Fertility Treatments for Women Over 40

A common method to treat infertility in women over 40 is with the use of fertility drugs. Couples who wish to get pregnant but need help will come across several drug treatments that their doctors will prescribe. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health lists six of the most common fertility drugs used to help women get pregnant.

The following is a simple, brief overview on what each of these common fertility drugs do. To see if it is right for you, you should first seek the advice of a medical professional.

1. Clomiphene citrate (Clomid) causes ovulation by interacting with the pituitary gland. If you have polycystic ovarian syndrome or any other ovulation problem, you are very likely going to hear about this drug.

2. Another drug the HHS list is the human menopausal gonadotropin or hMG (Repronex, Pergonal). The HHS states that this medicine "is often used for women who don't ovulate due to problems with their pituitary gland." However, this drug is different from clomiphene in that hMG is injected and it interacts directly on the ovaries to stimulate ovulation.

3. Follicle-stimulating hormone or FSH (Gonal-F, Follistim) works in a similar way to hMG. It is also injected and it interacts with the ovaries to stimulate ovulation. Infertility conditions such as PCOS typically have low levels of FSH.

4. Women who have irregular ovulation cycles will often be treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) analog. The HHS also cite that this is used for women who ovulate before the egg is ready. Gn-RH analogs are often injected but are also given with a nasal spray.

5. If you are a woman who has insulin resistance and/or PCOS, your doctor may recommend you take metformin (Glucophage). What it does is help lower the high levels of male hormones in women if you have these conditions. Doing so helps your body ovulate. You may be asked to take this drug in combination with clomiphene or FSH which is a common practice.

6. Prolactin is a hormone that causes milk production and if there is a high level of prolactin in the body, ovulation problems may occur. If this is your condition, Bromocriptine (parlodel) will most likely be prescribed.

The Office on Women's Health lists these six fertility drugs as common treatments for the common causes of infertility in women. they also cite that using fertility drugs increase a woman's chances of having twins, triples, or more. Obviously, carrying multiple fetuses come with even more risks for you and the fetuses. The benefits and risks must be discussed and careful consideration must be given if you need help getting pregnant. This is especially true if you are over the age of 35.

Getting pregnant is possible and many women have successfully brought a baby into this world. Keep an open mind and keep yourself as healthy as possible. To learn more about curing infertility in women, please take a moment to read this article and please visit pregnancyover40.tumblr.com for more information. Good luck and don't lose hope.