_{How does ovulation induction work?}

For women who are not ovulating or who have irregular menstrual cycles or unexplained infertility, ovulation-inducing medications are often the first method physicians will try to achieve pregnancy. Medications stimulate the release of hormones that drive egg production. (Sometimes another hormonal injection is used to trigger ovulation, although some women wait for that to happen naturally.)There are two types of ovulation induction medications:
‍Oral medications. These are usually the first line of treatment for women who do not ovulate or who ovulate infrequently.A typical treatment cycle begins with an ultrasound and blood work on the third day of the menstrual cycle. Clomiphene (Clomid) and letrozole (Femara) are oral medications taken between days three and seven or between days five and nine of your cycle. A transvaginal ultrasound will be performed on day 10 or 11 to check for egg development. In the ovaries, each egg is contained within a follicle, or fluid-filled sac, that can be visualized by ultrasound. When a woman ovulates, the follicle releases a then-mature egg. (Several follicles develop in the ovaries during each cycle, but usually only one will release an egg.)Your doctor may use ultrasound and bloodwork to monitor the development of follicles to let you know when you should start attempting to conceive naturally or determine when to use intrauterine insemination.“Patients can also monitor themselves at home with ovulation predictor kits,” Dr. Kodaman says. “This works well for women who have limited insurance coverage or those who have difficulty finding time to come into the office early in the morning when monitoring is done. They can simply time intercourse based on the ovulation kit or see us only for the insemination procedure.
”Injectable medications: If oral medications are unsuccessful, injectable medications such as a follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) are typically the next step. The treatment cycle begins with an ultrasound and blood work on day three of the menstrual cycle.