Why it's a bad move

ONLINE DANGER: With the exception of Lloydspharmacy's Online Doctor, which is registered with the Care Quality Commission, you can never be sure that medication bought on the internet is the real thing. Many of these sites are based abroad and are unregulated. In 2008, a European report revealed that more than 60% of medicines bought online are fake or substandard.

WRONG DRUG: Clomiphene is only suitable for women with ovulation problems and shouldn't be taken by anyone with conditions that cause infertility, including fibroids, endometriosis, ovarian cysts or enlarged ovaries. Taking clomiphene could make these conditions worse, reducing your chances of a baby.

Neither is it suitable for women who have a tendency to develop blood clots or suffer from certain forms of depression or liver disease. In these cases it could be life-threatening. If you don't see a doctor for an assessment, you may not know you're at risk.

Some women won't like this but I agree with doctors who insist that obese women lose weight first. There's good medical reasoning behind this. Obesity lowers fertility and the drug's effectiveness will be limited in anyone who's obese. Second, obesity increases the risk of many pregnancy complications, including diabetes, raised blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, blood clots and birth defects.

DANGEROUS DOSE: Finally, it's crucial to get the dose right and this varies between women. All women must be carefully monitored to avoid a condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) developing. If not treated promptly, this can damage the ovaries and even be life-threatening. Also, if the dose is wrong, your risk of multiple births increases, bringing a higher chance of pregnancy complications, including premature birth and low birth weight.

Lastly, prolonged use may increase the risk of ovarian cancer so doctors won't prescribe clomiphene for more than six cycles. If you're thinking of bypassing the doctor and going online for this drug, please think again. It could cost you your life.

Source: Daily Mirror