Q: I am a 26 years old woman diagnosed with polycystic ovarian disorder (PCOD), now I want to conceive. The doctor advised me to take Regestrone and Letroz 2.5 mg on the second day of my periods. After this I have to undergo a scan to check follicular growth and take an HCG injection to rupture the follicle. Is this the correct treatment? Or, is there any other medicine? I have completed one cycle but of no use. Please advise.

A:Every patient of PCOD does not need treatment to conceive. Only if there is problem in fertility does one need treatment. Such patients are initially given metformin (sold as Glyciphage) 500 mg 2-3 times daily to take care of insulin resistance. Therapy is to be considered only if there is no conception, say for 6 months or more. There is a globally accepted guideline on treating such cases, which involves the use of clomiphene (sold as Ovipreg) and hCG (sold as Corion). Letroz (letrozole) is an anti-cancer drug used in breast malignancy. In not a single advanced, western country it is permitted to be given to women of reproductive age. As a matter of fact the Canadian drug regulator and the innovator company Novartis, have warned gynaecologists all over the world not to misuse it for female infertility. Research on 150 pregnancies has shown that babies born to mothers who had consumed letrozole to increase fertility have suffered from bone malformations, cardiac stenosis and cancers.