Ovulation Induction involves taking medication to stimulate egg and release, boosting chances of conception in timed intercourse or Artificial Insemination. We tend to use it mostly on women who are producing low levels of hormones for ovulation or who are not ovulating at all but have normal fallopian tubes and the male partner has a normal semen analysis.
During the menstrual cycle, up to 20 eggs develop but generally only one matures. For fertilisation to occur, an egg must be mature. The aim of Ovulation Induction is to stimulate more eggs to grow and mature, and then to collect as many eggs as possible. To achieve this, women going through this process are given hormones to stimulate the ovaries, allowing them to develop more eggs to the mature stage, when they can either be fertilised by timed intercourse or by Artificial Insemination.
What Medication Does Ovulation Induction Use?
Ovulation Inductions can involve the use of various medications. These include:
- Clomiphene Citrate (Clomid)
This oral medication helps to trigger ovulation in women who struggle to ovulate naturally. It encourages the body to produce more follicle stimulate hormone. We use it most commonly on women who have irregular or long menstrual cycles.
- Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
This medication involves Hormone injections. FSH can be used to stimulate the number of follicles that develop in the ovary and therefore the number of eggs that are ovulated during a cycle. Another hormone hCG may be used in injection form to trigger ovulation once the follicles have developed.
What Happens After I Take The Medication?
Dr Raewyn and her team will monitor your cycle very closely with ultrasounds and/or blood tests to check the number and size of follicles developing. This is essential to reduce the risk of a multiple pregnancy. When the time of ovulation is near, we will advise you the best day/s to have sex to boost your chance of conceiving. Should it be the case, we may also perform intrauterine insemination where prepared sperm is inserted into the uterus.
