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carlinlp
member
So....Clomid
carlinlp
member
Our appointment this week with my ob to talk about our trouble TTC didn't go so well. Never in a million years did we dream that I would get pg the first month with all 3 of my children to then have fertility problems with #4.
We have some options, one of them is Clomid. Dr. feels this is a good option for us because we know that I *can* get pg, I'm just not ovulating on my own and haven't been since Teagan weaned. Months and months of trying and negative OPK's wasted. But, with a 50+ day cycle with no ovulation, I either have to wait for AF to show up again and start clomid or induce a period and start it. OB said 3 cycles with her max before she refers out.....so....wwyd? Would you induce a cycle (I am probably calling it the wrong thing, sorry) or wait for AF to show up? If you've used either of these meds, did you have any side effects? I'm worried about it making me feel sick, etc. How did your dh feel about it? My dh is on board with it 100% but is nervous about multiples (OB told us 10% chance of twins) which doesn't sound like a high number, unless you're one of those 10% I suppose. I'm not sure we could handle twins....I mean we would...but it's a calculated risk right?
The benefit to doing the clomid with a forced period would be that I could do it during a time I am not working. If we wait AF out, it could show up at any time really and my schedule could be crazy. Not a big deal if the meds don't make me feel sick. Advice? Thoughts? What am I not considering here? I realize that we have 3 healthy, beautiful children and while we really want another baby, we also want to make sure that this is a good choice and the right path for us to go down. Clomid is safe and there are success stories right?
ETA: Sorry for the rambling post, I just felt the need to get it out. If you post on my blog or if we are FB friends, please don't mention this, our families don't know we are even TTC, much less that we are having trouble.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: So....Clomid
I have no advice, just hugs. I also don't think you should feel like you have to apologize/justify why y'all want to grow your family--you want to add #4, not #17 (although I would totally watch y'all on TV over the Duggars.
).
Maybe ask about Clomid/options over on secondary IF?
<a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="Home D
LMAO at the thought of us on TV, that is a scary thought!!
Thanks....I don't know why I feel badly about that, maybe because now I know what it feels like and there are so many who just one to have ONE and we have three already. Maybe I feel greedy, I dunno. I was talking to a friend the other day that said "if that empty feeling is there, its there and real, whether you have other healthy children or not".
I'm afraid of the IF boards, they can be a bit scary, so I asked here first.
52 Choices For Better Health
::waves hand in the air::
Uhhh, major success story right here. I'm one of the 10% though so I don't know if that's more comforting or more frightening to you. Obviously I was a very high responder to the drug.
My advice: Don't sweat the drugs' side effect because you just won't know until you try it. I had no side effects at all. None that I can remember anyway. I took both - the period inducing one (forgot the name) and then Clomid. I actually liked it that way because I knew exactly what was coming and when. It was super-easy. My OB required that I use OPKs along with the Clomid so there was no guess work. 10 dpo I got my positive POAS test.
We were lucky enough that it worked on the first try, but my OB was willing to let us try it up to 6 times before we moved on to the next step.
If you want to ask me any other questions, I'll share all that I can remember. You can email me if you'd rather keep those ?s on the down-low.
Best of luck to you!
ETA: My OB didn't do any u/s monitoring to check our follie count. But I was ok with the small (ha!) chance that we'd get PG with twins.
We did Clomid for 2 cycles and were not a success story. However, I do remember some of the side effects. I got headaches and was cranky. If you get it, there are a variety of cheaper places. Also, make sure that you are monitored in some way as you can see how many follies you have and what your response rate is.
Have you had your 21d (or whatever day 7 is after you ovulate) test done?
Married and it feels so good!
I never took Clomid, but I did take Femara for a total of 9 cycles. I mostly only had one follicle. During two cycles, I had two follicles. So not too much risk of twins (which DH and I were okay with anyhow).
From what I have heard, Clomid can make you a bit cranky and irritable. Clomid can also thin your uterine lining and thicken cervical mucous, both of which can interfere with achieving pregnancy. There is also the increased risk of multiples (about 10%).
I've never had to induce a cycle either, so I have no experience with that either.
Will your doctor be monitoring your follicle growth with ultrasounds? If ultrasounds are used, you will know how many potential eggs you are growing.
The O'Baby Blog
Edited my response - internets don't need to save it for posterity.
The side effects I talked about all went away as soon as I stopped the drugs, so really as long as you can keep in mind that anything you might experience is temporary, you'll be just fine. Not that I expect you to have the extremes I did - I'm pretty odd.
I am a femara success story. I would have taken Clomid in a heartbeat, though. Thousands of women have gotten pg on clomid-- its the gold standard in ovulation assistance drugs.
