PCOS clomid vs Femara

Doglover526

So long story short, my husband and I have been ttc for over a year. Was diagnosed with "thin" pcos about 6 months ago. Recently started seeing a new dr about 2 months ago. He stared me on clomid 100 mg cd5-9 which would be followed by trigger shot and Iui. Went for scaned on cd13 had 3 follicles on each ovary the biggest ones measuring 11/12, so they told me to come back on cd15, us revealed that some of the follicles had gotten smaller or either disappeared. The whole cycle was cancelled. I was very disappointed but the dr told me not to get discouraged that most couples do not conceive with the first time and that he wanted me to try Ferrara this upcoming cycle. I was wondering what to expect from Ferrara as compared to clomid. I had terrible side effects with clomid hot flashes, bad mood swings, etc. I feel like I shouldn't get my hopes up, I'm very discouraged. So any success stories with thin pcos with fermar and Iui with trigger shot?

DharmaChick

I also have "lean/thin/atypical" PCOS and was able to grow a mature follie both on Clomid cycles and Femara/Letrozole cycles. 

That said, I have generally responded much faster with Femara and without the side effects that I had experienced with Clomid.  Doctors also like to limit the number of cycles that you may try with Clomid, while my RE indicated that Femara is safe to continue for as many cycles as needed.

Doglover526

Thanks for the reply Dharmachick, was wondering if you ever got a bfp, if so did you also do the trigger shot and iui?

DharmaChick

katiea370 said:

Thanks for the reply Dharmachick, was wondering if you ever got a bfp, if so did you also do the trigger shot and iui?

If you are looking for someone with a BFP, I would recommend checking the SAIF (Success after IF) board.  The vast majority of the ladies of this board are still waiting to get pregnant.
I am in the TWW for IUI #6, and hoping to test soon.

coaster102516

I have taken both clomid and femara. I had zero side effects on clomid but it left me with a giant cyst and thinned my lining so my doctor switched me to femara. I had side effects on femara but they were minimal (sore joints and headaches) and unlike clomid, it did not thin my lining or cause cysts. I reacted to both clomid and femara, had one mature follicle each time.

This upcoming cycle, I will be doing femara again with a trigger shot.

Don't get too discouraged. I believe you still only have about 20-25% chance of getting pregnant each month, just like a healthy couple with no issues does. Most doctors will prescribe up to 6 rounds.

blsav23

I also have "thin" PCOS. I did two rounds of femara (5mg) & one round clomid (100mg), all with trigger & IUI. The first femara round, I had two good follicles & ended up with a chem pregnancy

blsav23

I also have "thin" PCOS. I did two rounds of femara (5mg) & one round clomid (100mg), all with trigger & IUI. The first femara round, I had two good follicles & ended up with a chem pregnancy

blsav23

Sorry...that keeps posting my incomplete message! Anyhow, I didn't respond great to my second round of femara so switched to clomid to see how I'd do for round #3. I had three good follicles but a thin lining, which I took estrace for but not sure how much it helped. In any event, I ended up with a BFN.
I didn't have much SE with either but gear clomid can be brutal!
Best of luck with whichever you choose & with your fight against stupid PCOS!

Doglover526

So I have an update on my situation on cd18 my opk came up positive, so I call my dr, he had me come in for another us which received a 20mm follicle!!!! I was so shocked and super excited, so the nurse gave me my trigger shot that day and I went in the next morning to have my iui done! So today I am 4dpiui and I'll have my progessteron level checked on Wednesday which will be 7dpiui! I'm super excited but I'm also not trying to
Get my hopes up, my dh keeps saying I don't see why it wouldn't work! So I'm in my 2ww and im gonna go crazy!!! Any advice ladies?

squidbugmom

I tried Clomid once and it didn't work, but I also don't think my Dr then did a good job with blood testing etc. First time I did Femara I had awesome bloodwork and my new Dr thought I ovulated, but I didn't get pregnant (last November). Since then I've been taking Femara with less positive blood lab results, and sometimes not ovulating sometimes maybe ovulating. I also am thin ("underweight") with PCOS, and will probably be doing a surgery soon-- I can't do IUI or IVF because I'm Catholic, so I use NaPro and apparently an ovarian wedge resection has 90% conception rate afterwards!

AnonymousNurse

FWIW, my RE told me he thinks clomid is a little "old school" and much prefers femara.  I'm in my second cycle of femara and I've ovulated both times (last time one good follicle, this time with 2).