Letrozole/Femara

chikana · 03-07-2006, 10:17 PM

How many mg have u ladies been precribed of Letrozole/Femara and what have been the side effects? What is it suppose to help with?

anh0810 · 03-08-2006, 12:28 AM

Letrozole is a drug that cuts off the estrogen in your body. Side effects are similar to what you would experience if you were going through menopause....hot flashes that kind of thing.

I am about to start it but I'm currently on Lupron...which does the same thing just differently. I'm using it as a treatment for endometriosis. Neither should be used for fertility treatments...it hasn't been approved for that purpose and no one knows for sure what the long term effects are.

I hope that helps.
Ashley

chikana · 03-08-2006, 12:53 AM

Thanks Ashley,
My DH has been prescribed that b/c he has very low sperm count, motility, and morphology. I guess his testosterone is low and ostradiol (sp) is high. So it makes since why they gave it to him. Maybe it won't give him hot flashes. LOL

kimmy-ki · 03-10-2006, 12:31 AM

Hi there Chikana and Ashley and others!

I've been TTC since April 2004. I responded to Clomid with Met (just one round but no PG), but the doc just switched me to 2.5 mg of Femara (days 3 - 7). The explanation I was given is that Clomid can make the uterine lining very thin and Femara supposedly does not have that side effect. Has anyone else heard that? It seemed consistent with my experience because my period after one round of Clomid was the lightest I'd ever had! (I know I ovulated because I had super high temps and sore bbs... which I never have!) Very strange...

Yesterday (CD9) the doc said I had two good-sized eggs and that my response to femara was good. Going to do a trigger shot on Sunday!
Let's all keep thinking lots of positive fertile thoughts...

Age: 36, DH 33
Mommy to three cats and one dog (all formerly street animals)
Diagnosed: 2000
TTC: since April 2004

kimal1 · 03-10-2006, 07:40 PM

hello ladies~~Here in canada we have a health warning against letrozole for ttc purposes..It is for chemo treatment for breast cancer..If I'm not mistaken and they don't know the long term effects for basically healthy women taking it to ttc...

Clomid does make your cm less sperm friendly,however ther are things you can take to offset it ie(dong qung I have heard is good as well as evening primrose oil,,If you use epo however you must stop taking it at "O" time because it can cause your uterus to contract,,you can substitute with faxseed oil betwwen "o" and cd1...Just my 2 cents

...Kim

kimmy-ki · 03-10-2006, 10:14 PM

Hi Kimal,

Thanks so much for the information. I hadn't heard about the Femara warning and I think it's good to know that there is a serious question about the use of the drug for treating infertility.

I just went surfing and found several criticisms about the methodology of the Canadian study. For example, apparently the group that took Femara was already at a considerably higher risk for birth defects/miscarriage because of age factors and the fact that those being treated had PCOS to begin with.
Others insist that Novartis (the drug company that produces Femara) issued the warning against using Femara for infertility to cover itself against potential lawsuits. Anyway, the warning appears to be based on a single study which is definitely not sufficient. However, it is clear that further studies on the use of Femara for infertility need to be done.

Cheers,
Kimmy-Ki

kimal1 · 03-11-2006, 05:46 PM

kimmy-ki``I personally don't know all the details about the study,I was looking up fertility options thru a drug database on my dh health insurance website..When I found this health canada warning,so naturally when I saw this thread,I thought I should let you gals know what I had found..But when it comes right down to it,,it's your body,your dr and most importantly your decision..Kim

chikana · 03-11-2006, 06:00 PM

Thanks for the infor. Although the femara isn't for me it's for DH. He isn't going to be pg anytime soon. LOL I was just wondering how it affects men.
Femara is an anti-estrogen producing medication, I guess that breast cancer patients need an anti-estrogen producing medication. I don't know how it is used in TTC for woman, but in men who produce too much estrogen it is given so that they don't and thus produce higher amounts of Testosterone and hopefully have a higher sperm count.

I heard that if you are a woman and u become pg u should stop using Femara, which I"m sure u will. However, if you are TTC and are not pg yet, it poses no harm.

kimal1 · 03-11-2006, 06:16 PM

chicana~~I have no idea how it effects men..I hope it does'nt give him boobs

..lol...seriously though I think it's great that there are fertility treatments for men to use..I have my fingers crossed for you and your dh
babydust...Kim

anh0810 · 03-11-2006, 06:41 PM

Chikana,
I wanted to drop you a line since I found out that your husband was the one using it. Obviously most men aren't typically prescriped this however I do know that bodybuilders use it to fight off the estrogen that is made during steriod use. It works for them so I can't imagine why it wouldn't work for your husband.

Just thought I would throw that into the mix. Take care,
Ashley

chikana · 03-12-2006, 05:36 AM

Kim and Ashley, Thank u! We hope it will work too!!!!

kimmy-ki · 03-13-2006, 11:42 PM

Hi Chikana, Ashley and Kim,

So men can use Femara, too! How interesting. I have a friend TTCing whose husband was given a small daily of Clomid for infertility. So Chikana I hope Femara works for your husband-- let us know!

After reading more on Femara, I also found out that it is rapidly eliminated from the body... so it does seem consistent to say that using it to stimulate ovulation should not pose a problem. But again, I'll be curious to see what future studies demonstrate. For now, I guess I'm just a guinea pig!

Baby dust to all!
Kimmy-Ki

chikana · 03-13-2006, 11:52 PM

Kimmy-Femara does eliminate from the body rapidly that is what our RE told DH and I. How did your friends DH do with the clomid? Did it work for him? Good luck using the Femara. Have u ever tried Clomid? Hey I see u are in Mexico, where in Mexico are you?

kimmy-ki · 03-14-2006, 09:02 PM

Hello Chikana,

My friend's DH had an extremely low sperm count (less than 2 million) but was also a heavy drinker/drug user so there were other issues involved that greatly complicated the process. She ended up leaving him, so she never found out if the Clomid actually helped! Strange but true (sad) stories.

I used Clomid on my last cycle and got a nice strong O on day 16 without a trigger shot. I had all the signs and symptoms of being PG and even felt I had implantation cramping (?) on Day 10 but the I only got BFNs. My temps were high for 17 days and they were the highest temps I've ever had! I told my doc all of this and he said that most likely the uterine lining was too thin to sustain a pregnancy, so that's why this time he prescribed Femara with a trigger shot. On Day 9 I had two good follicles, one on each side. But I am now 48 hours past the trigger and still haven't O'ed! Ah... why can't it ever be easy??? I'm just trying to keep calm and pray that at the very least I will O this cycle. PCOS is such a nightmare...

In answer to your question, I live in Guanajuato, Mexico. Are you a "chicana"? Do you speak Spanish?

Keep me posted on your hubbies results with Femara! Has he had any side effects? I didn't have any whatsoever. On Clomid I had lots of hot flashes...

Take care,
Kimmy

chikana · 03-15-2006, 04:25 AM

Hola Kimmy, Yes I speak spanish, and read it and write it. Yes, I am a chicana. My dad is Mexican and my mom is Mexican American. Where in Guanjuato do you live? My Dad's family is from San Luis Potosi. Are you originally from Mexico?

So far DH has not had any side effects. I really hope it will work for him. I will keep u posted. I hope u O and get a BFP! Keep me posted!