36 yr old newbie, 2nd round of clomid and just looking for some support.

MARISAV77 · February 2014

Hello All! Just joined tonight and looking to hear about other's experiences who are in the same boat as me. My husband and I have been "really trying" to conceive since we got married September of 2013. We are both 36 and neither of us have ever had children. Because of my age, I decided to go to a fertility clinic in December to make sure everything was okay and to not waste time and had all the exams and blood tests done (HSG, OH, SA came back normal, my doctor said my ovarian reserve is great, which I was worried about because of my age, and all the other hormone levels were all good) My doctor thinks the problem may be is that I am not ovulating regularly due to my night shift schedule working as an L&D RN. (Imagine how I feel, trying to have a baby and being around babies all the time at work!) That is why she put me on Clomid. My body took well to the first round of Clomid, 2 dominant follicles were found on US and I got a HCG trigger shot to make certain I ovulated. I got all excited and my hopes up thinking I would get pregnant with twins! I was highly disappointed when I got my period 14 days after the trigger shot. I am on my 2nd dose of Clomid this month and one dominant follicle was found and got another trigger shot. Will be waiting anxiously to test at the end of the month to see if I am pregnant.

I have not told my family that I am seeing a fertility doctor, because they are already pressuring us asking when we are going to have a baby every time we see my family. I've made up stories and told them we don't plan on getting pregnant until after our first year anniversary because we have a few trips planned in the summer. I just don't want the added stress from them, on top of the stress I am already enduring. How do you guys ease the stress? I find myself on the internet everyday looking up anything and everything about infertility and I know this is just causing me more stress, but I can't help not going on the internet! It literally drives me crazy sometimes.

Hoping to learn from others on these message boards! Thanks in advance!

hooligans4 · February 2014

Welcome to the board.

Just wanted to remind you it can take a healthy young couple a year to conceive. You have only been at it 6 months so don't get worried. You and husband have been tested and you have no known fertility issues. So do not think you are infertile. You are on clomid so that should boost your chances but remember there is a lifetime max of 5-6 months on that. I would suggest working on lowering the stresses in your life. As far as the famy pressuring you about having children, I would kindly but firmly tell them it is none if their business and to please stop asking. The longer you are ttc you will start to get a little more vocal with what bothers you.

Just wanted to wish you luck.

PrivateOne · February 2014

Welcome! Kudos to you for going straight to a fertility center. Sounds like you are on the ball and doing all the right things.

Personally I have no experience with Clomid, so I can't help you there. I hope you find success with it and your stay here is short. As well, I hope your family lets up. There's nothing worse than having that extra pressure from family/friends who constantly ask you about it.

Good luck to you!!!

shannonm97 · February 2014

Good luck to you. Hope your stay here is short and you find success soon.

[Deleted User] · February 2014

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jaco0207 · February 2014

Welcome and good luck! I have learned a lot from being on the boards. It sounds like you are on the right track with what you are doing!

LindsayF24 · February 2014

I'm in a similar situation as you. I just turned 37, DH and I started TFAS in April 2013. Met with an RE in November and began Clomid in December. I'm currently on CD24 of my third Clomid cycle. I also do a trigger shot.

I had all normal test results (HSG, AMH, FSH, etc. as well as DH's SA.) This month, I had the best response to Clomid to date, 2 20mm+ follies on the right, 1 20mm+ follie on the left. I'm planning to test tomorrow am, which will be CD25 and 11DPO (13days past the trigger.)

Good luck to you!!

URMySunshine77 · February 2014

Hi and welcome! I am also 36. :-)

TTC can be so stressful. I am not an expert, but I try to busy myself with other hobbies and work rather than searching the Internet. It sounds like your job is quite busy and stressful.

I hope that your stay here is short.

KirstenAlecia · February 2014

Hello!! Welcome!

Samuelismomma · February 2014

Welcome! Good luck on your journey...

MARISAV77 · February 2014

Thanks everyone for the welcome and encouraging words! I appreciate it!

@ hooligans4-Yes, my RE wants me to try 3 rounds of Clomid first to see if I get pregnant and if I don't after the 3rd, we are supposed to sit down and talk about a new plan, probably onto IUI. I was wondering...I was on Clomid for 2 months 2 years ago (prescribed by my OBGYN who didn't monitor me with US. I stopped taking it because my then fiancé got a different position at work with hours that didn't work with my schedule and we just couldn't time the sex in the time frame we were supposed to and then we officially got engaged and married a year and a half later), does that include part of my 6 months max on Clomid? MY RE knows about past use of Clomid and she didn't mention anything about it affecting my Clomid trials this time around.

@ LindsayF24-hope you got good news with the testing!

hooligans4 · February 2014

It is a lifetime max so the two Unmonitored months count. Do not do more than the three months this time. Let's just hope that this month works for you and you don't have to worry about hitting the max.

gscoville · February 2014

MARISAV77 said:

Thanks everyone for the welcome and encouraging words! I appreciate it!

@ hooligans4-Yes, my RE wants me to try 3 rounds of Clomid first to see if I get pregnant and if I don't after the 3rd, we are supposed to sit down and talk about a new plan, probably onto IUI. I was wondering...I was on Clomid for 2 months 2 years ago (prescribed by my OBGYN who didn't monitor me with US. I stopped taking it because my then fiancé got a different position at work with hours that didn't work with my schedule and we just couldn't time the sex in the time frame we were supposed to and then we officially got engaged and married a year and a half later), does that include part of my 6 months max on Clomid? MY RE knows about past use of Clomid and she didn't mention anything about it affecting my Clomid trials this time around.

@ LindsayF24-hope you got good news with the testing!

