How do you take Femara? What days do you take it?
- For fertility issues and PCOS, Femara is typically taken once a day for five days.
- Femara is usually started on day three or four of your monthly cycle (the first day of your monthly cycle is the first day of your period) and then taken for five days.
- If you are taking Femara for breast cancer, it is usually taken once a day or once every other day.
Femara (letrozole) is a prescription medication used for the treatment of breast cancer and it is also commonly used off-label to treat ovulation problems including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and unexplained infertility.
For fertility issues and PCOS, Femara is typically taken once a day for five days. It is usually started on day three or four of your monthly cycle (the first day of your monthly cycle is the first day of your period) and then you ovulate about four to seven days after taking the last of the five pills. This means that if you started the pills on day one of your period then you should ovulate between days nine to twelve. Intercourse or intrauterine insemination (the artificial insertion of sperm) is timed to coincide with ovulation.
For breast cancer, Femara is usually taken once a day or once every other day.
References
- Femara (letrozole) Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation https://www.drugs.com/pro/femara.html
- Legro R, Brzyski R, Diamond M, et al. Letrozole versus Clomiphene for Infertility in the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. N Engl J Med 2014; 371:119-129 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1313517 Franik S,
- Eltrop SM, Kremer JA, Kiesel L, Farquhar C. Aromatase inhibitors (letrozole) for subfertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;5(5): CD010287. Published 2018 May 24. DOI:10.1002/14651858.CD010287.pub3
Related medical questions
- How many cycles of letrozole are needed to get pregnant?
- How long do letrozole side effects last?
- When will I ovulate after taking letrozole?
- What happens when you stop taking letrozole?
- When is the best time of day to take letrozole?
- How does Femara affect your period?
- Is letrozole a form of chemotherapy?
- How do you take letrozole for fertility?
- Does Femara make your hair fall out?
- When do you ovulate on Femara?
- Can Femara cause twins?
Drug information
- Femara Information for Consumers
- Femara Information for Healthcare Professionals (includes dosage details)
- Side Effects of Femara (detailed)
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