Fertility medication is a drug that enhances
fertility. For women, fertility medication is used to stimulate
follicle development of the
ovary. For males, on the other hand, there are very few options of fertility medication.
Agents that enhance ovarian activity can be classified as either
Gonadotropin releasing hormone,
Estrogen antagonists or
Gonadotropins.
Female
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone
Either
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) itself or any of its
agonists (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
Clomiphene citrate is a
SERM. It inhibits the negative feedback of estrogen and therefore stimulates ovulation.
Aromatase inhibitors
Although primarily a breast cancer treatment,
aromatase inhibitors can also work as fertility medication, probably by a mechanism similar to clomiphene citrate.
Gonadotropins
Gonadotropins 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.
Menotropins
Menotropins are urinary gonadotropins, i.e. they are extracted from the urine.
Recombinant gonadotropins
Recombinant gonadotropins are gonadotropins created by inserting the DNA coding 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
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is normally produced during pregnancy. However, it can also replace LH as a fertility medication.
Other
hMG is a medication containing
follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
Male
There is no effective medication to treat
oligospermia, so other
assisted reproductive technologies need to be used.
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:
