Welcome to the topic Treating Infertility With Enclomiphene Citrate?
This oral fertility drug has been given the green light by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in treating infertility in women. Ovulation is stimulated, and the body’s hormone balance is altered as a result of this factor.
Enclomiphene Citrate was given FDA approval for use, but exclusively in female patients. It is occasionally used off-label as a therapy for male infertility in select cases. Gain a better understanding of the practice of using prescription drugs in ways not specifically recommended by the manufacturer.
Is there any evidence that enclomiphene citrate is a successful treatment for male infertility? Continue reading to find out more.
How does Enclomiphene Citrate work?
Enclomiphene Citrate prevents the hormone estrogen from having an effect on the pituitary gland by acting as an antagonist. When estrogen communicates with the pituitary gland, there is a reduction in the production of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
This results in a reduction in testosterone and, as a consequence, a reduction in the production of sperm. Increasing levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone can be attributed to enclomiphene citrate preventing estrogen from interacting with the pituitary gland.
The optimal dosage for males has not been determined at this time. There is a wide range of possible daily dosages, from 12.5 milligrams (mg) to 400 mg.
A new analysis suggests beginning treatment with a dosage of 25 milligrams (mg) three times per week and then gradually titrating, or adjusting, the dosage until it reaches 50 milligrams (mg) per day as required.
It is possible for a high dose of clomiphene citrate to have an adverse effect on the number of motile sperm and their overall health. Always with your healthcare professional to ensure that you take the correct dosage.
When is Enclomiphene Citrate prescribed?
Off-label use of enclomiphene citrate is a common practice for treating male infertility, particularly in situations with low testosterone levels.
According to CDC, a Trusted Source, 35 percent of couples who have difficulty conceiving pinpoint both a male and a female issue as the cause of their inability to produce a child. Only a male contributor is found in the relationship of 8% of all couples.
A wide variety of factors can cause male infertility.
A test of the patient’s sperm will be performed if the attending physician has any reason to suspect male infertility. They will analyze a sample of the sperm to determine the count of sperm as well as the shape and motility of the sperm.
Side effects of this medication?
There have been relatively few controlled studies conducted on the usage of clomiphene citrate in males. However, some people may have the following negative effects as a result of the caused hormonal changes:
- tenderness of the pectoral muscle
- irritability
- acne
- a quickening of the progression of prostate cancer (if cancer is already present)
- alterations to one’s vision that are brought on by an enlargement of the pituitary gland (rare)
After discontinuing treatment with the medicine, the adverse effects caused by clomiphene citrate are often reversible. If you experience any of the adverse effects described in the preceding paragraph while taking clomiphene citrate, you should immediately stop taking the medication and seek medical attention.
Efficacy for fertility
In a recent study that looked at the use of clomiphene citrate to treat male infertility, the researchers found conflicting findings regarding the drug’s efficacy or effectiveness.
Low sperm count or unexplained infertility, some of the trials that were looked at revealed a moderate improvement in sperm count with treatment.
Others found no difference between themselves and a control group that had not been given any treatment or a placebo. When looking at the results of pregnancy, this proved to be very accurate.
A recent study compared the effectiveness of a placebo pill to a combination of the fertility drugs clomiphene citrate and vitamin E, which resulted in a greater number of successful pregnancies among infertile men.
However, the group that took clomiphene citrate in combination with vitamin E was not compared to the group that took clomiphene citrate on its own in the study. As a consequence, the researchers were unable to determine whether or not the addition of vitamin E to clomiphene citrate increases the effectiveness of the treatment in achieving a pregnancy.
In a study, the researchers split the men who had been diagnosed with infertility into three groups:
- Group A: Participants taking vitamin E only
- Group B: Participants taking Enclomiphene Citrate only
- Group C: Participants taking Enclomiphene Citrate and vitamin E
The findings revealed that there was a rise in the level of sperm found in all three groups, on average. The most significant growth was seen in Group C. The growth in Group A was the second greatest of all the groups. This was a very small-scale investigation.
According to the findings of another study that was published not too long ago, the population of men who benefit from therapy with clomiphene citrate is those who have unexplained male factor infertility as well as normal or below-average sperm motility and shape.
It is expected that guys in this population would be able to use enclomiphene citrate to have a sperm count that would make them suitable candidates for artificial insemination. This belief is based on the fact that enclomiphene citrate has been shown to be effective in increasing sperm counts.
Other treatments for male infertility
Medications
There are further medications that your doctor can prescribe for hormone imbalance, and they are available. These medications have the additional effect of raising testosterone levels while simultaneously lowering estrogen levels in the body.
- Human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, and can be administered in the form of an injection. It has the ability to promote testicular production of testosterone.
- Anastrozole, also known by its brand name Arimidex, is a medication that was created specifically to treat breast cancer.
Surgery
If a blockage prevents sperm from being transported, the doctor may suggest that you undergo surgery to address the issue. Varicoceles can also be corrected through surgical means.
In vitro fertilization
The egg and the embryo created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) are both handled outside of the body during the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Through the use of a needle, eggs are extracted from the mother’s ovaries. After that, the eggs are brought back to the laboratory, where they are mixed with sperm. After this process, the embryo that was created is placed back into the body of the mother.
In cases of male infertility, a particular method of in vitro fertilization (IVF) known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) might be utilized. In intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a single sperm is injected into an egg.
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