My Dr. wants to try me on the Cancer drug Tamoxifen for infertility. I have never had Cancer. Is this OK??

I am 37 years old & have been suffering from unexplained infertility since a pregnancy ended in miscarriage ten years ago. I had a Laparoscopy & Hysteroscopy done 2 months ago, and the Dr. cleared scar tissue from my tubes, but found that I didn't have Endometriosis. I have been on Clomid, 100mg. for two cycles, with no success. We just had an IUI done, and my Dr. says if I don't get pregnant this time (with the combination of Clomid & the IUI), he wants to try me on the Breast Cancer drug Tamoxifen. He didn't go into much of an explanation yet, but after checking it out on the Internet, I'm wondering how good of an idea it is to purposely take Tamoxifen at the age of 37 (since I read it can put you into early menopause) to boost fertility -- especially since my cycles have always been totally regular, so I know there's no problem with ovulation! If anyone has any information to help me, I would sincerely appreciate it!!!! Thanks!! :o)

This is a common, albeit off-label, use of Tamoxifen. At high doses, it increases ovulation.

Tamoxifen is chemically and functionally similar to clomiphene (aka Clomid). It should NOT be used in women who have a personal or family history of blood clots or who have a predisposed risk of thrombophilia.

Clomid and Tamoxifen are similarly effective in inducing ovulation - about 65-75%. BOTH, however, are *less* effective in establishing pregnancy - about 30-35%.

Administration of Tamoxifen for infertility should be monitored by ultrasound because of the risk of multiple pregnancies (about a 10% risk of having twins and less than 1% of having triplets or more).

If your ovulation is normal or you are otherwise concerned about this empiric use of the drug, definitely talk to your doc about other options. Good luck to you.

Sure Tamoxifen is more a hormone used for cancer.

Best not to fool with mother nature. Everything that you are doing is bad for your health in the long run. You did not mention if your husband has been tested for infertility.

The only other alternative is adoption.