Clomiphene: What It Is, How It Works, and What You Need to Know

When doctors talk about helping women get pregnant, clomiphene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator used to stimulate ovulation in women with infertility. Also known as Clomid, it's one of the most prescribed fertility drugs in the world. Unlike hormones like FSH or LH, clomiphene doesn’t add anything to your body—it tricks your brain into thinking estrogen levels are low. That triggers your pituitary gland to release more follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which then tells your ovaries to produce and release an egg.

It’s not a magic pill, but for many, it’s the first step that works. Around 80% of women taking clomiphene will ovulate, and about half of those will get pregnant within six cycles. It’s often tried before moving to more expensive or invasive options like IVF. But it’s not for everyone. If you have liver disease, unexplained vaginal bleeding, or ovarian cysts unrelated to PCOS, your doctor will likely skip it. And while it’s mostly used for women, there are rare cases where it’s prescribed off-label for men with low testosterone or low sperm count—though that’s not its approved use.

Clomiphene ties into other areas you’ll find here: ovulation induction, the medical process of stimulating egg release using drugs like clomiphene or letrozole, which is a key part of fertility care. It also connects to female infertility, a broad term covering conditions like PCOS, irregular cycles, or unexplained ovulation failure, which are the most common reasons clomiphene is prescribed. And if you’ve heard about side effects like mood swings, hot flashes, or blurred vision, you’re not alone—those show up often enough that they’re part of the conversation in every fertility clinic.

You won’t find a one-size-fits-all answer here. Some people take clomiphene and get pregnant quickly. Others cycle through it multiple times, switch to letrozole, or move on to injections. Some end up needing to manage the emotional side of trying to conceive, which is just as real as the physical side. That’s why the posts below cover everything from cost help for fertility meds to how timing affects drug effectiveness, and even how to spot side effects early. Whether you’re just starting out or have been through a few rounds already, there’s something here that speaks to your experience.