Fertility Drugs Know Your Options

A friend of mine always preached about how she would never have kids when she grew older ?I barely have enough time to take care of myself, let alone a smaller version of me that would cry constantly and throw up all over my new clothes,? she would explain

A friend of mine always preached about how she would never have kids when she grew older. ?I barely have enough time to take care of myself, let alone a smaller version of me that would cry constantly and throw up all over my new clothes,? she would explain. Her tune quickly changed after a visit with a mutual friend who recently had a baby girl. Bouncing on her mother?s lap, the baby let out a gleeful giggle, and this same friend exclaimed, ?Oh, I want one of my own now!?

An infant?s laugh is sometimes all it takes to start the pang of longing in some women. But, what happens when the body isn?t in sync with that maternal instinct? According to statistics provided on the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions website, approximately 11.8% of women ages 15-44 suffer from an ovulation disorder that prevents natural conception. This means that about 7.3 million couples have a hard time conceiving every year. It takes a fertile couple an average of 12 ovulations to successfully conceive and doctors say to seek a professional opinion once this deadline has come and gone.

During your first visit to the fertility clinic you and your partner will both be tested to see where the problems occur within the fertilization process. Adoption, surrogacy and artificial insemination are a few options depending on the circumstances. If the woman is found to have an ovulation disorder, though, fertility medications are usually the first step. Ovulation disorders occur can be genetically based, so if you have a family member who has had problems in the best it is worth looking into. While it may be frustrating and disheartening, if you are diagnosed with ovulation problems there are some very accessible and effective medical solutions.

These medications work by stimulating or controlling ovulation. The most common and usually the first prescribed of these medications is clomiphene citrate. It is an antiestrogen drug that forces that pituitary gland to wake your ovaries up and they, in turn, start producing eggs. You take five pills all together and would take the first pill on the third day of your period. Most women start to ovulate a week following the last pill. If ovulation does not occur that the doctor will most likely increase the dosage. Typically this medication, whose brand names are Clomid or Serophene, is used in conjunction with a artificial insemination making the process that much more effective. Half of the women who use clomiphene can expect to be expecting in about three cycles.

If the oral fertility medications do not prove successful, women have the option to start inject-able hormones. Injections are given either under the skin or directly into muscle and it is necessary to vary injection site. They can be started on the second or third day of your cycle and given for a week up to twelve days. More likely to cause multiple births, inject-able hormones have a high rate of success.

Your doctor will review the possible side-effects of each option with you and allow you to weigh your options. With careful medical guidance and perseverance, the heart-break of fertility problems can be side-stepped and have you well on your way to starting a family. In fact, there are some reported cases of unplanned pregnancies directly after the birth of twins conceived via artificial insemination and fertility drugs. You may just end up with a few more bundles of joy than previously planned.

Brent McNutt enjoys talking about urbane uniforms and landau scrub pants and networking with healthcare professionals online.