Monitoring gonadotropin therapy

In the private clinical setting the use of Pergonal or Metrodin is a safe and efficient method of inducing ovulation; however, the known risks of those agents must be kept in mind at all times. By adhering to the guidelines listed here and administering Pergonal and then human chorionic gonadotropin in the prescribed manner, an ovulation rate of greater than 90% should be achieved. A six-month course of therapy with Pergonal should yield a pregnancy rate of 60-70%, provided that the fallopian tubes are normal, the sperm count is adequate and cervical mucus function is intact. Patients who do not become pregnant in six to nine months should be referred to tertiary centers for other procedures, such as in vitro fertilization and/or gamete intrafallopian transfer.