Yes, it is most definitely a lifetime max of 6 cycles, no matter how far apart different treatment cycles might be. I'm actually surprised your doctor jumped you to doing clomid after only 3 months of TTC, even over 35 the standard is to not even start testing until after at least 6 months of TTC. And how was it determined that you're not ovulating? Sorry to ask so many questions, I'm just trying to understand where you're at, it's a little suspect to me that your doctor moved you straight to testing and then clomid after only 3 months TTC, that's highly unusual and I'd be concerned that you've wasted your few remaining clomid cycles too soon in the TTC process. But I do hope things just work out for you, it can happen!

BeckyP005 · February 2014

Welcome and best of luck!

2ndGeneration · February 2014

Welcome and good luck!

MARISAV77 · February 2014

gscoville said:

MARISAV77 said:

Thanks everyone for the welcome and encouraging words! I appreciate it!

@ hooligans4-Yes, my RE wants me to try 3 rounds of Clomid first to see if I get pregnant and if I don't after the 3rd, we are supposed to sit down and talk about a new plan, probably onto IUI. I was wondering...I was on Clomid for 2 months 2 years ago (prescribed by my OBGYN who didn't monitor me with US. I stopped taking it because my then fiancé got a different position at work with hours that didn't work with my schedule and we just couldn't time the sex in the time frame we were supposed to and then we officially got engaged and married a year and a half later), does that include part of my 6 months max on Clomid? MY RE knows about past use of Clomid and she didn't mention anything about it affecting my Clomid trials this time around.

@ LindsayF24-hope you got good news with the testing!

Yes, it is most definitely a lifetime max of 6 cycles, no matter how far apart different treatment cycles might be. I'm actually surprised your doctor jumped you to doing clomid after only 3 months of TTC, even over 35 the standard is to not even start testing until after at least 6 months of TTC. And how was it determined that you're not ovulating? Sorry to ask so many questions, I'm just trying to understand where you're at, it's a little suspect to me that your doctor moved you straight to testing and then clomid after only 3 months TTC, that's highly unusual and I'd be concerned that you've wasted your few remaining clomid cycles too soon in the TTC process. But I do hope things just work out for you, it can happen!

Well we had been trying to conceive before we got engaged-for about 7 months and then we officially got engaged (we felt like we were already married, living together for 3 years) and decided to wait and start trying again after the wedding. My periods have been very irregular (and they used to be very regular before, every 30-31 days) since I started working 12 hour night shifts 2 years ago. I would be regular for 3 months, skip 1 or 2 months, bleed for 14-23 days straight, etc. They were so erratic, especially starting in september (where I started the weird bleeding for weeks). I thought it was due to stress from the wedding. When I went to see my RE for the first time, I told her about my period patterns and the heavy bleeding for the last 3 months, I was actually just finishing my period bleeding of 23 days when I went to see her for the first time. I am assuming that is how she figured I was not ovulating regularly with my erratic periods, I remember my OBGYN had said the same thing when he prescribed me clomid 2 years ago too. My RE did an US on the first visit and she said my uterine lining was thicker than what it would be if I had just finished my period. So after my hormone levels came back a few days later, she started me on prometrium to induce another period to shed the rest of the lining and on the 3rd day of that period I started Clomid.

My RE said since Clomid worked for me before (because I got positive OPKs with it) that I could go on Clomid again or try another medication (I forgot what it was called) to help me ovulate. She said Clomid was cheaper than the other medication, so I chose to go with Clomid. I don't remember her telling me about Clomid causing thinning of the uterine lining, if she had mentioned that, maybe I would have went with the other medication. We haven't talked about what the plan was after the 3rd round of Clomid (for a total of 5 all together), which would be next month if I am not pregnant this month. She told me she wants to sit down with my husband and I, and talk about options if it came to that. I was very comfortable and confident with my RE when we had our first meeting, she seemed empathetic with my history and she didn't rush through the 45 minute appointment. She's part of a well-known reproductive clinic here in Seattle. I'm hoping I made the right decision with choosing Clomid!

What happens if you are on Clomid for more than 6 months? I know it thins your uterine lining, but since the doctor does ultrasounds every month I would think they would be monitoring the uterine lining and stopping the medication if it starts to get thinner than the month before. The last 2 ultrasounds the RE had said my lining was "nice and thick"

gscoville · February 2014

MARISAV77 said:

What happens if you are on Clomid for more than 6 months? I know it thins your uterine lining, but since the doctor does ultrasounds every month I would think they would be monitoring the uterine lining and stopping the medication if it starts to get thinner than the month before. The last 2 ultrasounds the RE had said my lining was "nice and thick"

The use of an ovarian/pituitary stimulating drug like Clomid results in an increased risk of ovarian cancer, and using it for more than 6 months ups that risk further. Generally if Clomid is going to be successful it'll be so within 3-6 cycles of use - if 3-6 cycles of Clomid aren't successful then more cycles on it won't help, it actually declines in effectiveness the longer it's used and it's best to move on to other treatments rather than continue to use something that is not only not working, but is also more and more risky for a woman's health.

Davie813 · February 2014

Not much to add RE: clomid, but welcome and good luck!

dukemeli · February 2014

Hi There! Welcome and Good luck!

ksgsmu · February 2014

welcome and good luck!

I agree with pp... for the sake of your health don't exceed more than the lifetime Max. Since you are seeing an RE I am assuming you already had an HSG, day 3 testing and your partner has had a SA. ( sorry your siggy is blank so can't tell your history etc...so all this is an assumption). Most RE's only like to do something 3x then move on. Your success rate drops after the 3rd time anyways. It all really depends on your diagnosis but the next step is IUI's after clomid. Either with Clomid or injectibles.

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36 yr old newbie, 2nd round of clomid and just looking for some support.

Re: 36 yr old newbie, 2nd round of clomid and just looking for some support.

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