Philbrick

There are infertility drugs that you and your partner and doctor can consider depending on what the problem might be. Here is the list of some of the infertility drugs that may help.

*Clomiphene (Clomid, Serophene) comes in tablet form and is available only with a physician's prescription. Human chorionic gonadotropin is given as an injection, only under a physician's supervision.

*Clomiphene citrate is used to increase the natural production of the hormones that stimulate ovulation in otherwise healthy women. When clomiphene is administered, the body produces higher levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and gonadotropins. These hormones induce ovulation.

*Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is sold under many brand names including Gonic, Pregnyl and Profasi. This hormone stimulates the gonads in both men and women. In men, hCG increases androgen production. In women, it increases the levels of progesterone. Human chorionic gonadotropin can help stimulate ovulation in women.

*Although some people believe that hCG can help lose weight, there is no evidence that this hormone offers any benefit in weight loss programs. It should not be used for this purpose.

*A number of other natural and synthetic hormones are used to induce ovulation. Urofollitropins (Fertinex) is a concentrated preparation of human hormones, while follitropin alfa (Gonal-F) and follitropin beta (Follistim) are human FSH preparations of recombinant DNA origin. Developments in this field are continuous. For example, in June 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a follitropin beta injection in individualized doses for women to self-inject.

*Menotropins (Pergonal, Humegon, Repronex) are given with human chorionic gonadotropin to stimulate ovulation in women and sperm production in men.

Recommended Dosage
The dosage may be different for different patients. The physician who prescribed the drug or the pharmacist who filled the prescription will recommend the correct dosage. You need to follow these directions and not take any more or any less that what is recommended.

Clomiphene must be taken at certain times during the menstrual cycle and patients should follow directions exactly.

Note: Treatment with infertility drugs increases the chance of multiple births. Having intercourse at the proper time in the woman's menstrual cycle helps increase the chance of pregnancy. The physician may recommend using an ovulation prediction test kit to help determine the best times for intercourse.

People who have certain medical conditions or who are taking certain other medicines may have problems if they take infertility drugs. Before taking these drugs, patients should tell the physician about any of these conditions.

You can also find more info on Infertility and Female Infertilty Treatment. Infertilitytreatmentoptions.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Infertility.

Sometimes you hanker for barbecue. You want barbecue so much you can smell it and taste it. The type of barbecue you prefer depends on where you spent your childhood and where you live now. Hormel Foods has a chart of barbecue sauces on its Web site. Barbecue originated in the late 18th century in Virginia and North Carolina, the site says, and started out as vinegar dipping sauce for pork.

Time passed and more ingredients were added to the sauce. People in North Carolina like a sweet, vinegar-based sauce. The folks in South Carolina add mustard to their recipe. If you grew up in the Smoky Mountains you like sauce made with tomatoes, ketchup, and vinegar.

As you might expect, Florida residents add lemon and lime juice to their sauce. Alabama residents prefer a light sauce, but Kentucky residents like theirs dark. Hot and spicy are the words that describe Texas barbecue. As for Mid-Westerners, they like a thick tomato-based sauce.

"Barbecue by Region," an article on www.xroads.virginia.edu, says "Barbecue is barbecue all over the Southern United States." According to the article, Memphis residents flavor their tomato-based sauce with molasses. For years I made my barbecue sauce from scratch. The recipe had lots of ingredients, including molasses, and took a half hour to make.

So I came up with a faster version of the recipe. When I am cooking pork I add molasses, but when I am cooking chicken I use orange marmalade instead. You can make the sauce in five minutes and savor the smell for hours. Serve this tangy barbecued chicken with rice and apple coleslaw. Double the recipe if you are cooking for teens.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 pounds skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon extra light olive oil

1 3/4 cups barbecue sauce (lowest sugar/salt content you can find)

1 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup sugar-free orange marmalade

1 tablespoon orange zest, diced

2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped

METHOD

Coat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet with olive oil. Cut each chicken breast into two long strips. Saute the strips on medium-to-high heat until they start to brown. Transfer chicken strips to slow cooker.

Wipe any remaining oil from skillet with paper towels. In the same skillet combine barbecue sauce, orange juice, marmalade, orange zest, and green onions. Heat sauce until it starts to boil and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours. Makes 5-6 servings.

Copyright 2007 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a freelance nonfiction writer for 28 years. She is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and was a food writer before she became a health and wellness writer. Her 23th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from http://www.amazon.com A five-star review of the book is posted on Amazon. You will find another review on the American Hospice Foundation Web site under the "School Corner" heading.