Fertility Medication Information
Fertility medication are drugs which enhance reproductive fertility. For women, fertility medication is used to stimulate follicle development of the ovary. There are currently very few fertility medication options available for men.
Agents that enhance ovarian activity can be classified as either Gonadotropin releasing hormone, Estrogen antagonists or Gonadotropins.
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Female
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone
Main article: Gonadotropin-releasing hormoneEither Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) or any Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (i.e. Lupron) may be used. GnRH releases gonadotropins from the hypothalamus in the body.
Estrogen antagonists
Fertility medication inhibiting the effects of estrogen includes Clomiphene citrate and Aromatase inhibitors.
Clomiphene citrate
Main article: Clomiphene citrateClomiphene citrate is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). It is used as an ovarian stimulator by inhibiting the negative feedback of estrogen.
Aromatase inhibitors
Main article: Aromatase inhibitorAlthough primarily a breast cancer treatment, aromatase inhibitors can also work as fertility medication, probably through a mechanism similar to clomiphene citrate.
Gonadotropins
Main article: Gonadotropin preparationsGonadotropins are the hormones in the body that normally stimulate the gonads (testes and ovaries). For medication, they can be extracted from urine or by genetic modification.
For example, the so called menotropins consist of LH and FSH extracted from human urine from menopausal women.[1]
There are also recombinant variants which are created by inserting the DNA coding for it into bacteriae. The bacterial DNA is then called Recombinant DNA. Examples of recombinant FSH are Follistim and Gonal F, while Luveris is a recombinant LH.
Human chorionic gonadotropin
Main article: Human chorionic gonadotropin#Use as medicationHuman chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is normally produced during pregnancy. However, it can also replace LH as an ovulation inducer.
Other
hMG is a medication containing a follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
Male
There currently are no effective medications to treat oligospermia, so other assisted reproductive technologies are used.
Research in male fertility medication is currently ongoing. An study in Egypt assessed the efficacy of a combination of clomiphene citrate and vitamin E in improving sperm count and sperm motility in male infertility.[2]
Adverse effects
Estrogen antagonists and gonadotropins may stimulate multiple follicles and other ovarian hormones leading to multiple birth and possible ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
See also
Manufacturers:
References
- ^ MeSH Menotropins
- ^ Ghanem H et al. Combination clomiphene citrate and antioxidant therapy for idiopathic male infertility: A randomized controlled trial. Fertil Steril 2009 Mar 5; [e-pub ahead of print]. Published in Journal Watch General Medicine March 31, 2009
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Categories: Fertility medicine | Drugs | Hormonal agents
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