First Monitoring Appt = More Confusion

dancerspose

So, I had my first monitoring appointment today, CD11, and am so confused/have lots of questions.  I apologize in advance because this post is going to make it painfully obvious how ignorant I am about all this.  I took my last does of Clomid yesterday evening (7 days, 50mg).  I went in this afternoon and basically got a "you're lining is still thin and all the follicles we see are really small" response.  I asked if it was just too early to tell or if that mean I wasn't responding to the meds, and the clinician told me it was too early, and that's "pretty much" what they'd expect to see at this stage.  The pretty much is in quotes because that part made me nervous.  So, was CD11 just too early to come in for monitoring?  I can't believe things would grow that much in the next 3-4 days to be able to say I'm responding...they told me they'd call after reviewing the blood work and let me know when to come back.

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel after that.  My immediate reaction is to be incredibly discouraged, but is that premature?  Or is it likely this first cycle is a bust, but they don't want to say until the blood work confirms that somehow?  I think I'm just blown away by how anticlimactic the whole thing was.  I have no more information now then I did before I went in there.  

Any thoughts?

ETA - Is there something I should/could be doing in the meantime to aid in this, some supplement that could help my lining or something to will those follicles to grow?  

PeonyPop

Wait until they call you - The doctor will look at your follies and your bloodwork and make a decision as far as what the next step is.  Either they will decide that you are progressing or they may recommend more meds if the follies are all really small, but every doctor does things differently.  Most of my cycles were slow going (some faster than others), but you really just have to wait until they call you and give you a direction!!  GL  

dancerspose

Thanks @peonypop and @buttmonkey34 I wasn't sure how long clomid cycles usually were - if they generally followed that 28 day total cycle thing or not.  On the rare occasions I did have a period naturally after coming off BCP my cycles were 35-40 days so I'm not sure if that matters when medicated.

They didn't give me any numbers on the follie sizes, but from what I could see trying to look at the screen, they were definitely all under 10mm.  The only exact number they felt like sharing was my lining, which was only 4mm.

They did call back and said they want me to come in on Sunday morning for another monitoring appt.  They did not tell me what labs they looked at or what they said.  Honestly I don't even know what questions I should be asking about the labs...

LindseyM2012

I'm sorry you're feeling discouraged! I've never done Clomid so I can't speak directly to that, but in general follicles can grow 1-2mm per day (at least that's my understanding). I know my first medicated cycle I wasn't quite ready on my CD12 monitoring appointment (my 2 follicles were measuring 12 and 15, I believe, on a Friday). They had me come back in on the following Monday and I was ready to go and follicles measured 19 and 17. That was a lot of growth over one weekend as far as I was concerned.

Did they tell you what your follicles were at? It could be that they wanted you to come in a little early to see how fast you were responding. Since it is your first Clomid cycle, they may wanted to play it safe and start monitoring sooner in case you responded quickly (which I hope is the case).

LindseyM2012

Based on what you've said, I'd say you're probably on track and that you might anticipate triggering later in your cycle. Everybody is not going to trigger on CD12 and not each cycle is going to be the same timeline.

Ask what your follicles are measuring during the ultrasound on Sunday. They should be able to tell you as they're measuring. And ask your nurse to explain things as he/she goes so you can better understand their thinking and decisions. Sounds like some REs assume patients don't understand or don't want to know the nitty-gritty details of the labs so they might leave that out. Its ok to let the nurse and doctor know that you want to understand all of this and will probably make them take a little more time to explain things.

PeonyPop

I think it's pretty common for girls with PCOS to have longer cycles, since all of the follies 'compete' for hormones (just like in a natural cycle!).  Usually, once 1-3 have taken over, it goes much faster  If things aren't moving along by Sunday, then they may have options for you, but it's only your first monitoring appointment so until then, don't fret!!

moto611

My RE has me come in for monitoring on cd10, and things are usually pretty quiet in ovaryland. Sometimes I have one follicle that's 10 or 11mm, sometimes I have nothing at all going on. They have me come back on cd12 and by then there's usually at least one over 10. Sometimes a second follicle will pop up even later than that. And when your follicles are all tiny, it's normal for your lining to be thin. So I wouldn't worry yet.

cbnola71

The one cycle I was on clomid, I O'd on or around CD20/21... so I feel like for us PCOSers its definitely common to be slower. I think they like getting you in early on CD11 so that they can make sure nothing is missed and you don't miss the FW to do TI or IUI. This cycle on letrozole, I was slower growing on CD11 with a thin lining around 5mm and then went back on CD14 and had 2 mature follies over 20mm and 11mm lining and triggered in the office, and that was just 3 days... I have a feeling that you'll probably have a much better feeling leaving Sunday's appt!!

dancerspose

Thanks so much everyone for sharing your experiences.  It definitely makes me feel better.  I guess I felt somewhat under-informed by my REs office about everything you all said.  I'm sure there are a lot of patients who just want follow what the doctors say without wanting any more information, but obviously those of us here tend to be the opposite.  I was thrown off by the lack of information then felt frustrated when I didn't even know exactly what to ask, especially in the moment since I had no idea what was going on.  

But armed with everything you all have told me I will be much more prepared to get the info I feel I need on Sunday.

Thanks again!

BunnyBerry

I've been there on CD11 and went on to have a cushy lining and mature follie. Just after a couple more monitoring appointments. Good luck, I hope they see some action on Sunday!

mshandlebar

Ok, I had typed out a long response, but my computer crashed and now I am on my phone.

@BlueFairy5‌ said it all.

All I can add is that I had the same experience my first time around. Since I wasn't ready on CD11, the plan was to have me come in every 2 days until I was ready. By CD13 I was good to go. My Clomid dose was increased and next time it went better. So, don't worry yet. This is definitely not abnormal. I really hope it works out for you this time. Good luck.

SND1231

I don't have any advice since I haven't taken clomid, but I wanted to say don't get too discouraged. I took longer to respond to my femera cycle.. Sometimes it's trial and error to see what works. Good luck!