Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Clomiphene Citrate for Infertility
Side effects of clomiphene include:
- Ovarian hyperstimulation, ranging from mild, with enlarged ovaries and abdominal discomfort; to moderate, additionally causing nausea, vomiting, or shortness of breath; to severe and life-threatening.
- Hot flashes.
- Irritability.
- Nausea, abdominal pain.
- Headaches.
- Thick cervical mucus, which sperm cannot travel through. This can be reversed with medicine or bypassed with intrauterine insemination.
- Breast tenderness.
- Blurred vision.
- Hair loss (very rare).
Women who become pregnant after clomiphene therapy have an approximately 5% to 8% chance of multiple pregnancy.3 This compares to a 1% to 2% chance in the general North American and European population.2 Multiples resulting from clomiphene treatment are almost exclusively twins. Triplets are rare.3
Miscarriage risk?
In some studies, miscarriage rates are slightly higher in women who become pregnant using clomiphene. It is not clear if this is related to an early hormonal effect on the egg or to preexisting conditions such as age or polycystic ovary syndrome, which are found more often in women who take clomiphene. Other studies have not shown an increased miscarriage rate.3
Clomiphene has not been observed to harm the fetus.
See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: March 19, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Sarah Anne Marshall, MD - Family Medicine Femi Olatunbosun, MB, FRCSC - Obstetrics and Gynecology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Care Finder
from
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
- After chemo hair loss, 'henna crowns' help heal
The iVillage Network