Clomid for ovulation induction can help you welcome a baby
Many patients who visit The Fertility Center of Las Vegas (FCLV) have an ovulatory disorder, which means they don’t ovulate regularly or at all. With this diagnosis, our Las Vegas infertility doctors may prescribe Clomid (clomiphene citrate), which is similar to Femara (letrozole). This common fertility medication comes in a pill form, which makes it easy to take.
How does this medication work?
This drug binds to receptors in your brain, causing your body to think that your estrogen levels are lower than they are. Doing so makes your pituitary gland secrete more follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). The higher levels of FSH encourage your ovaries to produce one or more egg-containing follicles. Then, the increased LH stimulates ovulation, which releases the egg or eggs.
When our Las Vegas infertility doctors prescribe this medication, they will first have you undergo a baseline ultrasound early in your menstrual cycle to make sure you don’t have any ovarian cysts. If no cysts are present, our doctors will typically have you take one 50mg pill of Clomid each day for five days.
Three to seven days after taking the last pill, you will have another ultrasound to review your response to the medication. During this ultrasound, our team will count and measure your follicles and assess your endometrial (uterine lining) thickness. If the ultrasound reveals a large “preovulatory” follicle, the next step is for you to take a trigger shot or use an ovulation kit. From there, treatment will either be timed intercourse or intrauterine insemination (IUI).
Who can benefit from taking Clomid?
Our Las Vegas infertility doctors may use clomiphene citrate to treat ovulatory disorders, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In addition to serving as a treatment for ovulatory disorders, this medication can also help other groups of patients.
- Clomiphene citrate can sometimes help treat unexplained infertility, which is when testing does not reveal a definitive cause of infertility.
- Some patients are also surprised to learn this drug can help resolve male factor fertility issues related to low testosterone levels.
Most patients who take this medication will conceive within the first six cycles. If pregnancy does not occur, our doctors can recommend additional fertility treatments to help you welcome a healthy baby.
Contact us if you would like to learn more about fertility medications like Clomid. Our doctors are always happy to walk patients through their family-building options.
