If you are dealing with male infertility issues, your doctor may prescribe fertility drugs for men. Fertility drugs for men are intended to correct hormonal imbalances. Sometimes doctors prescribe fertility drugs for men with low sperm quality or mobility
Why fertility drugs for men?
Men need certain hormones in order to create the best sperm to make a baby. But did you know that the same hormones that control female reproductive processes also control men’s?
Some fertility drugs for men with sperm problems are also used in women to stimulate ovulation. However, the success rates of these fertility drugs for men are much lower than they are for women.
Do they always work?
Fertility drugs for men work for conditions such as hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. This is a hormonal imbalance in the pituitary gland or hypothalamus that prevents the testicles from receiving the signal to produce sperm.
Yet there are many causes of male infertility. Fertility drugs for men can only fix a small percentage of these male infertility problems.
Fertility drugs cannot help these male fertility problems:
- a blockage
- an infection
- retrograde ejaculation (where sperm move in the wrong direction in the reproductive tract and deposit in the bladder)
- varicocele (a dilated vein in the scrotum)
Types of fertility drugs for men
If the male infertility problem is caused by the hypothalamus or pituitary gland failing to produce normal levels of hormones, your doctor may prescribe gonadotropin treatment.
Gonadotropin treatment includes human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injections of 1500 to 2000 IU about 3 times a week for up to six months. HCG works by prompting the testes to produce testosterone and sperm. Your doctor will monitor your blood testosterone levels and will adjust the dosage if needed.
If your sperm count has not improved after six to nine months, your doctor may recommend including human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) with the hCG injections.
If sperm counts don’t increase on hCG alone, another option to boost the effect of fertility drugs is to incorporate recombinant human follicle stimulating hormone (rhFSH).
Treatment with hCG (and hMG or rhFSH if necessary) is not a quick fix. This treatment can sometimes take as long as one to two years for the male to achieve normal fertility.
If your infertility is a result of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism due to hypothalamic disease, this may be treated with fertility drugs for men such as gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH).
You will wear a portable pump that looks similar to a beeper with an attached needle and catheter. The drug is delivered through the pump via injected pulses into your body. This can be very inconvenient, especially because it needs to be worn daily for one to three years in order to produce sperm.
Another option for fertility drugs for men is clomiphene (Clomid). Clomid works by signaling the pituitary gland to produce LH and FSH, which then tells the testicles to make testosterone and sperm. You will take one pill per day for about three to six months. However, studies have shown Clomid to have a low efficacy in men.
Side effects of fertility drugs for men
Side effects with fertility drugs for men are common. Your may experience weight gain, temporary visual disturbances, breast enlargement and tenderness while taking hMG or Clomid.
Keep in mind that the FDA, which governs all prescriptive treatments, has not yet approved the use of fertility drugs for men. Also, few studies have been done to determine the effectiveness of fertility drugs for men.
Ask about options
If fertility drugs treatment does not help, there are other options available. Before beginning a course of treatment, make sure you’ve discussed all your options, what’s involved with each and your chance of success.
Ask a doctor in your area about fertility medicationsSources: PubMed.gov: Clomiphene treatment in male infertility. UpToDate: Treatment of male infertility. UpToDate: Patient Information: Treatment of infertility in men.
