Treating the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome the Old-Fashioned Way

Abstract

Of the estimated 6.7 million women with fertility problems in the United States, 35% have received drugs to induce ovulation.1 The most common cause of anovulation among infertile women is the polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition typically characterized by irregular menses, androgen excess, and polycystic-appearing ovaries. The condition is associated with insulin resistance and obesity.Although a number of drugs have been used to induce ovulation in women with the polycystic ovary syndrome, clomiphene citrate is a simple, tried-and-true treatment. Clomiphene is an orally active, antiestrogenic substance that promotes the release of follicle-stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland, thus stimulating . . .