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About your Medications |
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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, |
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| 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.
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| You will be taking some
of the following medications: |
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| Antibiotic
Prophylaxis may be given to some patients and their partners to be taken
orally during their cycle. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Side effects include breast
tenderness, swelling or rash at the injection site, abdominal bloating, mood
swings or slight twinges of abdominal pain. |
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| 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. |
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| Side effects include breast
tenderness, swelling or rash at the injection site, abdominal bloating, mood
swings or slight twinges of abdominal pain. |
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| 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. |
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| Side effects include breast
tenderness, swelling or rash at the injection site, abdominal bloating, mood
swings or slight twinges of abdominal pain. |
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| 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. |
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