Femara vs Clomid

topofthemuffin2u

Has anyone used Femara instead of Clomid?  I had a very bad emotional response to Clomid and my Fertility Doc has suggested that we use Femara when we do our 1st IUI next month (which I'm both very excited & very scared about). 

 I understand that there is some controversary surrounding Femara because it's actual use is to treat breast cancer patients....any opinions or experiences???

TIA

 

Sara Scissors

My RE won't/wouldn't put me on Femara.  He said it was used for those with PCOS, which I didn't have.  I originally asked because I had been on Clomid for a long time and wanted to try something new (before starting injectibles).  I had heard it has far less s/e.  Many on here have used it though...hope you get some good responses. 

SportyMrs.23

I used femara for 2 cycles.  It was MUCH better than clomid!  I didn't have any s/e like I did with the clomid.  I produced 1 follicle each time. 

dusk42

I hope you don't mind me posting here. ?

I took Femara and had no side effects, so that was a plus (I did not do IUI, though). ??

The negatives to Femara (which your doctor will warn you about) are that it is not FDA-approved for fertility treatments so it is prescribed off-label - my doctor told me that Novartis is unlikely to ever pursue FDA approval because it costs so much (to run all the clinical trials) and so many REs already use it off-label - they already get the profits without having to put any money into the trials. ?The other negative is that it is a newer drug than Clomid (which is at least 40 years old, I think), so there are not as many studies on the incidence of birth defects. ?However, it does not appear that the incidence of birth defects is any higher from Femara than Clomid - additionally, Femara has a much shorter half-life and is out of your body much faster than Clomid (which hangs around for a long time).

The positives are that Femara reduces the amount of estrogen that is produced without blocking the estrogen receptors. ?This is probably why Femara has fewer side effects. ?The most important difference (in terms of TTC) is that Femara does not thin your lining like Clomid. ?I think that it is less likely to cause cysts as well, but don't quote me on that.

Femara does cost more than Clomid because there is no generic form, but it is often covered by insurance because it is a breast cancer drug. ?

I hope this helps, and best of luck on your IUI!!!?

Carmela752

I have used both. I didn't ovulate with either, but I would say I had less side effects with Femara than Clomid.

The controversy around Femara isn't really a controversy. It is given to breast cancer patients who have estrogen sensitive tumors. Femara is an anti-estrogen. (So it's not like it's chemo or something.)

The "controversy" was that Femara can cause birth defects if it is taken during pregnancy. Well, we aren't taking it during pregnancy, we're taking it for ovulation, way before any potential pregnancy would occur.

It also has a shorter half life than Clomid, so it is even more of a non-issue.

Good luck with your IUI!

jcombs

My dr prescribed it for me because they had success with it for endo patients (no PCOS here) and I really liked it much better than clomid.  No clomid crazies and no other s/e really.  And my insurance covered it since its not an IF med. 

topofthemuffin2u

Great - Thank you so much, I knew this was the right place to come

dusk42

There is some evidence that Femara works in PCOS patients that are Clomid resistant, but there are other studies that show the Femara and Clomid are equally effective in women with unexplained anovulation. ?

I think it is RE preference and previous responses and side effects of Clomid that determine whether your RE prescribes Femara. ? ?

I think Femara also has a lower incidence of twins than Clomid, but I need to look that up again. ??

mrspresley

sounds like you already got some great responses

i do believe that femara has a slightly lower incidence of twins. it does not affect your lining or dry up your CM.  i have not heard of it causing cysts as a s/e either, unlike clomid.

i never took clomid but asked for femara straight off the bat. i had thin lining issues and did not want to chance that w/clomid (even though my doctor was going to put me on estrogen patches to help that).  most people say they have no s/e with it but i had mild headaches. nothing too bad or that would keep me from taking it again.  2nd time was the charm for us good luck!

https://breast-cancer.emedtv.com/femara/clomid-vs.-femara.html