Cabergoline and Bromocriptine (Dostinex and Parlodel)
Hyperprolactinaemia, described at the increased concentration of prolactin in the blood, can prevent ovulation or alter its quality. These drugs are used to restore prolactin levels back to normal. These drugs are completely innocent and should not be stopped unless there is a medical recommendation.
Thyroid Hormone
It is used to regulate a thyroid dysfunction and more often hypothyroidism which seems to play an important role in fertility. There are quite a few cases of patients, who have had their fertility problem simply solved by regulating their thyroid function with a single pill.
GnRH COMPETITORS (Arvekap, Daronda)
The purpose of using these drugs is to temporarily suppress the hormonal axis that regulates ovarian function. As mentioned earlier, the female body is programmed to produce one egg at a time; however this is not sufficient for IVF data, because we need more than one egg in order to increase the chances of success from the first IVF attempt. So these drugs are used in order to isolate our own natural hormonal system, in order to be able to cause stimulation comfortably with external hormonal administration.
COMPETITORS (CETROTIDE AND ORGALUTRAN)
These drugs are used to suppress the LH surge and prevent ovulation in protocols that have not been preceded by agonist suppression.
In ovarian stimulation regimens, antagonists act as a brake and are used in combination with gonadotropins to prolong the period of follicular recruitment and maturation with the goal of increasing the number of mature eggs that will be produced until ovulation. Antagonists are also used to avoid side effects such as ovarian hyperstimulation, especially in women with a high ovarian reserve, as for example in stimulations of women with polycystic ovaries.
METFORMIN (GLUCOPHAGE)
This medicine is administered in cases where a pathological glucose curve is observed and insulin resistance is established. This is usually seen in women with polycystic ovary syndrome or obesity. It appears to act on multiple levels and promote both ovulation induction and ovulation quality, contributing to better IVF rates and a lower miscarriage rate.
