There are several different fertility pills
you can use to get pregnant.
I'll discuss the ones that work first but
stick around to the end to hear about
the ones that don't work or are dangerous
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Clomid, or clomiphene citrate is
probably the most widely used fertility pill in the world.
Clomid is used to help women who don't ovulate
but also ovulate but also for women who already
ovulate to produce more eggs at one time.
A typical course of Clomid goes for five days.
Monitoring for ovulation is important.
With clomid you can use a home
ovulation predictor test or be monitored
in the doctor's office with blood tests and ultrasound.
Like all fertility treatments, the
success rate with clomid decreases as
women get older.
Plus, out of every hundred pregnancies on clomid,
about 15 to 20 will be twins
Triplets and more are pretty rare.
Clomid will not work for everybody.
If clomid is going to work for you, you usually get pregnant in the
first four months.
So if you are not pregnant by then, think about moving on to something else
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Letrozole, also known as Femara, is
another fertility pill.
Like Clomid, letrozole is also given over five days
It's most common use is to induce ovulation in
women with PCOS.
In fact, well done studies have shown that for
PCOS patients, letrozole is better than clomid!
More women will successfully ovulate
and more women will get pregnant
You may hear about women using letrozole
for other reasons, but there is no good evidence
that it works any better than clomid in other instances.
The risk for multiples with letrozole is about
the same as it is with clomid.
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Metformin, or Glucophage, is a pill that was
originally used to treat people with
type 2 diabetes
Metformin helps treat a problem called
insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance in women can interfere with ovulation.
The two groups of women who are most
likely to have ovulation problems due to
insulin resistance are women with PCOS
and very overweight
women with a BMI over 30.
If your doctor wants to start you on metformin here are
some quick tips:
The optimal dose of metformin is 2,000 milligrams a day but
don't start at that dose!
Metformin can cause side effects such as bloating
cramping and diarrhea.
Start on 500 milligrams or one pill a day and work
your way up gradually.
Also there are long-acting versions of metformin
These will have the letters XR or ER
which stand for extended release.
We recommend extended release to make
your life a little easier and further lower side effects.
The biggest benefits to metformin
are that it does not increase your risk
for multiple pregnancy
and even if you don't get pregnant,
it will lower your chance for
getting type 2 diabetes
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Which pills don't improve fertility?
First, although prenatal vitamins are
recommended before you conceive,
they don't actually do anything to help you with fertility.
You should absolutely take them, however because they will
reduce the chances for birth defects and
help with fetal brain, eye and heart development.
Supplements, such as CoQ10
and DHEA are often sold on the internet
as fertility pills, but there is little
evidence for any benefit for fertility.
Herbal supplements should also be avoided.
A review of scientific evidence
failed to find a benefit for herbal supplements.
People using herbal supplements,
especially women trying to conceive,
should be aware of the possible
risks associated with lead exposure
from herbal supplements.
Exposure of a fetus to high lead concentrations in the uterus
could result in neurological defects,
lower birth weight, premature
birth and an increase in birth defects.
Adverse effects may even occur at lower
levels than previously thought.
All patients should consult their physician
before beginning any such treatment.
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