Help please!

[Bubblebell1]

I was perscribed clomid on thursday and told i could start the tablets and count that as cd1 because i have irregular periods.

This morn AF has shown up and now dont know when to start the clomid. do i still do it on day 1 or wait til day 3 like ive read some ppl do??

(gp closed so cant even ask her)

pls help.

thanks

bubble

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

hi bubble

Clomid is usually taken from days 2 to 6.

Who prescribed the clomid initially - its quite powerful stuff so you should be monitored whilst on it. No monitoring is a no-no!. Its not always suitable for those with ovulatory problems like PCO or PCOS as it can affect LH levels markedly and some women can become clomid resistant. You also should not be on this for more than six months.

If you are also not under the care of a gynae at a hospital subfertility unit you should be. Such problems are outside a GPs remit and these often require specialist assistance.

[Bubblebell1]

Thanks attilla,

Gp perscribed the clomid. Have had scans and blood tests taken 3 times since oct. day 3 to check LH and FSH and day 21 for progesterone. also had TFT oestridol sp? testosterone etc. She said that i dont have pcos.

she will be keeping an eye on me and will have a blood test on day 21 to confirm ovulation. she is refering me after 3 cycles of clomid.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Bubblebell,

I think you should be referred now rather than after 3 clomid cycles. She's just delaying you further as it can also take several months to be seen by the subfertility unit. If you have also had previous blood tests and scans without diangosis this is another reason why you should be referred now. Also many GPs are ignorant when it comes to such problems; she may have missed something here.
As mentioned before you should be monitored whilst on it.

Can you recall your Day 3 LH and FSH results?. If LH was higher than FSH this is one possible indicator of PCO.

She's also given you this without a proper diagnosis beforehand and that is a no-no as well. Its usually given for women who present with ovulation problems anyway and in this regard either polycystic ovaries or polycystic ovarian syndrome are common culprits.

There is not much difference between PCO and PCOS; PCOS is the polycystic ovaries with some other symptoms. However, PCOS is a very individualistic disorder and affects each woman with it very differently. The commonality though between PCO and PCOS is the cystic follicles on the ovaries. These can disappear only to be replaced by further follicles. It can also take a skilled sonographer to spot these on an internal ultrasound scan.

In any event you will need to be persistant in order to get answers. It is all too easy to be fobbed off.

[Bubblebell1]

Thanks atilla, i will make a note of what you have written and take it with me when i go next week.

My day 3 results were FSH 6 and LH 7.

She is the Head practitioner in this practice and from what i gather from my normal gp is that this is the area she specialises in.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Hi Bubble,

re your comment in your post:-

"My day 3 results were FSH 6 and LH 7".

The fact that LH was higher is a possible indicator of PCO. The blood test results for LH and FSH need to be compared against each other as they can look okay/normal if only looked at separately. I would say that if the GP did not compare the results, well she should have done so.