IVF and Beyond: Local Infertility Treatments That'll Boost Your Chances of Getting Pregnant

BABY BOOSTER NO 1: CLOMID — FOR PCOS OR OTHER OVULATION PROBLEMS
Also known as clomiphene citrate, Clomid is often given to correct a hormonal imbalance or to help those with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a condition that can affect women’s menstrual cycles and hormone levels.

How it works: “Clomiphene is an anti-estrogen,” says Dr. Fossum. “It makes your brain think you have lower levels of estrogen than you really do, which causes the pituitary gland to produce higher levels of the gonadotropin FSH, a hormone that stimulates the ovaries to produce eggs. It’s used to get the ovulation cycle to normalize, not with the intention to produce numerous eggs.”

How it will affect your life: Pop pills at varying doses for five days. Within a 14-day cycle, you’ll need to be seen by your doctor two or three times for checkups.

Success rate: “Eighty percent of patients ovulate and 60 percent of patients are pregnant after three or four cycles,” says Dr. Glassner.

Average local cost: $60 per cycle plus doctor visits

Possible side effects: Hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings. Though rare, it can impair fertility by making the lining of the womb too thin.

Octo-Mom risk: “Clomid has a 7 percent rate of multiples,” says Dr. Fossum. “And a 2 percent risk for triplets or more.”

Where it’s available: Jefferson University Hospital Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, 834 Chestnut St.; Main Line Fertility, Bryn Mawr; Penn Fertility Care, 3701 Market St.; Abington Reproductive Medicine, Abington; The Crozer Reproductive Endocrinology and Fertility Center, Upland.

BABY BOOSTER NO 2: GONADOTROPIN INJECTIONS — WHEN CLOMID DIDN'T WORK OR YOU HAVE LOW NATURAL LEVELS OF THE BABY-FRIENDLY HORMONES LH AND FSH