According to Randy S. Morris – founder and Medical Director of IVF1 – Femara has an increased efficacy and lower risk of producing multiple pregnancies compared to Clomid. The cost of Femara – comparable to Clomid at approximately $50 per cycle– and Femara’s slight side effects, makes it the preferred choice of Dr. Morris for use in increasing a couple’s chance of pregnancy.

Fertility Drugs

In 2013, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) acknowledge a medical study which found:

• A woman’s ovulation rate with Femara is superior to Clomid
• Live birth rates using Femara exceeds those with Clomid
• Femara’s use benefited pregnancy success rates in overweight women
• Femara and Clomid were comparable in success rates with overall Body Mass Index (BMI) groups studied

Comparing Femara to Clomid use, the ASRM accepted studies also found:

• No difference in the risk for pregnancy loss
• No difference in the rate of multiple pregnancies
• No difference in the number of serious adverse events
• Some of the same side effects
• Hot Flashes
• Headaches
• Breast Tenderness

Fertility Drugs – Femara vs. Clomid

Femara – generic brand Letrozole

It is an oral fertility medication commonly prescribed as an infertility treatment for women experiencing ovulation problems and/or unexplained infertility. Although Femara’s original purpose was to treat breast cancer, presently it is a drug included in the class of medications considered aromatase inhibitors. Femara works by inhibiting aromatase and suppressing estrogen production.Basically, Femara promotes the growth and release of eggs in women who are not ovulating on their own – ovulation induction. Or, superovulation in women who are able to ovulate. Ovulation induction and superovulation increase the chances of pregnancy. Femara is increasingly used for the treatment of infertility in women who are unable to ovulate naturally. When the enzyme aromatase is inhibited by Femara, estrogen levels are suppressed in women. Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) output is increased by the brain and pituitary gland. FSH hormone can result in the development of a mature follicle in the woman’s ovary to ovulate an egg. Femara increases a woman’s chance of pregnancy and has been proven in recent studies cited by the New England Journal of Medicine to be the better ovulation-inducing fertility drug – with fewer risks – for women. Studies on Femara also show no increased risk of miscarriage.

‍Clomid – generic brand Clomiphene Citrate

It is an oral fertility drug prescribed by fertility specialists to stimulate egg production in women who are unable to ovulate on their own. Clomid blocks estrogen receptors causing the pituitary gland to produce more hormones needed to stimulate ovaries into producing egg follicles. Basically, Clomid tricks the body into believing it has a lower estrogen level than it has. The hormones – FSH and LH – cause the growth of egg follicles in a woman’s ovaries.Some women who are unable to produce eggs and/or ovulate:

• Do not respond to Clomid
• May respond to Clomid, but not get pregnant
• May have numerous unpleasant side effects from using Clomid

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Clomid Side Effects

• Hot Flashes or Visual Spots
• Headaches
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Breast Tenderness
• Weight Gain
• Abnormal Uterine Bleeding
• Abdominal or Pelvic Pain

The Femara Alternative

Femara is an ovulation induction medication alternative to Clomid:

• For women do not respond to Clomid – Femara is an alternative for inducing ovulation
• For women who ovulate using Clomid, but fail to get pregnant – Femara is an alternative for successful conception
• For women who experience unpleasant side effects using Clomid and refuse to use it – Femara is a fertility medication alternative without these side effect

Pregnancy Success Rates – Femara vs. Clomid

Studies have shown that a woman’s monthly chances for getting pregnant using Femara are comparable to those pregnancy successes with Clomid. Variables in pregnancy success rates using either Femara or Clomid are dependent on:

• The woman’s age – under the age of 35
• The condition of the woman’s fallopian tubes – no other medical fertility issues present other than her inability to ovulate naturally
• The quality of the male’s sperm

Using Femara, a woman’s chance of conceiving increases approximately 15 percent per month. Ovulation has been successfully achieve in women who were not ovulating naturally using Femara. The combined use of Femara and Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) substantially increases a woman’s chances for pregnancy.

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

IUI – Intrauterine Insemination – is commonly prescribed as a first treatment option for women under 35 who have been unable to conceive after one year of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. IUI substantially increases a woman’s chances of having a baby. IUI is recommended for women in their prime reproductive years – under 35 – who:

• Have unobstructed fallopian tubes
• Have a normal uterine cavity
• Have male partner with a low sperm count or other sperm deficiencies
• Are using donor sperm

Average IUI Procedure Cost

At IVF1, the average cost for an IUI cycle ranges between $300 and $400 using the oral fertility medication Clomid or Femarato stimulate the growth of multiple egg follicles.Dr. Randy Morris – founder and Medical Director of IVF1 – has been successfully specializing in IUI procedures since 1992. IUI is performed within the comfort and warmth of Dr. Morris’ patient rooms and requires no anesthesia

IUI Stimulation of Egg Follicle Growth

The patient is administered an oral medication alone (Clomid or Femara) – or in combination with a low dose of Gonadotropin (FSH/LH) injections – during her cycle to stimulate egg follicle growth.The development of the patient’s egg follicles are monitored throughout the woman’s egg growth stage of her cycle through regular:

• Blood level hormone measurements, and
• Pelvic ultrasounds

These tests help Dr. Morris determine the prime time to induce ovulation via hCG injection administration. When the Doctor determines that the patient’s egg follicles have reached an ideal stage of maturation, she is administered an ovulation trigger medication via injection – hCG – in order to induce the release of her eggs.On the scheduled day for IUI, the woman’s male partner will produce a sperm specimen through masturbation either at home or in one of IVF1’s private and comfortable patient rooms. The sperm specimen is washed and prepared using special viability enhancement solutions.Then, a highly concentrated amount of sperm is inserted into the woman’s uterus using an insemination catheter. This is similar to the Pap smear procedure.

Advantages of IUI Procedure

The preparation and insertion of the sperm via the IUI procedure increases the chance of pregnancy because a highly concentrated amount of morphologically normal, motile and active sperm are placed directly into the woman’s uterus. Usually 2 X IUI inseminations are performed after the hCG ovulation release injection – between 12 and 36 hours after administration – to increase the chance of conception.IUI provides a low cost infertility treatment alternative for increasing a woman’s chance of pregnancy.

Leading IUI Provider

IVF1 founder and Medical Director – Dr. Randy Morris – invites you to meet with him personally at the brand new Naperville Fertility Center. You can also consult with Dr. Morris through a secured Infertility Video Consultation.To schedule a consultation, please call 630.357.6540 – or – click the icon below and download a recently published eBook by Dr. Randy Morris for more information about fertility treatment options.