Clomiphene citrate is a medication used to treat infertility in women. According to the National Survey of Family Growth data published in September 2018, 15.5% of all women who intend to become pregnant are infertile and 6.7% of married women aged 15 to 44 years are infertile, in the U.S.
Clomiphene belongs to a class of medications called ovulatory stimulants. It works similarly to estrogen, a female hormone that causes eggs to develop in the ovaries and be released. It works by stimulating an increase in the amount of hormones that support the growth and release of a mature egg. Clomiphene is prohibited at all times as an anti-estrogenic substance in the S4 Category of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators under the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.
Clomiphene comes as a tablet to take by mouth. Two clomiphene citrate 50-mg tablets are taken orally for 5 days. It causes the pituitary gland to release hormones needed to stimulate ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary). Clomiphene is also sometimes used to treat male infertility, menstrual abnormalities, fibrocystic breasts, and persistent breast milk production. Patients with low testosterone may be treated with “off label” use medications such as clomiphene citrate.
Clomiphene citrate can lead to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in women. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is an exaggerated response to excess hormones. Most cases of OHSS are mild and cause temporary discomfort. Severe cases of the condition are rare but can be life-threatening. Recently, a new study found that medicines that stimulate the ovaries to release eggs as part of fertility treatment do not seem to increase the risk of developing breast cancer. However, children born after the use of certain infertility treatments have a higher risk of birth defects than babies born to couples with no history of infertility. The highest risk was associated with clomiphene citrate.
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