My OB mentioned he would prescribe me Clomid. That was our next step when DH had his first SA and the lab said agglutination was present, so the Clomid was put on hold. With DH's second SA the clinic (an actual fertility clinic, not his GP) did not find the agglutination, so I have been thinking about Clomid.
Here is where I am hesitant. I don't think my OB will monitor me while I am on it. I guess I would like to know what you would do. Considering the RE would not do any testing on me because of my weight, I don't think they would prescribe me Clomid or monitor me. I guess I feel like my only hope (right now) is going back to my OB.
Would you do a Clomid cycle without being monitored? Is it completely necessary? Should I make another appointment with my OB to see if he would monitor me, or maybe I could talk to the nurse? Tell me what you would do, please.
TIA!
Re: Clomid help...
I hope I can answer here, I think after this week I'd be "qualified" to be over here.
Would you be monitored at all? Would you have a mid-cycle ultrasound to check for follie development?
Personally, I wouldn't do it unless you were at least having this.
I would make an appointment to see if your OB would monitor you and to see how familiar they are with Clomid. Once you know that, then I would make your decision.
My clinic does a lot of RE type stuff including IUIs, so they are very familiar with Clomid and injectables and have different levels of monitoring for each. Even our RE told us to stick with our OB clinic. I know this is not the norm.
Good luck in your decision.
TTC #1 since 1/10
DX: Unexplained/??? MFI issues
Our lil' lost sparks:
5w3d loss 7/30/10 - EDD March 2011
8w loss 4/15/11 - EDD November 2011
8w3d loss 8/2/12 - EDD March 2013
4w c/p loss 10/29/12 - EDD July 2013
Long story: trying on our own + testing testing testing with 6 rounds of Clomid, more testing, injectables + TI, laparoscopy - one tube blocked, 2 IUIs with Follistim...BFNs.
RPL testing all normal, Karyotyping normal
Moving on to IVF.
IVF #1 April 2012 = BFN, IVF #2 June 2012 = BFP. U/S 7/23 = saw heartbeat but measuring behind. Follow up U/S on 7/30 - no heartbeat. D&C 8/2. Trisomy 12. IVF #3 Oct 2012 = Chemical Pregnancy
Phone consult with CCRM on 12/12/12 - ODWU 1/4/13 - both tubes clear(!) - AFC 24, AMH 3.2, FSH 9.6, LH 5.4, E2 25. DH has high frag rate but improved!
IVF #4 March 2013 CCRM. EP protocol w/ Menopur, Gonal-F & Dexamethasone. ER 3/29 & IMSI, PICSI. 43R 13M 10F 6blasts bio'd. CCS testing reveals 3 normals!!!
FET 5/31/13 of 1 4AA blast - thawed and expanded. 4dp5dt BFP.
Beta 9dp5dt = 181, 11dp5dt = 427. 1st u/s showed a healthy heartbeat! EDD 2/16/14
After 4 years of hoping and heartbreak, our sweet little bean was born on 2/19/14
We are so in love with her.
"I'm not telling you it's going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it."
Everybody is welcome!!!
Honestly I would call my OB & See if they would monitor me. I would explain your fears & the side affects you know of & just tell them that if you try it you would want to be closely monitored. If I have to go the Clomid route, I will be doing the exact same thing.
BFP #2 12/31/2010 (EDD 9/1/11) -- Natrual m/c 1/9/10
BFP #3 12/20/2011 - EDD 8/25/12
u/s 1/6/12 - HB & beautiful bean
A/S 4/2 - It's a Girl!!!
RCS on 8/20/12
Just wanted to say that my monitoring was very similar to Petra's except I did not have an early follicle study (always had a progesterone draw to check for ovulation in the luteal phase prior) but instead had one around the time of a +opk. This was also done to ensure we were only ever dealing with 2 follicles (not 3 or 4). This was the routine all 6 of my Clomid rounds.
TTC #1 since 1/10
DX: Unexplained/??? MFI issues
Our lil' lost sparks:
5w3d loss 7/30/10 - EDD March 2011
8w loss 4/15/11 - EDD November 2011
8w3d loss 8/2/12 - EDD March 2013
4w c/p loss 10/29/12 - EDD July 2013
Long story: trying on our own + testing testing testing with 6 rounds of Clomid, more testing, injectables + TI, laparoscopy - one tube blocked, 2 IUIs with Follistim...BFNs.
RPL testing all normal, Karyotyping normal
Moving on to IVF.
IVF #1 April 2012 = BFN, IVF #2 June 2012 = BFP. U/S 7/23 = saw heartbeat but measuring behind. Follow up U/S on 7/30 - no heartbeat. D&C 8/2. Trisomy 12. IVF #3 Oct 2012 = Chemical Pregnancy
Phone consult with CCRM on 12/12/12 - ODWU 1/4/13 - both tubes clear(!) - AFC 24, AMH 3.2, FSH 9.6, LH 5.4, E2 25. DH has high frag rate but improved!
IVF #4 March 2013 CCRM. EP protocol w/ Menopur, Gonal-F & Dexamethasone. ER 3/29 & IMSI, PICSI. 43R 13M 10F 6blasts bio'd. CCS testing reveals 3 normals!!!
FET 5/31/13 of 1 4AA blast - thawed and expanded. 4dp5dt BFP.
Beta 9dp5dt = 181, 11dp5dt = 427. 1st u/s showed a healthy heartbeat! EDD 2/16/14
After 4 years of hoping and heartbreak, our sweet little bean was born on 2/19/14
We are so in love with her.
