Q&A: Can birth control pills be used in fertility treatment?

Birth control pills are commonly used by fertility specialists to help schedule and coordinate treatment cycles. For example, at IVF1, our in-vitro fertilization (IVF) patients are grouped together. A group will start treatment every two weeks. If a woman has her period begin more than a few days before a start date, she will be placed on birth control pills for up to two weeks. This prevents eggs from developing and allows us to start her treatment at any time.

Birth control pills can also be used to prevent problems with other medications. For example, Lupron® is a medication used to suppress the pituitary gland and therefore prevent ovulation while using medication to prepare the uterus or stimulate the development of multiple eggs. One side effect of Lupron® is the potential for ovarian cysts to develop when it is started. Using birth control pills before and during the early use of Lupron® will prevent cysts from forming.