Ovulation Induction: A Route for Women with Anovulatory or A functional Ovary towards Fertility

Ovulation induction is an ad-on treatment wherein drugs are given to women who rarely or do not ovulate at all, a condition termed as anovulation, for the induction of natural ovulation. The National Institutes of Health said that there is at least 25 to 30 percent of women with infertility problems regarding ovulation.

Normal ovulation refers to the letting of an ovary in anticipation of the availability of an egg ready to be fertilized. Normal ovulation occurs about every 28 days during the menstrual cycle. Intervals between cycles that are within a normal range are 21 to 35 days. These intervals are suggested to have a normal ovulation condition. If fertilization is not achieved, natural breakdown and expulsion of the ripened egg with the tissues involved empty the uterus.

If ovulation occurs less than once every 35 days or is entirely unpredictable, then it is considered irregular. In fact, if ovulation is utterly unpredictable in either interval or duration, then it is called oligo-ovulation, and anovulation occurs when it simply does not happen at all. Ovulatory problems interfere with fertility by eliminating the predictability of ovulation and possibly the availability of an egg to be fertilized.

Medications used for ovulation induction

Ovulation induction is the treatment planned to enhance the chances of conception of a child by either sexual intercourse or intrauterine insemination, or other infertility treatment. When the absent ovulation is indeed an expression of a deeper underlying fertility disorder, then treating the underlying disorder also restores normal ovulation and fertility.

Ovulation induction is carried out through a combination of multiple hormone-based medication to regulate the woman's system of reproductive hormones so that this ovulation is achieved of all such most used include:

1. Clomiphene citrate:

This is a medication, which is believed to be given to women with normal pituitary hormones but where such normal cyclic changes of these hormones are not occurring. Most patients know this medicine by their brand name, Clomid.

2. Aromatase inhibitors:

This class of medication has all the same requirements as clomiphene citrate but in PCOS is very effective. Most patients know the drug either by its generic name letrozole, or by the brand name Femara.

3. Insulin sensitizers:

These drugs are given to some women with PCOS associated with diabetes or prediabetes. Most women will know this medication under its generic name metformin. Gonadotropins Comprise two injectable hormones; Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) which enhances the production of eggs and are usually secreted from the pituitary gland. Gonadotropins cause the growth of eggs to be stimulated very much, so they need to be monitored more often compared to clomiphene citrate and letrozole.

Side effects of this medication:

Multiple Pregnancy Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS A condition where ovaries become hyperactive and swollen.). Sometimes, the real therapy is treatment of an independent condition like obesity or hypothyroidism; these are strong enough to cause ovulation Induction.

Who could benefit from ovulation induction

Unlike the more conventional approach of IVF, Ovulation Induction causes a natural response through no surgery. This is done for women who have their ovulation irregular or absent. Even women with disorders that keep them from ovulating such as PCOS can be helped through Ovulation Induction. Ovulation induction also remains a prevalent mode of in vitro fertilization when multiple mature eggs are induced for release so that they are retrieved for lab fertilization. This is most known as controlled ovarian hyperstimulation.

When considering whether to apply ovulation induction, physicians typically consider, conditions that directly interfere with normal ovulation and,

• PCOS
• A female's level of hormones particularly the level of FSH, AMH and LH.
• Indirect conditions that can lead to a derailment in ovulation including thyroid conditions, stress/eating disorders, and obesity.
• The kind of workout a woman is exposed to.
• For women who will still possess abnormal ovulation even after treatment through ovulation induction, the doctors can also try to do superovulation. Superovulation is another form of treatment where a human chorionic gonadotropin hormone is used to induce the release of potential mature eggs in the follicle.

Risks and side effects of ovulation induction

Some drugs used for ovulation induction induce OHSS. Typically, mild, and severe complications from OHSS are short-lived and spontaneously resolve after a few weeks. These may include:

• Abdominal distension
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Respiratory distress
• Diaphoresis
• Weight gain
• Pelvic tenderness
• Blurred vision

The ovarian superovulation therapy causes the multiple discharge of ova. This will make it possible that multiple fertilized eggs (embryos) are implanted, thus raising the risk for a high-risk pregnancy.

Aids of ovulation induction

Ovulation induction typically becomes one of the first treatments employed for infertility since it does not involve any kind of invasive techniques and is comparatively much cheaper in contrast with other fertility treatments, such as IVF, that require all kinds of tests, medications, minor procedures, and lab work.

In fact, with more serious cases of anovulation or infertility cases, ovulation induction can also become a good treatment with IVF, IUI, and other holistic methods combined.