Talking With Your Healthcare Provider

Questions for Your OB/GYN or PCP

When you see your OB/GYN or Primary Care Physician for the first time, you'll need to provide some basic information, including:

Based on the information you provide, your healthcare provider should have a sense of whether or not you are at particular risk for having a fertility problem. You can then begin to discuss your potential testing and treatment options. Here are some questions to prepare you for that conversation:

  • What specific tests would you recommend to diagnose my infertility?
  • Should my partner be tested?
  • What are the tests for male fertility?
  • How much will the tests cost?
  • How long will it take to diagnose our problem?
  • Based on the results of those tests, what are my treatment options, and how much do they cost?
  • Will my insurance pay for the testing and/or treatments?
  • If we decide that clomiphene citrate (commonly known as CLOMID®) therapy is the next step, how many cycles will we try before we move onto another treatment option?
  • What is the success rate with clomiphene citrate (commonly known as CLOMID®) therapy — and what are the side effects?
  • Will I have to repeat any tests if I go to a Fertility Specialist or Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE)?
  • What surgical procedures might you recommend for my partner or me? What are your success rates with those procedures?

You can also download and print these questions to take with you to your doctor's visit.

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Important Safety Information
As with all prescription medications, side effects may occasionally occur with use of fertility drugs. Doctors specializing in fertility or reproductive health should only prescribe these products. Patients prescribed gonadotropins and GnRH analogs should be monitored carefully by a trained fertility specialist. Risks include the following events which can be serious: hypersensitivity reactions; ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS); pulmonary and vascular complications, and multiple births. For complete product details about a specific fertility drug, please refer to the Full Prescribing Information.

Know Before You Go

Check into your insurance coverage before you see your healthcare provider. Your policy may determine what kind of healthcare provider you see, what kinds of fertility tests you undergo and in what sequence. To have a benefits specialist assist you, call Fertility LifeLines™ at 1-866-LETS-TRY (1-866-538-7879). All calls are free and confidential.

Can We Afford Fertility Treatment?

Get the facts about paying for treatment. Learn how you can save up to $500 on Gonal-f® (follitropin alfa for injection) with the FertilityAssist 2 program.

FIND A FERTILITY SPECIALIST

Enter your Zip code to find a fertility treatment specialist or fertility clinic in your area:

FIND A UROLOGIST

The Society for the Study of Male Reproduction (SSMR) can help you locate a urologist in your area.

Locate a Urologist

Indication:
For women, Gonal-f® (follitropin alfa for injection), Gonal-f® RFF (follitropin alfa injection) and Gonal-f® RFF Pen (follitropin alfa injection) are indicated for 1) the induction of ovulation and pregnancy in the anovulatory infertile patient in whom the cause of infertility is functional and not due to primary ovarian failure and 2) for the development of multiple follicles in the ovulatory patient participating in an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) program.
For men, Gonal-f® is also indicated for the induction of spermatogenesis in men with primary and secondary hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in whom the main cause of infertility is not due to primary testicular failure.

Important Safety Information:
These products should only be prescribed by physicians specializing in fertility or reproductive health. Use of Gonal-f® or Gonal-f® RFF by women can result in multiple births. Patients should let their doctor know of any allergic reactions to recombinant FSH preparations or other product ingredients. Patients should also inform their doctor of a history of cancer of the sex organs or brain and uncontrolled thyroid or adrenal disease before starting or continuing treatment. Women with a history of abnormal bleeding from the uterus or vagina, swollen, enlarged, or painful ovaries should speak to their doctor before starting treatment. Gonal-f® and Gonal-f® RFF are potent gonadotropic substances capable severe adverse reactions, including Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) in women, which can result hospitalization. Women should inform their doctor if they experience severe stomach pain, vomiting, bloating, or weight gain while taking Gonal-f® or Gonal-f RFF®. The most common side effects are headache, ovarian cysts, upset stomach, and sinus infections in women taking Gonal-f® or Gonal-f® RFF. The most common side effects in men taking Gonal-f® are skin acne, breast pain and growth, and tiredness. Needle injections may cause some discomfort.

For more information, refer to the prescribing and patient information offered below and talk to your doctor.


© EMD Serono, Inc. CIM Last Update 2008-09-16
This site contains medical information that is intended for residents of the United States only and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by a medical professional. Always consult a physician if you have health concerns. Use and access of this site is subject to the terms and conditions as set out in our Legal Statement and Privacy Policy.

This site contains information that is intended for US residents only. Canadian residents should consult the EMD Serono Canada Inc. Web site at www.emdserono.ca for information on products and services approved in Canada.

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