fertility drug, any of a variety of substances used to increase
the possibility of conception and successful pregnancy.
Different methods are used to correct or circumvent the many
different functional disorders of both males and females that
can interfere with conception and childbearing (see
infertility). The term fertility drug primarily refers to drugs
that mimic or stimulate production of a hormone necessary for
conception, but it may also be used to refer to the hormones
themselves, when they are administered as part of a program of
infertility treatment. The most common cause of female
infertility is failure to ovulate. In certain cases this can be
corrected with the drug clomiphene citrate (Clomid, Serophene).
Introduced in 1967, clomiphene stimulates the release of the
gonadotropic hormones: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and
luteinizing hormone (LH). FSH functions to stimulate the ovarian
follicle (the egg and its surrounding fluid and hormones); LH
triggers ovulation. In some studies, clomiphen