Managing Your Fertility Drugs

Human Menopausal Gonadotropin
Common names: Humegon, Pergonal, Repronex, Menopur

How this fertility drug works
Human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) is an injectable combination of LH and FSH designed to either induce ovulation in a woman who doesn’t ovulate (or does so rarely), or, in women who are ovulating, it can help them release more than one egg, thereby increasing the chance that one or more will fertilize.

Possible side effects
Headaches and reactions at the injection site are the most common side effects of hMG, but you might also experience abdominal pain, cramping, nausea, breast tenderness, and/or OHSS. You also increase your odds of multiples—there’s a 25 percent chance of twins and a 5 percent chance of triplets—which brings with it its own risks, such as preterm delivery. “The uterus is a one-bedroom apartment, so getting pregnant with multiples is definitely considered a risky side effect,” says Dr. Confino.

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Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
Common names: Pregnyl, Profasi

How this fertility drug works
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone that helps stimulate egg maturation and release from the follicle.

Possible side effects
Synthetic hCG is given by injection, either right under the skin or into a muscle. Some women experience pain and slight swelling at the injection site. Other side effects can include abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and OHSS.

Leuprolide
Common names: Lupron, synthetic gonadtropin inhibitor

How this fertility drug works
This drug suppresses the hormones LH and FSH to “keep a woman from releasing immature follicles and eggs,” explains Dr. Confino. The drug can be crucial in making sure eggs aren’t released before your doctor is ready to retrieve them, and is typically used in women undergoing IVF.

Possible side effects
Hot flashes, sweating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, an increased need to urinate, breast tenderness, and vaginal dryness are the most common. Bone loss is a risk in women who use the drug for longer than six weeks. Call your doctor right away if you develop hives, a rash, difficulty breathing or swallowing, numbness or tingling in the lower legs, painful urination or blood in your urine, bone pain, or the inability to move your arms or legs.

A version of this article originally appeared in

Conceive's 2008 special issue, "The Birds, The Bees, and Modern Medicine."

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