Seeker uses femara because it is supposed to have a lower instance of side effects and multiples. However, a lot of dr.'s won't prescribe it for ovulation assistance because its an off label use-- femara was made to be a treatment for breast cancer in post menapausal women. I got pregnant the two times I used femara- the first time I only took 1 pill and then had to stop because of a cyst. I ended up pregnant but it was ectopic. The second time ended up with the current bun in my oven. I felt no side effects at all and I have a singleton.
If you are concerned about the side effects and the instance of multiples, I'd ask about femara. BUT, if your doc isn't comfortable prescribing it, I wouldn't hesistate to take the clomid.
As far as inducing the period... I'd probably do it. Your point about it being predictable is a good one. Also, you can pick a time when it'll be good for you to go in for your CD3 testing and u/s, take the medi, and then go in again a couple of weeks later for your follicle scan. I don't see a downside.
Good luck, sweetie. Please don't feel weird about wanting more kids. I get where you are coming from but the desire to have a child is nothing to apologize for... whether its your first or 4th. You make gorgeous children, so keep at it.
Haven't read the other replies, but did your doctor mention Femara at all? It works similar to clomid, but with fewer side effects and a lower risk of twins. I was supposed to start Femara with a trigger shot with Dr. Seeker, but I was too far along in the cycle and had to wait until the next one. To everyone's surprise, I ovulated on my own a week later and we made Alex.
I didn't take the Femara, but if you're really worried about twins - and since you have three children already, I can't blame you for being worried - I'd certainly ask if Femara is an option.
Are you having cycles, but they're really long, and you aren't ovulating? Or are you not having AF at all? If you aren't having AF at all, I'd lean toward trying to induce a cycle.
Meredith, 6-1-06 and Alex, 11-5-09
I loves me some acupuncture, and I highly recommend it. I have no doubt that acupuncture is what helped avoid miscarraige this time around. Even if it didn't, I wouldn't have wanted to try again without it.
The Center for Reproductive Acupuncture is near UT and all they do is fertility assistance. They are AMAZING. Check into it if you are interested.
I got PG twice on clomid. I was ovulating on my own just fine, but it seemed like the clomid + IUI was the recipe that worked for us (we did 2 natural IUIs that didn't work, one clomid IUI that worked but m/c, two clomid non-IUI cycles (because we kept missing O and canceling the IUI), and a second clomid IUI that worked).
I was really nervous about going on clomid because I was also terrified of multiples. I only had one follie my first 3 cycles on clomid, and two my 4th cycle on clomid, so, for me, it ended up not being much of a concern. As far as side effects, I just got cranky, but that also could have been related to IF in general. I've heard a lot of people get hot flashes and night sweats.
Ditto others on being monitored. I also am kind-of hesitant about the idea of OBs doing IF treatment just because they aren't as well trained as REs and a lot of them don't monitor properly or do as much testing before deciding on a treatment option. One of my GFs just did 6 rounds of clomid w/ her OB (because she wasn't Oing) and it didn't work. Her OB just kept upping the dosage until she was taking 250mg. My friend finally decided to see an RE, he ran some tests and adjusted her dosage, and she got PG on the first cycle.
I was another Provera and Femara user. The Femara wasn't so bad if I took it at bedtime, but it gave me a raging headache if I took it any other time. I don't really remember the Provera though, so it must not have been that bad. Or it could be that it was 4 years ago.
If your Dr will Rx Femara instead, you can get a voucher for 30 days free here:
https://www.femara.com/thank-you6-femara-cares.jsp
You have to print it out and bring it with you to your Dr, and it's actually enough to do 6 cycles of Femara for IF.
BTW- I'm with your friend on the empty feeling thing. If you feel something is missing, then it is. No need to feel selfish or guilty about it.
52 Choices For Better Health
I did 4 cycles of Clomid, three with IUI and one without. Sadly none of them worked for me. The side effects were pretty hideous but that definitely varies for everyone. Like pp said, taking it at night seemed to help a bit but prepare yourself to feel completely out of sorts and very, very emotional.
I would definitely take the prometrium or provera to kick start your cycle. Both of those made me very tired and gave me a lot of pregnancy symtoms - a total mind&*#.
Good luck with your decision and with the cycle!
another Dr. S/femara user here. I, obvs, have not been successful but I haven't seen any side-effects that are worth noting. I'm also on metformin for my PCOS-like symptoms (WTH that means) - I've noticed more side-effects from that, mostly dizziness, then the femara.
