Ovulation induction is a simple procedure that aims to stimulate the ovaries in order to produce and release one or more ova in order to increase the likelihood of conception.
This method is the primary treatment of infertility, a method that significantly increases the likelihood of conception after scheduled sexual intercourse or artificial insemination (IUI).
Ovulation induction involves the administration of pills (usually Clomiphene) or injections (Gonadotropins), whereas in some cases both methods may be combined. The ovulation induction usually begins on the 2nd or the 3rd day of the menstrual cycle and it lasts until the patient begins to ovulate. The patient is monitored with frequent ovarian ultrasounds and blood hormone tests to ensure proper response to drugs and to determine the size of the oocytes, their growth and the thickness of the endometrium.
When the follicles are considered to have grown to a diameter of more than 17 mm and the Estradiol value has reached the desired percentage according to the number of follicles (150-200 pg/ml for each follicle), the patient is injected with Chorionic Gonadotrophin, which aids in the final maturation of the oocytes, so that ovulation and scheduled sexual intercourse or artificial insemination may follow.
This treatment is recommended to women who produce low levels of ovulation-causing hormones (oligoovulation), who have no ovulation (anovulation), who have normal ovulation but present unexplained infertility, or women with dysmenorrhea and polycystic ovarian syndrome. It is also recommended in certain other cases, such as in young couples with short-term infertility, long-distance couples, etc.