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Ovitrelle is a preparation intended for women who have been diagnosed with infertility and women who are undergoing fertility treatment. It works by stimulating specific reproductive organs to function properly. It is a prescription drug.
Ovitrelle – mechanism of action
Ovitrelle is used to stimulate the ovaries. The drug is used in the treatment of infertile women (e.g. during in-vitro fertilization) and in patients whose ovulation is insufficient or does not occur at all. Ovitrelle contains choriogonadotropin alfa, which is obtained by recombinant DNA chain recombination. The activity of this drug is based on the stimulation of the meiosis process taking place in the ovum, causing the Graaf follicle to rupture – ovulation, activating the formation of the corpus luteum and the hormones they produce – progesterone and estradiol.
As a result, the effect of Ovitrelle on the woman’s body is to correspond to the release of LH – lutropin, also known as the luteinizing hormone. This hormone, at the time of its highest concentration in the blood, which occurs at the end of the menstrual cycle, initiates the ovulation cycle.
How to take Ovitrelle
Ovitrelle is a drug with complex effects. Therefore, it is prescribed only to women under the constant care of a specialist doctor.
Ovitrelle is available as a powder which, when mixed with a suitable solvent, becomes a liquid. Prepared Ovitrelle is given by injection under the skin. The most common injection site is in the lower abdomen (below the belly button). The drug is prepared immediately before its use. Ovitrelle is also available as a ready-made solution, most often sold directly into a syringe. Doctors recommend that women treated with Ovitrell have sex with their partner on the day of the injection and the next day.
One vial contains 250 micrograms of the substance. Application is given approximately 24-48 hours after a follicle has formed in the ovaries. In women with diagnosed fertility problems, treatment to stimulate the ovaries is used prior to Ovitrelle administration. Most often, it involves taking preparations containing the FSH hormone, called follicle stimulating hormone, or menopausal gonadotrophy.
Who is Ovitrelle for?
Ovitrelle is intended for women undergoing induction of multiple ovulation, such as in vitro fertilization. In addition, Ovitrelle is recommended for women in whom ovulation is absent or very rare and irregular.
Experts estimate that Ovitrelle is a relatively safe drug. Nevertheless, it is necessary to point out the possible side effects associated with its use. The most common are:
- feeling of pain at the injection site,
- tiredness, dizziness,
- nausea, vomiting
- abdominal pain, diarrhea,
- weight gain,
- ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
Less common symptoms include:
- depression,
- irritability,
- anxiety,
- breast pain
- anaphylactic reactions
- thromboembolic disorders,
- skin reactions such as rash
- an ectopic pregnancy,
- ovarian torsion.
In addition, the use of Ovitrelle in women is not recommended:
- allergic or hypersensitive to the effects of choriogonadotropin alfa or other ingredients,
- suffering from cancers of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovaries, uterus, breast or nipples,
- with enlarged ovaries,
- with improperly developed genitals,
- suffering from a cyst (not associated with polycystic ovary syndrome),
- with unknown origin (not related to the menstrual cycle) vaginal bleeding,
- who have had an ectopic pregnancy within the last 3 months,
- with thromboembolic disorders.
It is also not recommended to use Ovitrelle during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Ovitrelle shows no major problems with other medications, so it can be taken independently or at the same time.
Patients preparing for treatment with Otrivelle should undergo a series of tests to determine the causes of their infertility and to diagnose potential contraindications. Primarily, the activity of the thyroid gland, adrenal hormone levels, the potential presence of pituitary or hypothalamic neoplasms, and hyperprolactinemia should be examined.