GL with whatever you decide!
m_and_m - thank you SO MUCH for that coupon. we have COBRA right now but our new cards were lost in the mail so I had to fork out cash for my 5 measly pills. $75 later...(I'll get it reimbursed, but it's the principle, dammit).
I just wrote a blog post about the guilt of wanting a 4th kid so I totally know how you feel. I know there is no reason to feel guilty about it, but it's still there. It's not happening anyway, but that is neither here nor there at the moment.
I did three rounds of Clomid and it made me a raging b!tch. I was miserable, so moody, nauseous, had headaches. Taking it at night helped some of it, but not the bitchiness. It really does vary so much by person though, so I agree that you can't know until you try. I would ask about Femara though. When we moved to Dr. V I told him that there was no way I was taking Clomid again and he said that Femara was a better drug anyway because of the reduced risk of multiples and fewer side effects. I never took it because he felt like our chances would be much higher with injectables at that point.
As far as monitoring, I did my Clomid IUIs with my OB/GYN at the time with no monitoring and knowing what I do now I would not do it again. OBs will downplay the risk, but if you google it you will find stories of people who conceived HOMs on Clomid. It's a good idea to have an u/s at least the first cycle on any given dosage to see how you respond to it. Sure HOMs are really rare on Clomid, but tell that to the people with Clomid trips and quads!
Our Blog
Another Clomid success here. Took two cyles for us and my doctor didn't monitor me. I don't remember any side effects either and have already decided that if we're not successful trying for number two on our own, that I won't hesitate to try Clomid again.
Good luck to you and glad to see so many success stories in this post!
Loss at 15wks - Dec 2010 and 5.5wks - Sept 2011
My little ballerina - thanks Life in Motion Photography!
Wanted to say Hugs and Good Luck to you!
I don't think it's wrong to want a 4th, but I understand what you mean about feeling the way you do.
I've known many people for whom Clomid worked.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
(((Hugs)))
I'm just repeated what others have said, but I think it bears repeating. Please get monitoring during your cycle if you can. Also, I would ask for Femara. Clomid made me a crazy b!tch. I have had my cycles induced and those meds didn't seem to bother me too much.
We didn't get pg on Femara, but I did ovulate on it a few times. The side effects were much less than with the Clomid. Good luck! And ask as many questions as you want.
6-yr-old Elena and 4-yr-old Julia.
My Blog! All about my girls and quilting
Thank you all so much, truly, I can't thank you enough. I was nervous to post but now I'm so glad that I did. The support here never stops amazing me. I didn't mean to post and run but Teagan needed to be seen for his asthma today and things go crazy. I knew my reply would be too long to post with my iphone
I think hearing about other experiences is really helping us. My OB said that they will do in office testing (urine OPKs) to determine ovulation but now I know to ask for ultrasound monitoring. Especially because we are nervous about multiples and I have a history of being very fertile. If we had one or two, I could see us with twins, but with 3 already, I can't see us with 5. So if we go the clomid route I will request monitoring, thank you for those suggestions. I will also ask her about femera, she mentioned it but said she preferred clomid, but I'm not certain why. It was a lot of information to take in all at once.
To answer a few questions -
Mcgee, I am having cycles, about every 50+ days or so, but they (and we) do not believe I am ovulating at all.
Cookie, I was anemic during all 3 of my pg but they checked me this week and all came back normal. That was one thing she checked for though!
Kim, your post totally makes sense in why monitoring is best, I will ask for sure. Thank you!
I think my fear is that the meds will make me moody, feel horrible and that if I am going to take them, I need to do it during a time I am not out shooting and photographing clients. If I force a period, then I get more control over the timing, which would be great this summer. My gut reaction is to put it off until then, because stress / sleep is a big factor for me right now and I'm sure playing a roll. I'm already cutting back on work this summer to spend more time with the kids so that timing would work well anyway. It's longer than we wanted to wait, but it will give us some time to make some other changes to our schedule, sleep, eating, stress factors. I'll still be working, but less, and I could take a week or two to give myself a cushion in case I turn into a raging wench. I'm not sure what time frame DH had in mind, I think right away, we'll have to talk about it.
I'm sure I will have other questions as we work though it. Thank you all again, so much!
52 Choices For Better Health
I'm super late, but a Clomid user too. It worked in that it did what it was supposed to do, make me ovulate when I didn't the 2 cycles before. But I didn't get PG on it, b/c we had other issues that Clomid doesn't fix.
I also strongly urge you to get monitered via ultrasound, not only will you know how many follicles you have but you'll know if your lining is thick enough to get PG(Clomid can thin it) but it sound like you're leaning that way anyway. I had no side effects.