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Hope in a Bottle
Finding Fertility Success with Non-Fertility Medications
By Teri Brown
Dr. Mark Bush, a reproductive endocrinologist working at Conceptions Women's Health and Fertility Specialists in Denver, Col., notes several medications used for non-fertility purposes that are useful in promoting fertility. "Letrozole was originally developed to fight breast cancer," he says. "Infertility physicians use it to prompt ovulation in certain fertility disorders. It works by blocking the conversion of androgens (male hormones) to estrogens. In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, who normally do not ovulate, it can bring about ovulation." Dr. Bush says Letrozole is particularly good at bringing out one egg as opposed to several.
Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are a class of medications used to treat insulin resistance and are oral agents for the treatment of diabetes. As stated above, many patients who have polycystic ovary syndrome also have insulin resistance. "In women whose BMI is greater than 27, or who have failed to optimally respond to Metformin, a TZD can be added – there is a combination drug of Metformin and a TZD called Avandamet – to improve a patient's response," says Dr. Bush. "This is because fat cells secrete a hormone called Resisten that interferes with the function of the insulin receptor. TZDs interrupt the secretion of this hormone, improve insulin action, decreases insulin levels and in many cases can restore ovulation."
These medications are not the answer to everyone's infertility issues and often have as many side effects as regular fertility mediations, but they add more choices in our fight against the pain of infertility. For many women, a non-fertility medication may be just what the doctor orders to end the struggle to get pregnant.
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