Nolvadex and Fertility

Nolvadex and Fertility: Discovery and Results

Even though Nolvadex was designed as a treatment for breast cancer, it has surpassed its original goal and can help women get past problems with conception. Why? It all boils down to the hormones included in the pill. Those hormones trigger a release of eggs from the ovaries, in some cases (in conjunction with follicle stimulating hormones, for example) keeping the estrogen levels lower than other fertility treatments would.

The link between Nolvadex and fertility came about as an experiment. Researcher and Professor Kutluk Oktay wanted to preserve the fertility in the patients who developed breast cancer while of childbearing age. By using the drug and working with a tight schedule, more eggs could be released, retrieved, and saved for later use. In other cases, Nolvadex could be used after the cancer was treated to increase a woman's chances of conceiving naturally by stimulating the release of eggs from the ovaries.

Oktay's suspicions were correct.

How the Experiment was Conducted

Oktay took two groups of women and subdivided them into three groups:

• Group who chose to use in-vitro-fertilization (control group)
  • Tamoxifen alone
  • Tamoxifen with a low dose of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
  • Letrozole (Femara) with a low dose of follicle stimulating hormone

• Group who chose not to use in-vitro-fertilization
  • Tamoxifen alone
  • Tamoxifen with a low dose of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
  • Letrozole (Femara) with a low dose of follicle stimulating hormone

They went through a total of thirty-three ovarian stimulation cycles before analyzing the results.

Results:

• Tamoxifen/FSH and Letrozole/FSH groups did better than the ones with Tamoxifen alone. Both groups resulted in more retrievable, mature eggs, and more fertilized ones than the Tamoxifen (Nolvadex only) group.

• One woman from the study had her embryo thawed and used a surrogate. The pregnancy sadly ended with a miscarriage. Another woman (the Letrozol group), however, completed an embryo transfer and gave birth to a healthy baby.

• One of the concerns when a breast cancer patient uses IVF or other form of fertility treatment that increases estrogen formation is the recurrence of the cancer. Raised estrogen levels can increase the likelihood that breast cancer will come back.

Oktay followed up with his patients after about 1.5 years to determine if any group had more of a recurrence than others. The in-vitro patients and the control group each had three cases where the cancer came back. When they tested the estrogen levels of the groups, they found that the Tamoxifen-only group had higher levels than the others. Because of that, the combined methods with FSH would be preferred.

Nolvadex and Pregnancy

If you are already expecting a little bundle of joy, you shouldn't take Nolvadex. Don't start it while you're pregnant, and discontinue use if you become pregnant while on the drug.

Oddly enough, you should not try to get pregnant while taking the drug, even though you're using it as a fertility treatment. You should wait at least two months after discontinuing the use of Nolvadex. It does stimulate your ovaries to release more eggs, and it's harmless to your eggs. Once fertilization occurs, however, the embryo is at risk.

So how long do you need to take Nolvadex (or the generic tamoxifen) before you can start trying to get pregnant at all? Longer stints of taking the drug increase your chances of getting pregnant when you come off of the medication. Your age also comes into play. For example, if you're in your twenties, you can take Nolvadex or its generic equivalent longer than a woman in her mid-thirties.

Nolvadex News

According to Nolvadex.com, Nolvadex itself was discontinued as of June 2006, but there are other generic versions (tamoxifen) still on the market.

If you have questions about the discontinuation, call 1-866-992-9276 between 9:00am and 8:00 pm EST, Monday through Friday.

A Final Word

If you're looking into fertility options, speak with your doctor about the generic versions of Nolvadex. Whether you plan to freeze your eggs prior to chemotherapy or use Nolvadex prior to attempting natural conception, it could be your answer. Nolvadex and fertility have definitely been linked, and results are significant enough to consider tamoxifen an option.