Clomid Success

[Anonymous]

Hey there. I've run a search on this but the results were pretty old. Any of you out there successful with the use of Clomid? If so, can you provide your details on how/why you took it, how much, how many cycles and if you had any difficulty with it (side effects, etc.)? Just finished my first cycle, which led to successful ovulation, but not a pregnancy. I had HORRIBLE side effects - pretty much felt miserable the whole month. Now trying to decide if doing it another two cycles is worth it or if I should jump to injectables. Thanks so much.

[Anonymous]

I am 31 weeks along with a clomid pregnancy due to poly cystic ovarian syndrome.....I don't have regular periods or ovulate frequently on my own. I did two cycles of clomid with my gyno and then switched to shady grove fertility......it worked on the first cycle with shady grove....... they had me on clomid (100 mg) and added a trigger shot to ensure ovulation and then did IUI...where my husband's sperm was "shot" into me. The only side effects I felt were during the first cycle, where I had very painful ovulation....it disappeared after that. With injectables, you run a greater risk of high-order multiples. In any event, I encourage you to seek out a reproductive endocrinologist and not do clomid cycles through your gyno....you will got much more intensive follow-through and they will help make a better determination for you of whether more powerful medicaitons are needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 31 weeks along with a clomid pregnancy due to poly cystic ovarian syndrome.....I don't have regular periods or ovulate frequently on my own. I did two cycles of clomid with my gyno and then switched to shady grove fertility......it worked on the first cycle with shady grove....... they had me on clomid (100 mg) and added a trigger shot to ensure ovulation and then did IUI...where my husband's sperm was "shot" into me. The only side effects I felt were during the first cycle, where I had very painful ovulation....it disappeared after that. With injectables, you run a greater risk of high-order multiples. In any event, I encourage you to seek out a reproductive endocrinologist and not do clomid cycles through your gyno....you will got much more intensive follow-through and they will help make a better determination for you of whether more powerful medicaitons are needed.

This. Exactly. Down to the number of cycles with my reg. doc and then the switch to Shady Grove. Only difference: it took two iuis. Highly recommend going to an ER...

[Anonymous]

I'm personally not a fan of Clomid but honestly? I think it really depends on your side effects and your diagnosis. From the past 2 years of living in the Infertility community I can tell you that people I've known with PCOS and Endometriosis don't generally have the best success with Clomid. People who have Endo (like me) can experience flare up issues of the Endo. with Clomid If your only issue is ovulation and you OB/RE doesn't suspect anything more, Clomid is a good starting point.

But please, don't let your Dr. allow you to do it more than 3 cycles at a time of Clomid - with 6 cycles max. It's not recommended and many OB's don't realize that fact. From your post it sounds like you are being monitored via ultrasound or bloodwork to confirm ovulation - which is a good thing.

Like you, I had HORRIBLE side effects with Clomid and felt like crap the entire month. Also, because of the Endometriosis I ended up with ovarian cysts from the stimulation after each Clomid cycle which didn't allow me to back to back cycles because it elevated my Estrogen levels - this is very common.

I did 3 Clomid cycles before I ditched the 'mid and moved on to injects (Gonal-F). I found that I didn't have as bad of side effects with the Gonal-F but you should know that there is (or SHOULD be) more monitoring appointments when you move to injects.

Ultimately I needed IVF to conceive so the injects weren't my magic ticket. But I do wish I had ditched the 'mid a lot sooner. I wasted 6 months and a lot of money on it.

Also, some additional food for thought. I know many people who have had success with Femara which is like Clomid, just a different derivative. If you are seeing Shady Grove none of the Dr.'s there will RX it but you might have luck with an OB/GYN. Femara is used primarily in Breast Cancer patients but it has been used for a few years now with patients undergoing superovulation with a lot of success. It's known to increase the uterine lining (Clomid can cause havoc on the lining) and some early studies are showing higher pregnancy rates with Femara.

Hope this helps.

GL!

[Anonymous]

I have endometriosis and PCOS. I did 3 cycles of clomid with the OBGYN and 3 with the RE. However, I got pregnant after going off of Clomid for the holidays to let my body rest from the AWFUL side effects--extreme mood swings, anxiety, emotional outbursts, etc. I am now pregnant with the second all natural. Go figure..

[Anonymous]

After trying for nearly a year and having some symptoms of PCOS (I could go 2 months without a period), I started taking the introductory dose of clomid. Had zero side effects from the medication and got pregnant on the first try, but had a miscarriage at 6wks. After getting a normal period, tried again with the lowest dose, and got pregnant - now at 28wks. It worked like a charm for me, but I know that the side effects have hit some of my friends very hard.

