CLOMIPHENE CITRATE (SERPAFAR)
It is probably the oldest one of this short of drugs and the only one taken in pill form. It is practically an estrogen antagonist that tricks the pituitary gland with the false message that estrogen levels are dropping and thus forces the gland to secrete large amounts of gonadotropins to wake the ovaries, resulting in the production of more than one follicle. The dosage varies but the protocol that I personally apply is 50mg morning-evening from the second to the sixth day of the cycle. It rarely has side effects and the only cases that it needs to be stopped are headache or visual disturbances. Another common side effect is thinning of the endometrium.
HUMAN MENOPAUSAL GONADOTROPIN (HMG) –MENOPUR
It is also one of the oldest fertility drugs used to cause ovulation. It contains equal amounts of both forms of gonadotropins that are produced during the natural cycle and it is especially useful in difficult cases of ovarian stimulation such as hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and poor ovarian response. The main substances of this drug are collected and processed from the urine of menopausal women and it is mainly administered subcutaneously.
Recombinant gonadotropin (Gonal F, Puregon, Luveris)
These drugs are the modern achievement of pharmaceutical technology. They are indeed the gonadotropins that circulate in the body during the first half of the menstrual cycle and which are entirely produced in the laboratory. Their activity is fully approved and guaranteed and they are excellent options for fertility treatments.
Recombinant chorionic gonadotropin (OVITRELLE)
This is a recombinant, lab made form of thechorionic gonadotropin that is used to induce the final maturation of the egg, and make it unattached from its environment and break the follicle and basically leading to ovulation. From the time of its administration until the ovulation, it takes from 32 to 36 hours. This recombinant form, thanks to its shorter effect period, is preferred in cases of ovarian hyperstimulation.
