Key takeaways:
Cabergoline is used to treat hyperprolactinemia (high prolactin levels). Hyperprolactinemia can affect fertility, so cabergoline might be prescribed to help.
How soon you can become pregnant after taking cabergoline depends on individual factors. It can take weeks to months, but cabergoline is considered highly effective if hyperprolactinemia is the cause of infertility.
Cabergoline is generally considered safe to take during pregnancy. But taking medications during pregnancy can have risks. So most people should stop taking cabergoline after they become pregnant.
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Cabergoline is a prescription medication used to treat hyperprolactinemia (high prolactin levels). Prolactin is a hormone made by your pituitary gland. It’s important for regulating testosterone and estrogen levels. It also helps encourage breast milk production after giving birth.
However, too much prolactin can cause a range of issues for women. This includes trouble getting pregnant. In some cases, you might take cabergoline to decrease prolactin levels and help with ovulation. This improves your chances of becoming pregnant.
But if you’re planning to become pregnant, how soon can you get pregnant after taking cabergoline? And do you stop taking cabergoline if you become pregnant? In this article, we discuss how cabergoline can improve fertility. We’ll also discuss what to do if you get pregnant while taking it.
Does cabergoline help you get pregnant?
Cabergoline might help you get pregnant. This is because hyperprolactinemia can disrupt your menstrual cycle, including ovulation. Ovulation is when your body releases a mature egg during the menstrual cycle. You’re most likely to get pregnant on the days surrounding ovulation. Having too much prolactin in your body prevents the release of certain hormones that encourage pregnancy.
Cabergoline is a dopamine agonist that lowers how much prolactin the pituitary gland makes. And since lowering prolactin levels may restore your menstrual cycle, you may have a better chance of getting pregnant.
How soon can you get pregnant after taking cabergoline?
How soon you can get pregnant after starting cabergoline varies from person to person. It depends largely on how long it takes your menstrual cycle to normalize. For instance, a woman from one case study became pregnant after taking cabergoline for 6 weeks. Other case studies show it can take 1 year to 16 months or more.
While it may take time, cabergoline is considered highly effective at increasing your chance of pregnancy. But this is only true if hyperprolactinemia is the cause of infertility.
When to test if you’re pregnant while taking cabergoline
If you’re taking cabergoline and trying to get pregnant, ask your prescriber when it’s best for you to test for pregnancy. If you weren’t having a period, they may recommend waiting until your period returns. After that, many over-the-counter pregnancy tests recommend waiting until the first day after a missed period for the most accurate results.
Who should take cabergoline to get pregnant?
If you have hyperprolactinemia that may be causing infertility, your fertility team may recommend cabergoline. Addressing the underlying cause of hyperprolactinemia is also important. This may help you decrease prolactin levels and restore ovulation without taking cabergoline. For example, treating hypothyroidism or stopping a medication known to increase prolactin, might be enough to lower prolactin levels. Share your medication list with your healthcare team so they can tell you if any medications you take increase prolactin.
If hyperprolactinemia isn’t the cause of fertility issues, cabergoline isn’t recommended. You may take other fertility medications, such as clomiphene (Clomid) or letrozole (Femara). You may also use injectable medications as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF). If you’re having trouble becoming pregnant, reach out to your healthcare team. They may recommend fertility tests to start, some of which you can do at home.
Can you combine cabergoline with other fertility treatments?
Your fertility team may recommend taking cabergoline along with other fertility medications. For instance, if you don’t become pregnant after prolactin levels normalize, another cause of infertility may be at play. So other fertility medications may be helpful.
Cabergoline might also be taken along with IVF medications to prevent ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), a side effect of some IVF medications.
What are possible cabergoline side effects? Find out about the mild and serious side effects that may occur while taking cabergoline, as well as how to manage them.
Wondering if you might be pregnant? Take this quiz and learn about early pregnancy symptoms and if you should take a pregnancy test.
Should you avoid medications during pregnancy? It’s best to avoid certain medications during pregnancy. Learn some of the top medications to watch for.
Should you stop taking cabergoline after becoming pregnant?
In many cases, yes. You may be able to stop taking cabergoline once you become pregnant. That is, if you’re treating hyperprolactinemia with the goal of becoming pregnant.
But don’t stop treatment without talking to your fertility team first. They may recommend you continue cabergoline under some circumstances. For example, you may need it during pregnancy if you have a large prolactinoma. This is a noncancerous tumor in the pituitary gland that increases prolactin levels.
It’s important to note that it’s still usually best to stop taking cabergoline if you become pregnant. This is true even if you’re taking it for reasons unrelated to infertility. Although we have some reassuring research that it’s safe during pregnancy, some studies show that miscarriage rates increase in women who continue cabergoline throughout pregnancy. And there may be additional risks we’re not aware of. That’s why experts only recommend taking cabergoline in pregnancy if the benefits outweigh the risks.
Cabergoline vs. bromocriptine: Which is best for fertility?
Bromocriptine (Parlodel, Cycloset) is another dopamine agonist that treats hyperprolactinemia. But there’s a lot of research to show that cabergoline is more effective than bromocriptine at treating infertility due to hyperprolactinemia. It’s also considered safer. So cabergoline is generally preferred in these situations.
What are possible side effects and how long do they last?
Common cabergoline side effects include:
Nausea
Headache
Constipation
Dizziness
Fatigue
Many of these side effects may improve as your body adjusts to taking cabergoline. If not, your prescriber may lower your dose to help lessen the side effects or get rid of them. More serious side effects are also possible. For instance, some people taking cabergoline have heart problems or less impulse control.
Keep in mind that the cabergoline doses used for fertility are typically lower than the doses known to cause heart problems.
The bottom line
Cabergoline is used to treat hyperprolactinemia (high prolactin levels). If you have hyperprolactinemia, it can make it harder to become pregnant. So you may be prescribed cabergoline to improve fertility. Most people stop taking cabergoline as soon as they become pregnant. But in some cases, your prescriber may recommend continuing it, so make sure to check with them first.
How long it takes to become pregnant after taking cabergoline depends on individual factors. It can take weeks to months. But if hyperprolactinemia is the cause of infertility, cabergoline is considered very effective. In some cases, other factors may contribute to infertility. So your fertility team may recommend other medications as well.
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References
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