Femara for Infertility Treatment

Letrozole – brand named Femara – is an oral superovulation drug commonly used for the treatment of infertility. The specialists at New Hope Fertility Center have decades of education, training, and clinical experience in fertility medication therapy. It can’t be emphasized enough. Having the expertise to know how long a patient should remain on Femara therapy is determinative of pregnancy success.

Look: Here is an overview of how Femara is used.

• To induce an egg to develop and be released in a woman who is not ovulating naturally
• To increase the chances of pregnancy for a woman who can ovulate naturally through superovulation

About Femara

Femara is an oral medication working to block a woman’s production of estrogen. The components making up Femara belong to a classification of medications known as aromatase inhibitors. Aromatase is an enzyme responsible for producing estrogen. Femara works to inhibit aromatase – suppressing estrogen production.

Decreased estrogen production stimulates a woman’s ovaries into growing multiple egg follicles. The pituitary gland produces more of the hormones needed to stimulate a woman’s ovaries into producing multiple egg follicles – FSH and LH.

• Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
• Luteinizing Hormone (LH)

These hormones cause:

• Ovulation in women who have diagnosed as anovulatory, or
• Increase in the number of eggs developed in women who have the ability to ovulate

Where to Purchase Femara

You can purchase Femara online at goodrx.com or in-person at a specialty pharmacy.

Uses of Femara for the Treatment of Infertility

At New Hope Fertility Center, our high standard of care encompasses the detailed explanation of how fertility medications work to every patient.

Two common treatment options will increase a woman’s chances of pregnancy:

• Medicated Assisted Timed Intercourse
• Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) also known as artificial insemination

Medicated Assisted Timed Intercourse

When a couple is unable to get pregnant despite normal reproductive health, medicated assisted timed intercourse using Femara in conjunction with IUI is commonly recommended to increase their chances of pregnancy.

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

IUI is the best and lowest cost method of conceiving when timed intercourse at home fails.

• After a woman’s monthly cycle has been regulated, Femara is prescribed to stimulate her production of multiple egg follicles
• Our fertility specialists will then regularly monitor the growth of the patient’s egg follicles through vaginal ultrasound imaging and blood tests
• The patient will self-administer an ovulation trigger medication – hCG human chorionic gonadotropin – via injection
• Timed with ovulation, the insemination procedure will take place to insert a highly concentrated amount of motile sperm into the patient’s cervix using a thin catheter – similar to a Pap smear
• A blood draw for a pregnancy test is scheduled approximately two weeks later

How to Administer the Recommended Dose of Letrozole (Femara)

The recommended dose of Femara is one 2.5 mg tablet administered once a day.

• Call New Hope Fertility Center on Day 1 of your menstrual cycle
• Visit our office for blood test and ultrasound on Day 2 or Day 3
• Take one 2.5 mg pill of Letrozole on Days 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9
• On Day 10 or Day 11, visit our office for blood test and ultrasound
• Your fertility care team will give you instructions on when to return for a follow up office visit
• As instructed, self-administer the hCG trigger injection in the evening after your follow up visit
• Your insemination will be scheduled two (2) days after the hCG trigger injection
• One (1) week after the hCG injection, you will visit the office for a blood test to determine your progesterone level
• Two (2) weeks after the hCG injection, you will visit the office for a pregnancy blood test

Side Effects – Femara,/h3>

Common side effects of Femara include:

• Hot flashes – warmth of face or chest
• Flushing – warmth, redness, tingling feeling
• Hair loss
• Fatigue
• Drowsiness
• Troubled sleep and/or loss of sleep
• Night sweats
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Constipation
• Joint/bone/muscle aches
• Headache
• Numbness/tingling/weakness/stiffness in hand or fingers
• Pain in hand spreading to wrist, forearm, or shoulder

World Renowned Fertility Medication Expertise

Make it a priority to work with a fertility doctor having medication expertise meeting your personal needs. To schedule a consultation with Dr. John Zhang – a world renowned fertility specialist –  or call 917.525.5496.