Contents:
- Medical Video: Improving Fertility in Men with Poor Sperm Count | UCLA Urology
- How can drugs affect fertility?
- What medicines can affect fertility?
- Medications that might reduce female fertility
- Medications that can reduce male fertility
- How long can fertility return after stopping taking these drugs?
Medical Video: Improving Fertility in Men with Poor Sperm Count | UCLA Urology
Many people might consider what foods they eat to maintain or increase fertility. However, one thing is sometimes forgotten or maybe even some people don't know it is medicine. Drugs consumed by women and men who are planning to have children can also affect their fertility.
How can drugs affect fertility?
Alan Copperman, director of reproductive endocrinology at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York, said that because a woman's menstrual cycle is very much controlled by interactions between the brain, ovary (ovary), and the uterus, then health problems and medications drugs that interfere with this interaction process can affect ovulation (release of eggs from the ovary) and make it difficult for women to reach pregnancy.
In men, drugs can affect sperm production. According to Valerie Baker, head of the reproductive and fertility endocrinology division at Stanford University School of Medicine, drugs can affect a woman's body's ability to ovulate or release eggs, and in men it will affect the amount of sperm by affecting the production of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or luteinizing hormone (LH) by the pituitary gland.
What medicines can affect fertility?
Some drugs affect the fertility of men and women in different ways. The following are drugs that can affect your fertility.
Medications that might reduce female fertility
The types of drugs that can affect women's fertility are:
- Steroids. Steroid drugs, such as cortisone and prednisone, are made from the hormone testosterone and are widely used to treat asthma and lupus. Use in high doses can inhibit the pituitary gland from releasing FSH and LH which are needed to release eggs from the ovary (ovulation).
- Products for hair and skin that contain hormones. Skin creams, gels, and hair care products that contain the hormones estrogen and progesterone can also affect ovulation. Although the absorption of this product through the skin may not cause problems, it is still a good idea to avoid using the product.
- Antihypertensive or anti-high blood pressure drugs. Some old drugs that are useful for treating high blood pressure or hypertension, such as methyldopa, can increase levels of the hormone prolactin and can interfere with ovulation.
- Central nervous system medicine. Almost every drug that targets the central nervous system, such as sedatives and drugs to prevent seizures, can cause an increase in the level of the hormone prolactin and interfere with ovulation. However, most antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs) do not negatively affect ovulation.
- Thyroid medicine. Medications for hypothyroidism can also affect ovulation if too much or too little is consumed. This thyroid drug can affect the hormone prolactin level. So make sure this drug is consumed in the right amount.
- Cancer treatment. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other cancer treatments can damage the egg or cause premature ovarian failure where the ovary stops functioning before the woman reaches 40 years of age. Chemotherapy, especially alkylating agents, can be toxic to the ovaries so that it can cause infertility permanently.
- Antiepileptic drugs. For example, phenytoin, carbamazepine, and valproate can affect fertility by inhibiting ovulation.
- Antipsychotic drug. For example, risperidone and amilsulpride, can affect the pituitary gland and increase levels of the hormone prolactin so that it can interfere with or stop ovulation.
Medications that can reduce male fertility
The types of drugs that can affect male fertility are:
- Testosterone therapy. Men who take testosterone replacement therapy for lower testosterone levels may not produce sperm.
- Steroids. Steroid drugs that affect women's fertility also affect fertility in men because they can reduce sperm count in some men.
- Sulfasalazine. This drug is used to treat inflammation or inflammation, such as ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis. Sulfasalazine can also reduce sperm count and the number of sperm will return to normal after the use of this drug is stopped.
- Antihypertensive drugs. Medications used to control blood pressure, such as beta-blockers and diuretics can cause impotence (erectile dysfunction).
- Depressed medicine. Antidepressant drugs can cause erectile dysfunction and difficulty in ejaculation.
- Cancer treatment. Just as in women, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other cancer treatments can affect fertility in men by damaging sperm cells or the ability to produce sperm.
How long can fertility return after stopping taking these drugs?
How long medicines can affect your fertility depends on the type of drug you are taking. Each drug has a different effect and time on fertility. Termination of use of drugs that can affect fertility may not directly affect your fertility. The body needs time to recover from its original condition before being affected by drugs.
The effect of drugs on the body can be lost maybe within a few days to several months. So, you should stop using the drug a month or two before you plan to try to get pregnant, so that your fertility returns to its optimal level.
You should consult your doctor first to plan a pregnancy so that at that time your fertility and your partner are at an optimal level.
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