Hormone Injections to Jumpstart Your Ovaries
Hormone injections are used to help stimulate ovulation in women who have infertility issues due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Hypogonadotrophic Hypogonadism, and unexplained infertility. Hormone injections are also commonly recommended to couples who have tried Clomid for six cycles without success. If you have been trying to conceive naturally for more than a year but have been unable to get pregnant, then it may be time to speak to your doctor about hormone injections and fertility treatments.
What Are Hormone Injections?
Hormone injections are a broad term that refers to several types of hormones used to stimulate ovulation. These include: follitropin alfa (Gonal-F), follitropin beta (Puregon), menotrophin (Menopur) and urofollitropin (Fostimon). Lutropin (Luveris), which is usually prescribed alongside another hormone to treat Hypogonadotrophic Hypogonadism, also falls under the umbrella of hormone injections. The types prescribed to you will depend on several factors based on your medical history and your doctor’s discretion.
These hormones are similar to the hormones found in the body already and work to stimulate ovulation when your body needs a little help. Hormone injections, just as the name suggests, are hormones that are administered through an injection. If you decide to use hormone injections to help stimulate ovulation, your doctor will teach you and your partner how to administer the injections at home and will prescribe the recommended dosage.
Hormone Injection Side Effects
Hormone injections do have some side effects that you need to be aware of. Some of the side effects of hormone injections include nausea and vomiting, swelling, bloating and weight gain. Mood swings are also commonly reported by women taking hormone injections. One of the more serious risks is that of developing OHSS, which stands for Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. This condition can be serious and needs to be treated immediately.
Though somewhat low, there is an increased risk of ovarian cancer for those who take hormone injections to stimulate ovulation. The risk rises by approximately 12 percent. This is something that you should speak to your doctor about if you are concerned or already fall into a high-risk group because of previous cancer or a family history of ovarian cancer or breast cancer.
The chance of multiple births also increases for women who use hormone injections for infertility. The highest risk is having twins, but it is important to know that triplets and then some are also a possibility when using hormone injections.
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