Friday, June 13, 2008

Fertility Drug Basics for Women

Many couples experience the pain and heartbreak of infertility. If you have been trying to get pregnant with no success, your doctor may recommend fertility drugs as a first step. For many, this is a frightening prospect.

There are mainly two categories of fertility drugs for women, injected and non-injected. Some of the more popular non-injected drugs include Clomiphene citrate, better known as Clomid, Synarel, a nasal spray, and Crinone, an intravaginal gel. The most popular, Clomid, is used when the reproductive system is operating, but ovulation is erratic. It works by stimulating the brain to produce the hormones needed to get eggs released from the ovaries each month. Since Clomid is fairly complication-free, it is considered relatively safe, although a small percentage of some women due develop ovarian cysts during use. The most common side effects are hot flashes, changes in menstrual flow and irritability.

Injectable fertility drugs are mainly Gonadotropins, containing two different types of hormones that work directly on the ovaries to stimulate egg release. Some of the brand names of these drugs are Pergonal, Reprones, Fertinex, Follistim, and Pregnyl. These are injected on a schedule determined by your fertility specialist. Minor side effects of these drugs can include redness, swelling and itchiness at the injection site, headaches, nausea, vomiting and breast pain.

These drugs have been in use for more than 30 years, with great success. However, use of fertility drugs can increase your chance of multiple births, which in turn can increase your risk for other pregnancy complications like premature labor and miscarriage. About 10% of women using Clomid have multiples. 10 to 40% of women using gonadotropins have multiple births.

For any couple experiencing difficulty conceiving, fertility drugs are a relatively safe beginning step in fertility treatment.

Maria writes for Pregnancy Due Date, a site that tries to information for expectant mothers. For more great pregnancy articles, visit our Pregnancy articles archive.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Fertility Drugs And Hair Loss

The birth of a child is often the most important miles stone in a person's life, especially a woman's. For some women, getting pregnant is extremely difficult and after consulting with fertility specialists they end up on a regimen of medications designed to regulate and hopefully correct irregularities in the ovulation cycles. With this goal in mind, women are doing any thing and everything possible to improve their chances of conception and giving birth to a healthy child.

To increase the chance of conception, many women are taking the drug Clomid or Clomiphene citrate in spite of the rumors that it has the potential to cause hair loss. For most women, the possibility of hair loss is insignificant compared to the potential for becoming pregnant. If you are concerned about hair loss as a possible side effect of Clomid or Clomiphene citrate, then you may be interested in learning about other potential side effects as well. One of the most common side effects of Clomid is its potential for causing multiple births; that is twins, triplets or even quadruplets and quintuplets. This could be potentially good news for couples who want to have more than one child.

Studies have also shown that aside from the increased potential for multiple births the other potential side effects are numerous may include acute abdominal discomfort, bloating, increase in appetite, dermatitis or rashes, depression, diarrhea, dizziness and fatigue. As for the big question, can Clomid cause hair loss, the answer is yes. Hair loss is one of the many potential side effects .

If after considering all of the potential side effects of Clomid or Clomiphene citrate you are still interested in pursuing it as an option for increasing your chances for conception, it is time to discuss the mater with your physician. Discuss your options and ask about alternative medications or methods that may also offer increased potential for pregnancy with potentially fewer side effects. Remember, your goal is to conceive and give birth to the health child or children of your dreams.

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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Testosterone Production

Clomid works by competing, or binding, with estrogen receptors at the hypothalamus. When these receptors are occupied, the hypothalamus "measures" lower estrogen levels and thus releases GnRH, which causes the pituitary to increase FSH production. Clomid and HCG are also occasionally used periodically during a steroid cycle, in an effort to prevent natural Testosterone levels from diminishing. In many instances this practice can prove difficult however, especially when using strong androgens for longer periods of time.

Bodybuilders find that a daily intake of 50-100 mg of clomiphene citrate over a two week period will bring endogenous Testosterone production back to an acceptable level. Clomid will gradually raise Testosterone levels over its period of intake. Bodybuilders seldom report any problems, but listed possible side effects do include hot flashes, nausea, dizziness, headaches and temporarily blurred vision. Such side effects usually only appear in Females however, as they feel the effects of estrogen manipulation much more readily than men.

Estrogen is responsible for a number of anabolic factors such as increasing growth hormone output, upgrading the androgen receptor and improving glucose utilization. This is why aromatizing steroids like Testosterone are still best suited for maximum muscle gain. Estrogen as well inhibits the production of natural Testosterone, and in the period between the return of natural Testosterone and the end of a cycle, a lot of mass is lost. So its in everybody's best interest to bring back natural test as soon as humanly possible and the use of Clomid is a very good choice for this.

Learn more about Clomid

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Clomid for Infertility: What You Must Know

Clomid as an infertility drug is considered to be the cornerstone of all other medications that have followed the trend. While many years have passed since Clomid was first introduced into the market, it is still the same drug as it was before that most infertile couples come in contact with initially before everything assumed their places in the industry.

Clomid, an infertility drug that appears in other names like CC, Clomiphene citrate, Serophene or simply Clomid is considerably inexpensive as compared with the brands that have invaded the market recently. Its main uses are focused on ovulation problems by means of oral consumption rather than via injection.

While it was produced several years earlier than its predecessor, the workings of the drug still facilitate in a very complicated fashion but with desirable potency. It does not have effects on women whose ovaries have already reached the termination of their use. Nonetheless, Clomid is still a very potent drug when it comes to inducing satisfactory effects on all estrogen receptors. Thus, it has the capacity of creating reactions on all body tissues, which contain estrogen receptors.

Tissues lying in organs like cervix, endometrium, pituitary, vagina and hypothalamus are some for which its known effects are working.

Clomid is also useful in assessing the possibility of using the potential ovary reserve in a Female. And it is also utilized for patients with defects on their luteal phase.

Clomid, aside from its efficiency in working with estrogen, also has the property of influencing the functions of other four major and vital hormones in infertility namely GnRH, LH, FSH and estradiol.

Although we still have no complete understanding of the exact manners by which Clomid conducts its processes, it still seem pretty obvious that its major effects in the brain is to fool it into believing that the estrogen level of the system is low. Thus bringing a domino effect of releasing more hormones to compensate for the lack of hormones for which infertility is said to have rooted.

The effect of this normal reaction is to make the system a feasible environment for ovulation.

The known side effects though of using Clomid in aid of fertility are the following:

  • Multiple pregnancy

  • Ovarian enlargement

  • Pelvic and abdominal discomfort

  • Bloating or distention

  • Breast discomfort

  • Nausea and vomiting

  • Abnormal uterine bleeding

  • Visual symptoms like appearances of waves, floaters, lights and etc.
  • While there may be side effects like these, Clomid is still clear of having any association with increase of congenital abnormalities, complications in pregnancy, birth defects appearing in children and premature labor.

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