After an initial consultation and any necessary diagnostic testing, your physician may consult with you about medications.

Ovarian stimulating medications, commonly referred to as fertility drugs, have long been an effective means of improving fertility. The use of drugs to trigger the development and release of an egg or eggs from the follicles in the ovaries is called ovulation induction.

In general, fertility medications improve or replace otherwise naturally occurring hormones. The two primary hormones that control the reproductive cycle in both men and women are follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). They are made by the pituitary gland, a small endocrine gland located directly below the brain. There is also a hormone used for intrauterine insemination (IUI) called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) which functions similarly to natural LH to induce release of the egg (ovulation).

Fertility medications are most often used in conjunction with other treatments such as IUI or in vitro fertilization (IVF). When prescribed correctly and monitored carefully, fertility medications allow women to safely produce multiple eggs during a single cycle. Production of more than one egg increases the chance for a successful cycle by increasing the odds of healthy fertilization and implantation.

Click here for some additional information regarding specific fertility medications.