Clomid is a drug used to treat infertility. It helps to stimulate the production of eggs in women who have been infertile. The generic name for this brand-name medication is clomiphene. It is one of the most commonly prescribed, non-steroidal infertility drugs in the world and has been very effective at helping women become pregnant. It has been in use since the 1960s and has improved the lives of women around the world by allowing them to have children.
As effective and widespread as this drug is, there are some downsides too, and very serious issues. Side effects are not uncommon with Clomid use. Even more serious, though, is the possibility that treatment with drugs like Clomid may cause an increased risk for birth defects. Clomid has also been linked to an increased risk for developing ovarian cancer. If you used Clomid to get pregnant and your child was born with a birth defect, or you developed an ovarian tumor, you may have a case for a lawsuit that could win you monetary damages.
How is Clomid Used?
Clomid is a type of drug that belongs to the class of ovulatory stimulants, those drugs that stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs. Clomid is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat infertility in women. More specifically, it is used to treat anovulation and oligoovulation in women, the complete lack of egg production by the ovaries, or irregular egg production. Either of these conditions may be caused by other health problems, like polycystic ovary syndrome, or may have no known cause.
Clomid has been proven to help improve fertility in women who have these specific conditions, who cannot produce eggs or only do so irregularly or infrequently. There is little to no evidence that the medication can help a woman conceive if she is infertile for any other health reason, although it has been used to supplement other types of fertility treatments.
Although only approved as a fertility medication for women, Clomid is also sometimes prescribed for other health conditions. Men may be given Clomid to treat male hypogonadism, a condition in which levels of sex hormone production are low. It can also be used in men to reverse the effects of high levels of estrogen, such as those that occur after taking a cycle of steroids. Women may use Clomid to treat abnormal menstruation or persistent production of breast milk.
How Clomid Works
Clomid is an ovulatory stimulant, which means it stimulates a woman’s ovaries to produce an oocyte, or an egg, which is necessary for becoming pregnant. It works by starting a chain of events in hormone production and release that begins with competing with estrogen at this hormone’s receptors. Clomid acts like estrogen to stimulate the production of eggs in the ovaries.
To treat infertility, Clomid is usually given in cycles, along with the menstrual cycle, to stimulate natural egg production. A woman typically starts a cycle of Clomid on one of the first few days of her menstrual cycle, and continues taking it every day for five days.
Most people who take Clomid report mild side effects, which disappeared after discontinuation of the treatment. It is important, though, for all patients to report side effects to their doctor. Most of those experienced with Clomid are not serious, but they may become serious and may require treatment. Mores severe side effects that require immediate treatment are possible.
The most common side effects of Clomid are bloating and pain in the stomach or pelvis area and hot flashes or flushing of the skin. Less common, but troubling, are vision problems. These may include blurred vision, random flashes of light, light sensitivity, yellowing in the eyes and skin, decreased vision, and double vision. Also less common, but potentially serious are weight gain and shortness of breath.
Other less common side effects of Clomid include pain in the breasts, dizziness, lightheadedness, headaches, irregular or heavy periods, bleeding between periods, nausea, vomiting, restlessness, tiredness, depression, and insomnia.
For most patients using this drug, risks are low and outweighed by the benefits. However, there is some evidence that using Clomid could increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer. This is especially a risk for anyone using the drug over a long-term. It is not recommended that anyone use this drug for more than six cycles. The risk of developing ovarian cancer also increases if pregnancy is never achieved with Clomid treatment.
Another risk of using Clomid is the possibility that it can increase the risk of a child being born with birth defects. Some of the evidence comes from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study that found women reporting birth defects used Clomid more than women whose children did not have birth defects. Some of the defects reported in the study included heart defects, improper formation of the esophagus, skull defects, and omphalocele, a defect in which internal organs protrude from the body through a hole in the belly button.
An even larger study was conducted in Australia with over 300,000 women and found that infertility treatments in general increase the risk of birth defects by as much as 28 percent. Evidence also shows that the risk increases for women who use Clomid, particularly in those women who dose the drug without medical supervision. Furthermore, the FDA has warned against the use of Clomid in women who are pregnant because of the risk of birth defects.
Potential for Clomid Lawsuits
While many, many women will take Clomid as a fertility treatment and suffer few or no adverse effects, others will develop ovarian cancer or give birth to a child with devastating birth defects. Any woman, along with her doctor, can decide if the risks are worth the possible benefits of being able to conceive. On the other hand, it may be that drug makers or the FDA failed to give women and doctors all of the information about the risks.
If you develop ovarian cancer or have a child with birth defects, you may be facing lifelong health problems and expensive medical treatments. You may even lose your child to a life-threatening defect. You may have a case for a lawsuit and if you do, you are not alone. There is a huge potential for class action lawsuits to be filed because of the defects in the children of women who used Clomid or other similar fertility treatments to conceive. A good lawyer can help you decide if you have a case and can help you take the next steps to get monetary damages.