Clomid??
Anyone here take Clomid when TTC?
I have been charting approx year and regularly have long cycles where I have lower temps and no shift- the OBGYN thinks I had anovulatory bleeding. Currently I'm at day 43, low temps, no shift and not pg. Doctor tested me Monday for SSH, Prolactin and Thyroid- everything was within normal range.
We've been using no preventatives in the bedroom approx 4 cycles.
Doctor today suggested we consider a 3month course of Clomid (whenever) OR keep at as-is, but for no longer than 6 months before looking into some other intervention.
I was a little surprised she suggested Clomid this early and am toiling with what to do- ie, trying a fertility monitor for a few months? Also I'm assuming that DH would need to get himself screened for any issues so we know prior to taking a pill if there are any other issues between us. Are there other things my doctor should look at first?
Thank you!!!
Re: Clomid??
I would definitely have your DH tested. There's no point in you getting all fertile if he's got issues too.
We didn't wait a full year before getting help either. It was really obvious prior to then that I wasn't ovulating. So we decided to go ahead with treatments. I really didn't see the point in waiting, nothing was going to change. I knew something wasn't right pretty much right away after going off the pill, but we gave it 6 months before I went back to the Dr. So they did the usual round of tests, and then started doing bloodwork and u/s to watch my ovaries. I was no producing any eggs. So we started with Femara. My OB does not like Clomid, it has bad side effects and can only be used for a short period of time. He much prefers Femara. It only took 2 cycles to get pg!
So it's really up to you. Personally, I didn't see the point in waiting when we knew it wasn't going to happen. I was glad my OB was so proactive and didn't make me wait a full year (although it ended up being longer than that with all the testing). But we knew it wasn't happening, so if you're still not sure, then why not try the monitor. Or not. Either way, whatever you're most comfortable with.
One thing, if you do decide to start treatments, you need to be monitored. There's no sense in putting yourself through that and not knowing for certain if they're working. I had u/s throughout the month, and also used OPKs.
Thank you for your input. OBGYN did mention that they'd check to see if I am in fact ovulating (so I'd have to be in their office some for monitoring).
I will also ask about Femara.
I used Clomid, amongst other things. I would definitely recommend more testing for yourself and hubby before starting meds. You want to make sure you don't have any other problems, etc. I think mikey said most of what I was going to say. I'm a big advocate of seeing a reproductive endocrinologist if you can...they know a whole lot more about things relating to infertility than the ob. I did 3 mos with Ob on clomid only to find out the RE had a better understanding of what I needed and why we weren't getting pregnant.
Also, like mikey said, make sure you're monitored by your ob while on clomid-ultrasounds and bloodwork. You can get overstimulated by the clomid (produce too many follicles) or not ovulate at all...so that's important to know. I do have to disagree with mikey on the cost though....clomid is really cheap even without insurance...it's been around a long time...and femara wasn't covered on my insurance...I think it all depends on the carrier.
GL with whatever you decide...it's stressful and full of lots of decisions but great results in the long run!
Thank you thank you- I just want to make sure I'm not jumping on a pill without fully investigating!!
My BIL and sister are good friends w/the head of fertility clinic at Duke and he specializes in endocrinology- so I emailed them last night with some questions to pass along to him. I'm hoping he has more insight OR will offer to set an appointment with us- but I think Duke is hard to get into and I'm not sure we're at THAT point yet.
GL with everything! I hope you get the answers and information you need to make a decision you're comfortable with. Feel free to come back with more questions. And I'm sure you've already checked out the TTTC board.
And I did not know that about the insurance (what jenwill said), it was the complete opposite for me. So definitely check into that with your own insurance and pharmacy.
I'll add my .02 even though it has pretty much been said already.
We worked with an RE although to date I've never done fertility treatments because we got pg on our own before starting treatment. That said, we had all the testing done and nothing came back other than I needed the MMR shot (done) and my progesterone is consistently low so I had suppositories early on in this pg.
There may be another issue that we are going to look into after this is all over and before trying again in that I do ovulate a little late (about a week) but it really isn't that bad. The thing we are going to discuss is whether or not I need Clomid or Femara to boost my hormones and produce better quality eggs especially since it is highly likely Megan's condition was a mutation in the egg or sperm.
These are all things RE's specialize in and not OB's. You should really be under the care of an RE because while you or your OB may think you know what is going on an RE may be able to pick it up and correct it very quickly.
Good luck!