Dallas IVF offers effective fertility treatments for women who have polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS.
Each of our DFW PCOS specialists begins treatment by prescribing fertility medications to induce ovulation and/or recommending lifestyle changes. However, sometimes our physicians have to use more advanced reproductive technologies like IVF for PCOS patients.
Doctors don’t automatically suggest IVF for PCOS
Women who have PCOS do not ovulate regularly. As a result, when a woman with PCOS visits a DFW PCOS specialist for fertility treatment, the physician will begin by prescribing one of the following front-line medications, rather than immediately progressing to IVF for PCOS treatment.
- Clomiphene citrate is a common fertility treatment for women with PCOS. This fertility medication causes the ovaries to produce and release eggs.
- Metformin is often used as an insulin-sensitizing drug to treat diabetes. However, it can also be used alone or with an ovulation inducing medication to improve or regulate ovulation.
- Letrozole is a fertility medication, like Clomiphene citrate, that helps the ovaries to produce and release eggs. Letrozole is as effective as clomiphene citrate at increasing ovulation although they work in different manners.
When a woman is taking one or more of these medications, she should perform timed intercourse with her partner to achieve pregnancy. If a patient does not get pregnant from this method, her physician may suggest intrauterine insemination, IUI, more advanced fertility medications or methods like IVF.
Other fertility options if medications like metformin and letrozole don’t work
If a patient does not get pregnant while using hormone-regulating medications alone, a DFW PCOS specialist may prescribe gonadotropins or recommend IVF for PCOS.
- Gonadotropins are hormones that are given as injections to cause ovulation. However, women who take these medications require frequent monitoring via blood tests and ultrasounds to see how their body is responding to treatment.
- In vitro fertilization, IVF, is an advanced fertility treatment that involves several steps. A woman begins by taking one or more of the fertility medications listed above and, when the time is right, her physician retrieves the eggs. Then an embryologist combines the eggs with sperm. Finally, the fertility specialist places one or two fertilized embryos into the patient’s uterus. With PCOS, we carefully manage the cycle to avoid ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).
Women interested in learning more about fertility treatments for PCOS should contact us today to schedule an appointment. Our caring and knowledgeable fertility specialists are experts in providing treatments that allow women with PCOS to become mothers.