Clomid
Clomid is also known as clomiphene citrate. It’s an oral medication that is often used to treat certain types of female infertility. Clomiphene works by making the body think that your estrogen levels are lower than they are, which causes the pituitary gland to increase secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH, and luteinizing hormone, or LH. High levels of LH stimulate ovulation.
Recommended Dosage
Treatment of the selected patient should begin with a low dose, 50 mg daily (1 tablet) for 5 days. The dose should be increased only in those patients who do not ovulate in response to cyclic 50 mg CLOMID. The patient should be evaluated carefully to exclude pregnancy, ovarian enlargement, or ovarian cyst formation between each treatment cycle.
If progestin-induced bleeding is planned, or if spontaneous uterine bleeding occurs prior to therapy, the regimen of 50 mg daily for 5 days should be started on or about the 5th day of the cycle. When ovulation occurs at this dosage, there is no advantage to increasing the dose in subsequent cycles of treatment.
Uses
If a woman has irregular cycles, or anovulatory cycles (menstruation without ovulation), Clomid may be tried first. Clomiphene 50mg is often used in treating polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) related infertility
However, it’s important to remember that the more expensive treatment is sometimes the most appropriate.
Benefits
1. It’s a cost-effective treatment for infertility, especially when compared with other treatments like IVF.
2. Clomid is an oral medication, which makes it less invasive than other treatments.
3. It can be prescribed by your OB-GYN or primary care provider, instead of needing to go to a reproductive specialist.
4. There are relatively few side effects and it’s generally well-tolerated by women who take it.
Success Rate
Clomid will jump-start ovulation in 80% of patients, but ovulating doesn’t guarantee pregnancy will occur. While Clomid does help many women ovulate, obviously it’s not always successful. When Clomid does not result in ovulation, we say the woman is Clomid resistant.
