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About your Medications

Your body normally produces one egg that is released for fertilization each month. To increase the chances for successful fertilization, you will be taking certain medications to help your body produce more than one egg without depletion of your egg pool.

It is important for you to carefully follow the instructions we give you about your medication, to take them at the current time,
in the correct dosage and to ask questions, if you are uncertain of any part. We will teach you and your partner (or another person) how to administer your injections.
You will be taking some of the following medications:
Antibiotic Prophylaxis may be given to some patients and their partners to be taken orally during their cycle.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG; Profasi, Pregnyl) is an IM injection that like a woman's natural LH, hCG hormone causes the dominant follicle to release its egg. hCG, which is produced by the placenta during pregnancy is extracted from the urine of pregnant women, and is similar in chemical structure to LH. The physician may also use ultrasound or blood tests to determine the precise day to administer hCG. Do not take hCG until you have been given specific instructions to do so. hCG does need to be refrigerated, if it has been premixed. After hCG is mixed it must be used within 30 days or discarded.
Metrodin (Follicle Stimulating Hormone; FSH) is an IM (intamuscular) injection and contains 75 units of FSH and less than 1 unit of LH per ampule. It is really hMG with almost all the LH removed. FSH bypasses the hypothalamus and pituitary to directly stimulate follicle growth. It is also used to cause multiple follicles to grow for use in IVF. Pregnancy rates after hMG-induced ovulations are similar to those of normally ovulating women and may be even higher. Most doctors start FSH treatment on day 2, 3, 4, or 5 of your cycle. The injections are given over a period of days, usually 7-12 days, but this may be extended if the ovary is slow to respond. The follicle size is monitored by ultrasound and the estrogen level is measured through blood tests. Ovulation is triggered by an injection of hCG or reduces the amount of hCG given. If the doctor sees that too many follicles are developing, he may decide to withhold the hCG injection. Despite intense monitoring, multiple gestations occur in approximately 15% -25% of the hMG cycles. Of the multiple gestations, about 2/3 are twins and 1/3 are triplets or more.
Side effects include breast tenderness, swelling or rash at the injection site, abdominal bloating, mood swings or slight twinges of abdominal pain.
Fertinex (Follicle Stimulating Hormone; FSH) is an SQ (subcutaneous) injection and contains 75 units of FSH and less than 1 unit of LH per ampule. It is really hMG with almost all the LH removed. FSH bypasses the hypothalamus and pituitary to directly stimulate follicle growth. It is also used to cause multiple follicles to grow for use in IVF. Pregnancy rates after hMG-induced ovulations are similar to those of normally ovulating women and may be even higher. Most doctors start FSH treatment on day 2, 3, 4, or 5 of your cycle. The injections are given over a period of days, usually 7-12 days, but this may be extended if the ovary is slow to respond. The follicle size is monitored by ultrasound and the estrogen level is measured through blood tests. Ovulation is triggered by an injection of hCG or reduces the amount of hCG given. If the doctor sees that too many follicles are developing, he may decide to withhold the hCG injection. Despite intense monitoring, multiple gestations occur in approximately 15% -25% of the hMG cycles. Of the multiple gestations, about 2/3 are twins and 1/3 are triplets or more.
Side effects include breast tenderness, swelling or rash at the injection site, abdominal bloating, mood swings or slight twinges of abdominal pain.
Human Menopausal Gondatrophin (hMG, Pergonal; Humegon) is an IM (intramuscular injection and contains equal parts of the pituitary hormones FSH and LH, which are derived from the urine of postmenopausal women. The FSH and LH have direct impact on the ovaries, stimulating them to produce several eggs in one cycle. It is also used to cause multiple follicles to grow for use in IVF. Pregnancy rates after hMG-induced ovulation are similar to those of normally ovulating women and may be even higher. Most doctors start FSH treatment on day 2, 3, 4, or 5 of your cycle. The injections are given over a period of days, usually 7-12 days, but this may be extended if the ovary is slow to respond. The follicle size is monitored by ultrasound and the estrogen level is measured through blood tests. Ovulation is triggered by an injection of hCG or reduces the amount of hCG given. If the doctor sees that too many follicles are developing, he may decide to withhold the hCG injection. Despite intense monitoring, multiple gestations occur in approximately 15% -25% of the hMG cycles. Of the multiple gestations, about 2/3 are twins and 1/3 are triplets or more.
Side effects include breast tenderness, swelling or rash at the injection site, abdominal bloating, mood swings or slight twinges of abdominal pain.
Leuprolide Acetate (Lupron) is a synthetic hormone that stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete LH and FSH production. However, when a woman starts to take Lupron, her pituitary gland is exposed to a constant level and the effect is just the opposite. After an initial acceleration in LH and FSH production, the pituitary stops producing these hormones. Ovulation is prevented and estrogen levels drop. As a result the patient often has symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, headaches and mood swings. Other side effects include insomnia, night sweats and decreased libido. Lupron is given as a daily SQ injection taken up to the time of hCG. Lupron has been used extensively in the United States and elsewhere and has been found to increase the number of mature follicles and decrease the chance of having to cancel a cycle. Lupron has been approved by the FDA and has been used successfully in the treatment of endometriosis over a number of years. While yet to be approved specifically for the use during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, Lupron continues to be used safely and extensively for this purpose.