Fertility Medications: A Primer for Healthcare Professionals
Target Audience: Pharmacist, Physician Assistant, Physician
Course Overview
Within the United States (US), an estimated 1 in 5 women will experience infertility. Infertility is a disease with health implications and important economic and social ramifications. Management of infertility is highly patient-specific, and factors including the underlying cause, patient age, comorbidities, and cost determine the treatment plan. A diagnosis of infertility can be devastating, and attempting to understand related procedures and medications can be overwhelming for patients. It is important for patients to be educated on the causes and risk factors associated with infertility, counseled on nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic medications, and offered resources to decrease the financial burden associated with infertility treatments. This course will provide an overview of the causes and processes involved in diagnosing infertility and discuss available infertility treatment options. Mechanisms of action, side effects profiles, benefits, and success rates will be discussed for various fertility medications.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:
- Recall causes of infertility
- Describe available treatment options for infertility
- Inventory the risk-benefit profiles of fertility medications for patient-centered care
Faculty
Maintenance of Certification (MOC): Continuing Certification is offered for the American Board of Internal Medicine® (ABIM) and the American Board of Pediatrics® (ABP).
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 3.0 Medical Knowledge MOC points. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component and post-test, qualifies for MOC points with the following boards:
American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)
- Internal Medicine
- Introduction
- Definition and Prevalence of Infertility
- Etiology and Risk Factors
- Evaluation and Diagnosis
- Female Reproductive System
- Menstrual Cycle
- The Follicular (Proliferative) Phase
- Ovulatory Phase
- Fertility Evaluation
- Treatment of Infertility
- Nonpharmacologic Management
- Treatment Termination Conversations
- Routine Psychosocial Care
- Assisted Reproductive Technology
- Laws and Regulations of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)
- Pharmacologic Therapies
- Determining a Management Strategy
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Role of the Interdisciplinary Team
- Patient Case
- Summary
From April 25, 2026 through April 25, 2029, participants must:
- Read the "learning objectives" and "author and planning team disclosures"
- Study the section entitled "educational activity"
- Complete the Course Test and Evaluation form. The Course Test will be graded automatically. Following successful completion of the Course Test with a score of 70% or higher, a statement of participation will be made available immediately. (No partial credit will be given.)
Credit for this course will be automatically uploaded to JA_PARS.
Faculty Planner Disclosure
The following individuals were involved in planning, developing, and/or authoring this activity: L. Austin Fredrickson, MD, FACP; Liz Fredrickson, PharmD, BCPS; Anna Shurtleff Smith, MPH, BSN-RN; and Pamela Sardo, PharmD, BS. None of the individuals involved in developing this activity has a conflict of interest or financial relationships related to the subject matter. There are no financial relationships or commercial or financial support relevant to this activity to report or disclose by RxCe.com or any of the individuals involved in the development of this activity.
Unlabeled Use Disclosure
The information provided in this course is general in nature, and it is designed solely to provide participants with continuing education credit(s). This course and materials are not meant to substitute for the independent, professional judgment of any participant regarding that participant's professional practice, including but not limited to patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and/or health management. Medical and pharmacy practices, rules, and laws vary from state to state, and this course does not cover the laws of each state; therefore, participants must consult the laws of their state as they relate to their professional practice. Healthcare professionals must consult their employer, healthcare facility, hospital, or other organization for guidelines, protocols, and procedures to follow. The information provided in this course does not replace those guidelines, protocols, and procedures, but is for academic purposes only, and this course's limited purpose is for the completion of continuing education credits. Participants are advised and acknowledge that information related to medications, their administration, dosing, contraindications, adverse reactions, interactions, warnings, precautions, or accepted uses is constantly changing. Any person taking this course understands that such a person must make an independent review of medication information before any patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment and/or health management. Any discussion of off-label use of any medication, device, or procedure is informational only, and such uses are not endorsed hereby. Nothing contained in this course represents the opinions, views, judgments, or conclusions of RxCe.com LLC. RxCe.com LLC is not liable or responsible to any person for any inaccuracy, error, or omission with respect to this course or course material.
Please ensure the device you plan to use meets these requirements:
- Operating System: Windows 7, 8, 10, or 11 / Mac OS X 10.9 or later / iOS / Android
- Supported Browsers: Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera
- A connection to the internet
Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, RxCE.com is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.