menotrophin: prescribing and clinical use
Focused clinical detail for use alongside current product information, local policy and patient-specific assessment.
menotrophin: clinical details
Prescribing considerations
- Initiate only under a clinician experienced in infertility treatment; ensure the first injection is directly supervised.
- Assess the cause of infertility and whether pregnancy is appropriate before treatment.
- Evaluate and treat relevant thyroid or adrenal dysfunction, hyperprolactinaemia and pituitary or hypothalamic disease.
- Consider increased thromboembolic risk in patients with thrombophilia, severe obesity or a personal or family history of thrombosis.
- Record product name and batch number to maintain biological-medicine traceability.
Contraindications and cautions
- Hypersensitivity to menotrophin or an excipient
- Pituitary or hypothalamic tumour
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Ovarian, uterine or breast carcinoma
- Unexplained gynaecological bleeding
- Ovarian cyst or enlargement not caused by polycystic ovarian disease
- Primary ovarian failure or reproductive anatomy incompatible with pregnancy
- Testicular tumour or prostate carcinoma
Monitoring
- Monitor ovarian response regularly using ultrasound, alone or with serum oestradiol.
- Watch for excessive follicular response and ovarian hyperstimulation during treatment and after the final injection.
- Assess follicle number because excessive response increases the risks of OHSS and multiple pregnancy.
- Review urgently if abdominal distension, vomiting, weight gain, dyspnoea or oliguria develops.
Clinical pharmacology
Urine-derived, highly purified menotrophin provides FSH and LH bioactivity. Its LH activity is mainly attributable to hCG. It acts directly on the ovaries and testes, producing gametogenic and steroidogenic effects.
Formulation and product differences
- The selected product is a powder supplied with solvent for reconstitution and may be administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly.
- The reconstituted solution is for immediate, single use and must not be used if cloudy or particulate.
- It contains lactose and is essentially sodium-free; store below 25°C, protect from light and do not freeze.
menotrophin preparations and strengths
Injection
Route: Parenteral
Strengths: 75 units, 150 units, 600 units, 1200 units
menotrophin interactions
Formal human interaction studies are limited. The fertility team should review all prescribed, non-prescribed and complementary products.
Clomifene citrate
Combined use is expected to increase the ovarian follicular response, requiring specialist oversight and monitoring.
Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists
Pituitary suppression may reduce ovarian responsiveness, so the clinic may need to alter the treatment plan.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.