. |
| Estrogen (Estrace, Vivelle, Delestrogen) | A hormone that helps prepare the uterine lining for pregnancy, can be given by pill, patch, or injection. |
| HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, Pregnyl, Novarel, Ovidrel) | Injectable hormone that helps final stages of egg maturation and triggers ovulation (release of eggs). |
| Gonadotropins (Gonal-F, Follistim, Repronex, Menopur, Bravelle) | Injectable preparations of FSH (and sometimes LH) that work directly on the ovary to stimulate follicular development (or production of eggs). |
| Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist (Lupron) | Hormones that prevent ovulation so that the timing can be controlled for in vitro fertilization or insemination. If given in a large dose, can also suppress the menstrual cycle. |
| Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Antagonist (Ganirelix, Cetrotide) | Injectable medications that prevent ovulation. |
| Insulin Sensitizers (Metformin, Glucophage, Fortamet) | Oral medications that are usually given to control diabetes, but can also be used in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome to lesson the production of male type hormones by the ovaries. May help to elicit ovulation in these patients, can also be used as an adjunct to other fertility drugs. |
| Progesterone (Progesterone vaginal suppositories, Crinone, Prometrium, Progesterone in oil) | Hormone that is necessary to prepare the uterus for a pregnancy, helps to maintain the lining of the uterus in preparation for implantation. Can be taken orally, by suppository vaginally, or by injection. |
Intrauterine Insemination
An IUI is done at our centre. Sperm is collected into a sterile container either at home or in one of our private collection rooms. If you are collecting at home, you still need an appointment to drop off your sample. The sample needs to be kept at body temperature during transportation and given to us within a 60-minute time period. If you cannot get the sample here within that time, please set up the appointment to collect the sample here. The sperm is then washed to concentrate the most motile sperm into a very small volume. The washed sperm is then placed into a catheter and passed through the cervix into the uterus. The insemination takes about 10 minutes to perform, and then an additional 10 minutes is required so you can lie down.
In Vitro Fertilisation
In vitro fertilization, or IVF, offers the ability to effectively treat complex causes of infertility or those due to multiple factors. In some cases, couples would proceed directly to IVF—for instance, if the fallopian tubes are blocked and cannot be repaired, or if there is a significant male factor reducing the odds of successful fertilization in the natural setting. IVF is a process by which a woman's eggs are stimulated to develop using hormone therapy and then the eggs are harvested by an office surgical procedure. The process of fertilizing the eggs occurs in the laboratory, or in vitro. The fertilized eggs or embryos can then be transferred back to a woman's uterus in order to implant for pregnancy. Unlike other fertility treatments, the process of IVF allows for control of the number of embryos to be transferred back to the uterus and the possibility to test for other conditions that might be indicated by the medical history. Egg donation, Sperm donation and Sperm banking are some of the other alternatives.