What is the success rate?

Treatment with clomiphene is intended to stimulate ovulation and thus increase the likelihood of pregnancy. Clomiphene is a relatively effective drug with a high success rate. Statistics show that 70 percent of patients ovulate within the first few months after starting treatment and are therefore potentially fertile.

In about 25 percent of the women treated, clomiphene resistance prevents ovulation and the treatment is not successful. Many of these women also become pregnant. The exact percentage varies quite a lot and is between 10 and 50 percent.

This is because successful fertilisation of the mature egg depends on many factors, such as the woman’s age, the partner’s sperm quality or the time of sexual intercourse (i.e. on which day of the cycle). For this reason, the exact success rate and probability of pregnancy after treatment with clomiphene cannot be accurately predicted. Most pregnancies that occur after clomiphene treatment are normal and the children do not show any abnormalities.

However, taking clomiphene increases the risk of miscarriage. There is also the possibility of a multiple pregnancy. Clomiphene increases the likelihood of a multiple pregnancy.

By blocking the oestrogen receptors, clomiphene leads to ovarian hyperstimulation, causing several follicles to mature simultaneously in the woman’s ovary. As a result, not just one, but several eggs are released. Once the eggs have reached the ovary, they can be fertilised by sperm and a multiple pregnancy occurs.

The children that are born are fraternal twins or triplets. This case occurs in five to 15 percent of pregnancies caused by clomiphene. The probability of a twin pregnancy is then estimated to be 10 percent and the probability for triplets is one percent.

The use of clomiphene has almost doubled the number of twin births in Germany in recent decades. However, multiple pregnancies are not entirely without danger. Often the children are born too early and are born with too little weight. As a result, they often have to be ventilated after birth and have an increased risk of suffering from respiratory or cardiovascular disease later on.

What happens when a man takes clomiphene?

Clomiphene can also be prescribed to men in rare cases. This is the case if the man has poor sperm quality, a low sperm count or poor sperm motility. However, treatment with clomiphene in infertile men only makes sense if the sterility is due to a hormonal imbalance.

Clomiphene blocks the estrogen receptors present in men and thus stimulates the man’s own testosterone production. Testosterone acts as the male sex hormone and improves the quality of the sperm. Furthermore, clomiphene is taken by men as a doping agent to stimulate testosterone production.

Especially after taking anabolic steroids, the body’s own testosterone production is reduced. Taking oestrogen blockers such as clomiphene then supports and maintains the body’s own testosterone production. Men can maintain their muscle mass, which was previously built up by the anabolic treatment. However, as with women, clomiphene can also lead to undesirable side effects in men, such as allergic reactions, depression and visual disturbances.