[Anonymous]

I had great success with Clomid. Took 50 mg for short luteal phase; got pregnant four times, each time on the first try--result: two kids, two miscarriages (this was over a five-year period total). (The Clomid had nothing to do with the miscarriages, of course.) Had no side effects. Very happy with use of Clomid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After trying for nearly a year and having some symptoms of PCOS (I could go 2 months without a period), I started taking the introductory dose of clomid. Had zero side effects from the medication and got pregnant on the first try, but had a miscarriage at 6wks. After getting a normal period, tried again with the lowest dose, and got pregnant - now at 28wks. It worked like a charm for me, but I know that the side effects have hit some of my friends very hard.

This was exactly my experience - first pregnancy lost at 12 weeks for chromosomal issues. I got pregnant naturally while NTNTC (I was taking vitex/chasteberry - the "natural clomid"- as an experiment before TTC again) when DS was 12 months. I would not take clomid again unmonitored by u/s. I assume your husband has had a SA?

[Anonymous]

Yes my husband has had an SA. I've had estradiol and FSH levels checked, as well as progesterone. My only issue was my progesterone was low and I wasn't ovulating regularly. I was monitored on first round of Clomid and produced one good follicle of good size. My progesterone was at a good level 7 dpo. But, no go on the pregnancy. I have not had an HSG, but my Dr. said I have nothing in my history that would indicate anything is wrong with blocked tubes or the like. So he wants me to do 2 more rounds of Clomid -- well, if I can handle the side effects and if I have no cysts when I go in tomorrow for an u/s. I just so hoped it would work on the first round b/c so many people say it does. Part of me thinks we didn't bd enough. I am also trying to relax more andm reading about natural supplements.

[Anonymous]

Clomid rocks. I took it once for irregular cycles (and probable PCOS) and got pregnant the first time. I had no side effects whatsover (and I took 100 mg). I will definitely take it the next time around when I'm trying to get pregnant, to not waste time.

One note on side effects. It's good to have a general idea of what side effects you could have. But don't spend a lot of time reading about side effects or talking to people about it - everyone is different! And the more you start hearing about what *could* happen, the more you imagine that you're having those symptoms. The majority of people have no symptoms. It's nothing like taking IVF drugs.

[Anonymous]

I would push for Femara. Very similar results, but fewer side effects.

[Anonymous]

17:35 - OP here -I know some people take it with no issues, but I am not one of those people. I have two friends who had no side effects, so that was what I was prepared for. Instead, I was doubled over in cramps every night I took it and after finishing my last dose I spent the rest of the month with serious gastro-intestinal issues, a swollen abdomen that hurt to the touch, extreme fatigue, frequent urination, dizziness and nausea. It was bad enough that I am dreading taking it again this cycle. So if it's considered lighter than IVF drugs, I may be in serious trouble. It does worry me though that it worked the first cycle for so many people, but it didn't for us. Makes me think something else is wrong? Anyway, thanks for the info.

[Anonymous]

14:47 here - you can't take vitex and clomid at the same time (they interfere with each other). I wouldn't necessarily assume that something else is wrong just because you didn't get pregnant on the first cycle, even "normally" fertile couples only have a 20% chance of conceiving any one cycle.

Sounds like clomid just doesn't agree with you, I would probably not take it again based on your symptoms, that sounds horrible. I'd explore other options sooner rather then later if I was you.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:17:35 - OP here -I know some people take it with no issues, but I am not one of those people. I have two friends who had no side effects, so that was what I was prepared for. Instead, I was doubled over in cramps every night I took it and after finishing my last dose I spent the rest of the month with serious gastro-intestinal issues, a swollen abdomen that hurt to the touch, extreme fatigue, frequent urination, dizziness and nausea. It was bad enough that I am dreading taking it again this cycle. So if it's considered lighter than IVF drugs, I may be in serious trouble. It does worry me though that it worked the first cycle for so many people, but it didn't for us. Makes me think something else is wrong? Anyway, thanks for the info.

OP - this is 10:39. Clomid does suck for some people. I DID IVF and I found the IVF drugs easier (with the exception of the Estrogen suppressant Lupron) alot easier than Clomid. I hated Clomid. Hated the way it made me feel. I don't think someone can speculate that a particular drug is "easier" than IVF Drugs if they've never gone through IVF. That might be the common misconception (hell, I even bought into it before I did IVF) but you can't make that kind of blanket statement.

The bottom line is this: all of these drugs have some side effects. They are worse for some people than they are for others. Your body is different than your BFF's and so you will have different SE's than her. Just do the best you can to tolerate them and try to focus on the end result: A Baby.


Good luck - wishing the best for you.

[Anonymous]

Hi, just to chime in. I did 4 cycles of clomid with monitoring due to long cycles (not PCOS). The 4th was a last-ditch before moving to IVF and it worked. If you are suffering this much with clomid, it doesn't seem worth it, since it is less effective than IVF. I didn't have any side effects, in fact it put me in a good mood. Everyone reacts differently to these powerful drugs.