Treatment Options 101 (Part 1 of 3)

When I began this process I was completely ignorant of what my options were. I had faith in my Ob/Gyn and just said okay to whatever she wanted me to do. I learned over the next 21 months of treatment that knowledge is power. Finally after letting everyone else run my treatments and spend our money for us my husband and I said, "Enough!".

So here is Treatment Options 101 for those who are just beginning this journey. Please note that this is my definition and my knowledge, I am not a Doctor and any and all information should be taken to your physician. Your physician then can make the decisions that are best for your personal case.

This will be done in a set of three articles the first dealing with what kind of drugs are available. The second what kind of testing and the third what kind of option and monitoring are most commonly used. I hope that you find this information helpful.

Fertility Drugs

Clomid- A drug that is commonly used as a first step with women who have ovulation disorders. It comes in dosages of 50mgs. A patient is usually started on 50mgs. for 5 days. Depending on physician preference the medication is either taken days 3-7 or 5-9 of your cycle. (Note: The first day of your cycle is considered the first day of actual bleeding as long as it is before 6:00pm, if it is after 6:00pm then the next day should be considered day 1) Ovulation "should" occur within 7 days of the last pill so if you took it days 3-7 you should ovulate on day 14 and if you took from days 5-9 you should ovulate on day 16. It should be noted that the time of ovulation could vary GREATLY from person to person so don't just take my word on it. If you do not ovulate on 50 mgs. of Clomid it is then increased by 50 mgs. per cycle until you reach what almost all physicians consider the maximum dose of 250 mgs. If at 250 mgs. you are still not ovulating your options need to be expanded to injectable medications either in combination with the Clomid or by themselves.

Injectable Gonadotropins (Repronex, Follistim, Gonal-F, Metrodin, Pergonal, Fertinex)- These medications are quite expensive and should only be used under the care of a Reproductive Endocrinologist. The results if used by an unqualified physician can be disastrous (the septuplets are a good example) The average price for injectables is $40-$80 an amp. The beginning dosage is usually 2 amps per day. The medications are usually administered for 7-10 days depending upon your response. They can be used in combination with Clomid in what is called and injectable push.

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