Why Do People Use Fertility Drugs?

Fertility drugs are commonly prescribed for couples who are experiencing infertility. Infertility is the inability to conceive a child after one year of trying. According to Shared Journey, a website for fertility topics, up to 10 percent of the population is infertile.

Types

• Drugs can be used to address lack of ovulation, repeated miscarriage, blocked fallopian tubes and irregular cycles in women, while fertility medications can also improve the quantity and viability of sperm in males.

Statistics

• According to Margaret Pendzich of Bryn Mawr College, less than a third of infertile couples seek treatment, despite the fact that 90 percent of infertility causes are treatable.

In Vitro Fertilization

• In vitro fertilization involves harvesting eggs from the mother or a donor and fertilizing them in a lab environment before reinserting the blastocysts (fertilized eggs). Fertility drugs can increase the number of viable eggs available for harvest and are routinely included in IVF cycles.

Clomiphene

• Clomiphene is a drug used to induce ovulation. Up to 90 percent of the women using clomiphene ovulate, and somewhere between 20 and 60 percent of those women conceive, according to Pendzich.

Potential

• According to the IVF New Jersey clinic, using fertility drugs results in a 15 percent likelihood of conceiving, and 40 percent of couples conceive within six months of therapy.