General Article Infertility treatments

Topic Selected: Fertility and Reproduction Book Volume: 387
This article is 4 years old. Click here to view the latest articles for this topic.

If you have fertility problems, the treatment you’re offered will depend on what’s causing the problem and what’s available from your local clinical commissioning group (CCG).

There are 3 main types of fertility treatment:

  • medicines
  • surgical procedures
  • assisted conception – including intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilisation (IVF)

Medicines

Common fertility medicines include:

  • clomifene – encourages the monthly release of an egg (ovulation) in women who do not ovulate regularly or cannot ovulate at all
  • tamoxifen – an alternative to clomifene that may be offered if you have ovulation problems
  • metformin – is particularly beneficial for women who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
  • gonadotrophins – can help stimulate ovulation in women, and may also improve fertility in men
  • gonadotrophin-releasing hormone and dopamine agonists – other types of medicine prescribed to encourage ovulation in women

Some of these medicines may cause side effects, such as nausea, vomiti...

Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?

Sign up now for an immediate no obligation FREE TRIAL and view the entire collection