"I'm not telling you it's going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it."
Everybody is welcome!!!
NO CLOMID WITHOUT MONITORING. No exceptions, sweetheart.
I'd check to see if your OB would at least do midcycle monitoring to check for overstimulation. No litters allowed!
12 long, hard years of TTC-
Miscarriages, losses, lots of treatments & drugs & IVF
Natural BFP (WTF?!) - 06/04/11 ~ lots of complication and drama, but sweet baby Adele born 02/07/12!
BFP #million -another girl for us! EDD - 05-08-15 (but will come early)
I am not over here yet, but I have been told the CD2/3 monitoring is NEEDED. If you start clomid and you have ANY cyst(not follicles) on your ovaries. they will grow dangerously big and really fast. They could rupture and you can internally hemmorage. Most OBs will skip it because its not very likely to happen. But for me, if I am on clomid two cycles in a row (sometimes it only takes one) I develop a cyst bigger then a mature follicle on CD3. If I had been unmonitored, by cycle 3 I would have had a huge cyst rupture by now. When I do have a cyst, we have to take a cycle off and put me on BCP to suppress thr cyst.
I never really thought it was a big deal but after hearing some horror stories and then a friend of mine winding up in the hospital for pains that was a cyst TWICE the size of a mature follicle(thank god it hadnt ruptured yet) I make sure I let anyone considering clomid know not monitoring CAN be really bad. and chancing it isnt smart.
6 medicated cycles, 2 pregnancies, 1 ectopic April 2011, Early Miscarriage August 2011
7 more cycles, 1 IUI, No success after last pregnancy
7/1/2012 No more fertility coverage
8/17/2012 started pursuing domestic infant adoption!
11/26/2012 HOME STUDY APPROVED!!!
When relaxing didn't work is my new blog!
It really has to be a decision you ultimately make, but I would insist on being monitored. I know some OB/GYN's do not monitor, but some do (mine does.) I do not do all the monitoring a RE would do (I don't get CD 3 b/w- in fact I don't even know what it's for AND I do not get 7dpo b/w to confirm O, since I temp to confirm O) but I do get a CD 3 u/s to check my lining and for cysts and I go back about 8-10 days later for a follie count.
I think both u/s are important since the clomid could exponentially increase existing cysts at the beginning of a cycle (in that case they should probably cancel a clomid cycle) AND the 2nd u/s to make sure you do not overstimlate (OHSS, I think) which could be pretty serious. Also, if you have several mature follies, it will obviously increase your risk for multiples, which your doctor may at that point cancel your cycle as well.
I would just call and ask what their protocol is and if there's not monitoring, ask to leave a message for the doctor saying you'd at least like the u/s before and after.
Good luck sweety
BFP #2 - EDD 2/26/12 M/C 6/28/11 @ 5w2d
BFP #3 - EDD 4/7/12 M/C 8/2/11 @ 4w2d
Too beautiful for this earth
BFP #4 - EDD 12/09/12, Lucille arrived 11/26/12
This is how my RE's office handles clomid without a trigger. You go for your CD 3 basline b/w and u/s to make sure there are no cysts. Then take the clomid on the days prescribed. Since there is no trigger, use OPK's at home and when I got a + go in for a u/s. If everything looked good we did TI. Then if there are no issues with the cycle, they do the next one without monitoring. I only did the one cycle of clomid because I responded so poorly.
I would call your OB and see if they will at least do that much monitoring. I am not even sure you would need the CD 3 u/s and b/w since you have not been on meds and if cysts aren't an issue then you might be able just to have a u/s when you get a + OPK. That's what I would ask to do. Then see how you respond the first cycle and go from there.
Good luck hun, I know this is all so hard. I would def. ask for that much monitoring though.
Aurora Rose born sleeping at 35w on 4-21-10
BFP#2 {Almond} - 2.1.11 EDD 10.12.11 C/P 2.11.11
I would make sure your OB will do monitoring-maybe they don't require it, but you should request it and I wouldn't take clomid without it.
Like PP have said you really need the CD3 ultrasound to check for any cysts, and at least a mid cycle check to make sure you don't have a million follices and might end up like John and Kate + 8.
Lastly, I would would to know if I was responding well to clomid before I continue to take it for multiple cycles. I wouldn't want to take a hormone like that (you are only supposed to take it for 6 cycles in your lifetime) if its not doing any good.
TTC since 5/2010
DX with Diminished Ovarian Reserve - AMH of 1.1 - 7/2011; AMH of .42 8/2012BFP 9/1/10-M/C confirmed 9/8/10-Methotrexate 10/6/10
IUI #1 (w/clomid)-9/5/11-BFN ; IUI #2 (w/clomid)-10/5/11 - BFP - 11/1/12-No sac seen; 11/2/11 and 11/9/11-Methotrexate
IVF #1- ER 2/2; ET 2/5;-Two 8 cell embryos transfered = BFFN
Surprise BFP - 5/7/12
U/S on 6/8/12 - H/B at 128 BPM; U/S on 6/14/12 @ 9wks-No H/B-D&C on 6/17/12
IVF 2.0- ER 10/17; ET 10/20-One 12 cell, one 10 cell and one 8 cell embryo transfered
BFP! 11/16/12 U/S- Two nuggets with perfect heartbeats! EDD 7/10/13
5/31/2013- My miracles arrived at 34w2d! Welcome to the world Harper and Nolan!
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