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Clomiphene Citrate for Infertility
For women. Clomiphene may be prescribed to:
- Stimulate ovulation in a woman who does not ovulate or who ovulates irregularly. Her estrogen levels and pituitary gland function must be normal, and her male partner must be diagnosed as fertile.
- Perform a clomiphene challenge test, which is sometimes used to evaluate a woman's ovulation and egg quality (ovarian reserve). When given early in a woman's menstrual cycle for 5 days, clomiphene elevates a woman's follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level. On the next day, an FSH blood level that has dropped back to normal is a sign of a normal ovarian reserve and ovulation. An elevated FSH is a sign of low ovarian reserve. Women with a diminished ovarian reserve can use donor eggs, which greatly improves their chances of giving birth to a healthy child.
- Stimulate the development of multiple eggs for use with assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT).
- Regulate ovulation in a woman who ovulates irregularly and/or is going to have intrauterine insemination or artificial insemination.
Clomiphene is sometimes used together with other medicines and infertility treatments.
Before trying clomiphene, women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who are overweight are advised to lower their body mass index (BMI) with diet and exercise. Reaching a healthy weight can restart ovulation.1 If that isn't successful, using medicine to correct insulin metabolism may start ovulation. If not, a combination of medicines may help stimulate ovulation.
For men. Clomiphene may be used to treat low sperm counts (oligospermia).
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: March 19, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Sarah Anne Marshall, MD - Family Medicine Femi Olatunbosun, MB, FRCSC - Obstetrics and Gynecology | |
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