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Is it time to rethink Clomid as an infertility treatment?

Modern medicine often has things backwards when it comes to women’s health. Far from “regulating” hormone levels, hormonal birth control (HBC) deprives the female body of the complementary rise and fall of natural estrogen and progesterone that many bodily systems depend upon for good health. Similarly (and despite its reputation for being the first step towards treating infertility), the way Clomid functions in the body can inhibit certain important aspects of fertility. Clomiphene citrate (Clomid, a trademark of Aventisub LLC) is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM}. This means Clomid will bind to some estrogen receptors in the body to send a response (as if the estrogen itself had…

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 Clomid for Infertility: Pros and Cons

While in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of fertility treatment, there are several less invasive, less expensive options your doctor may want to explore. Clomid pills have been a popular choice amongst intended parents for more than 50 years. While it certainly boasts longevity in a field that has rapidly evolved in the past several decades, there are both pros and cons to taking this little pill.

 When Clomid Fails

Clomid, also known as Serophene or clomiphene citrate (the generic name) is the most commonly prescribed fertility medication. Clomid is often used to help women ovulate who are not ovulating naturally or ovulate irregularly and want to get pregnant. It’s often part of treatment for women with PCOS, and may be used in women under 35 who have unexplained fertility.But what if you’ve used Clomid, and you’re not getting pregnant? In general, about three quarters of the women who were not ovulating regularly will ovulate with Clomid. However, about half the women who ovulate with Clomid do not get pregnant.

Articles of Interest

50 years ago, Clomid gave birth to the era of assisted reproduction

Still in wide use today, the drug works by modulating estrogen levels in women who are producing too much of the hormone to properly trigger a monthly ovulation cycle. There are many other causes of infertility that require other means to address, Adashi said, but by some estimates there are also millions of people, age 50 and younger, whom Clomid helped to make possible. The World Health Organization lists the drug among the globe’s “essential medicines.”

A Fertility Patient’s Guide to Clomid and its Side Effects

Clomid (clomiphene citrate) is one of the most widely used fertility drugs due to its effectiveness in stimulating ovulation for women who struggle to ovulate naturally, as well as aiding couples struggling with unexplained infertility. Clomid can be used to facilitate pregnancy in couples trying to conceive on their own, and is also used in conjunction with assisted reproductive protocols such as In vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). However, like all medications, Clomid comes with its own set of potential side effects. Common side effects include hot flashes, mood swings, and bloating, which can range from mild to moderate in intensity.

Beware of Greeks Bearing Clomid

During the time I worked with him, we did three inseminations and one IVF all without knowing there was a polyp “cock blocking” our best fertility assisted efforts. In effect, thanks to Dr. Loser McLoserville, I am now out of fertility coverage on my insurance since he didn’t see that Jackson Polyp was squatting in my uterus giving us all the middle finger.

Clomid Debate: He Says/ She Says

Coming from someone who has been trying for two years and has been on Clomid for the past four months while doing IUIs, I would say that you probably should, but beware of the side effects (the worst ones for me have been hot flashes and mood swings) and to be an advocate for YOUR body. Ultimately, the answers to questions like this should always be answered by the female who will be going through the fertility treatments, because it’s easier for people who aren’t going through it to say whatever they want.

Clomid Use and Abuse

Some women can’t get pregnant because they don’t secrete enough LH and FSH at the right time during the cycle and, as a result, they don’t ovulate. For these women, the first drug doctors often prescribe is clomiphene citrate (Clomid, Serophene). This synthetic drug stimulates the hypothalamus to release more GnRH, which then prompts the pituitary to release more LH and FSH, and thus increases the stimulation of the ovary to begin to produce a mature egg. Clomiphene is a good first choice drug when a woman’s ovaries are capable of functioning normally and when her hypothalamus and pituitary are also capable of producing their hormones. In short, the woman’s reproductive engine is in working order but needs some revving up.

Clomiphene citrate—end of an era? a mini-review

It is a simple, cheap treatment, almost devoid of side effects which yields a single live birth rate of ∼25% of starters. Non-response to CC and the gap between ovulation and pregnancy rates have variously been attributed to its anti-estrogen effects, and high LH and androgen concentrations.

Letrozole or Clomid - Which Drug is Best for PCOS Patients?

Recently, a research study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, comparing the live birth rates of patients with PCOS who used Letrozole instead of Clomid to help achieve pregnancy. They concluded that women who received Letrozole had significantly more live births than those who received Clomid – 27.5 % vs. 19.1% or 31 more births in the Letrozole group.

Risk of ovarian cancer in women treated with ovarian stimulating drugs for infertility

In spite of an increase in the number of women requesting fertility treatments, the question of whether ovarian stimulation increases the incidence of invasive ovarian cancer, borderline ovarian tumours, or both, as an independent factor remains unanswered.

She Says… Clomid: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

Even though I know that there’s no way to predict how I will react to Clomid, it makes me feel better to know that I’ve gathered all of the information. I am a planner, what can I say? In pure Type A fashion, here’s a list of the top things I’ve learned about Clomid:

She Says… The Results

As I thought (and hoped!) Dr. P prescribed Clomid. Clomid (clomiphene citrate) stimulates ovulation. It’s a pill that I’ll take for 5 days. After those 5 days, I’ll use an ovulation predictor kit (OPK) to figure out if it “worked” and when I ovulate this cycle. If I do ovulate, we bump and grind on the right day(s), and hopefully make a baby! Let’s all cross our fingers that it’s as easy as that, mmmkay? I won’t go into all the backup plans if I don’t ovulate… save those for another post. Hopefully one I won’t have to write.

TRT vs Clomid: Which Treatment Is Best?

Clomid (Clomiphene Citrate) is a medication developed initially for female infertility treatment, which is also used to stimulate natural testosterone production in men with hypogonadism. Unlike Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT), which introduces external testosterone. The benefits of Clomid include improved libido, increased energy levels, and enhanced fertility. Clomid works by stimulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, increasing the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which then signals the testes to produce more testosterone.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Clomid?

Clomid is a prescription medication belonging to a class of drugs known as selective estrogen receptor modulators or SERMs. Approved by the FDA to treat ovarian dysfunction in women, the medication is commonly used off-label to raise testosterone levels in men and boost sperm production and motility.