Ovulation Induction: Do You Need Clomid, Letrozole or Gonadotropins?

As a Woman

Natalie Crawford

Health & Fitness, Medicine

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 28 October 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dr. Natalie Crawford breaks down ovulation induction, explaining how medications like Clomid and Letrozole work, and why understanding your body’s hormone signals is key. She dives into common causes of ovulation issues, from PCOS and hypothalamic amenorrhea to structural brain factors, and shows why identifying the root cause is critical before starting medication. Key Topics: 1. Understanding Your Reproductive System - How your brain communicates with your ovaries - The delicate dance of hormones - Why some women struggle to ovulate 2. Why Ovulation Goes Wrong - Common reasons ovulation gets disrupted - The impact of lifestyle on reproductive health - When to seek medical intervention 3. Ovulation Induction Options - Different drugs for different diagnoses - Personalized approaches to ovulation induction - What to expect during treatment 4. Becoming Your Own Fertility Advocate - Understanding your body's signals - Questions to ask your healthcare provider - Empowering yourself through knowledge Want to receive my weekly newsletter? Sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠nataliecrawfordmd.com/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive updates, Q&A, special content, and freebies If you haven’t already, please rate, review, and follow the podcast to be notified of new episodes every Tuesday. Plus, be sure to follow along on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@nataliecrawfordmd,⁠⁠⁠⁠ check out Natalie’s YouTube channel Natalie Crawford MD⁠⁠⁠⁠, and if you're interested in becoming a patient, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠Fora Fertility. Join the Learn at Pinnacle app ⁠to earn FREE CE Credit for listening to this episode! This episode is brought to you by The Pinnacle Podcast Network! Learn more about Pinnacle at learnatpinnacle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	One thing that I see when we think about ovulation induction is just a blanketed approach.
0:04.0	Let's just start with this medication without getting to the root cause of why are you not ovulating?
0:09.0	And of course answering why you're not ovulating is crucial before we select which medication we should try to use to help you ovulate.
0:16.0	If you're not ovulating regularly or at all, medications like Clomid or Lettrosol can sometimes help stimulate
0:22.5	ovulation and increase your chances of getting pregnant. But how do they work and what should you
0:27.0	expect? Welcome back to the As a Woman podcast. I'm Dr. Natalie Crawford and today we're digging
0:35.0	in to one of the most common first steps and fertility treatment, ovulation induction. In this episode, we're going to cover the science
0:42.6	behind Clomid, letharisol, and other ovulation induction medications, why they're prescribed,
0:48.2	when they work best, and what risk you should know about, how to advocate for yourself
0:52.9	during treatment, and if you're considering
0:55.3	fertility treatment or just want to understand your options better, this episode is going to give you
1:00.1	the clarity and confidence to take the next step. So let's dive in. Anytime I always talk about
1:05.9	ovulation induction, I always want to take a step back and talk about what should be happening
1:10.4	normally.
1:11.1	So we have to review the normal ovulatory process because that's essential for you to understand
1:16.4	how these medications work. I don't live in a world where I think it's appropriate that my patients
1:21.2	are taking medications and they have no idea how they work or no idea why. And I don't think
1:25.8	you should accept that either. I want you to
1:28.2	understand why we might prescribe one over the other. When is the right time to take them and when
1:33.1	to do not? That helps you be a better advocate for your own health. And especially when it comes
1:38.0	to your fertility, that's essential in today's day and age. You have to be your own fertility
1:43.2	advocate. So in a normal menstrual
	...

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