CLOMID GANG - the new thread

Loubie, I can understand you being down but I think it might not be a good idea to take a higher dose unless it has been specifically prescribed to you. All drugs are so powerful and while I think that clomid is a wonderdrug, I would be scared of taking matters into my own hands and going further with the dosage. It really is up to you but I would be scared. When I held the 2 tablets in my hand last month on day 3 I looked at them with awe and wondered what they were about to bring. I didn't experience any side effects then but I am now so it is unpredictable. I also had a preg in my uterus and something outside the uterus near the tube and this was due to 100mg of clomid which did scare me. Imagine if you do take the 150mg and then god forbid you have a problem? Please think carefully about this.

Relax and Coggy thanks for that info. Coggy, it is good to read that you did get preg after 3mths on clomid. I hope it works for you this time.

Good luck Trace2 with clomid, have you taken clomid before? How many children do you already have?

I've been vaguely following this thread as I've taken clomid before and now have been prescribed it for next month.

Trace - I promise I am not folowing you around like a mad stalker!!

I wasn't going to post 'til next month but wanted to agree with Relax about clomid staying in your system for a while. I wasn't sure if this was medically true but I took it a couple of years ago for 3 months and fell pg the month after we stopped. I have lpd and think that the clomid regulated the second half of my cycle. Too weird to be just a coincedence I'm sure - here's hoping it'll do the trick this time too. :)
I've been trying for ages to be re-prescribed it.

hi all can i join, ive been ttc for 14 months now, on a few threads on here! am 40 and been to gyny today, and they gave me clomid 50 mg to take on day 2 to day 6, but af not due until about 1st may

Sorry I was so down earlier, it wasn't so much because AF is almost upon more, more so because I don't know if the Clomid is working.

Anyway, I may have a solution...call this fate if you like, but to cut a long story short I needed to get a prescription today for my last month's worth of Clomid tablets. I normally take 100mg a day, days 2-6 of my cycle, which is 10 tablets in total. Now this is the fate bit...my doctors made an error with my prescription and they've actually prescribed me 15 tablets, not 10. I'm VERY tempted to take 150mg a day for this last month, would you? The minimum dosage for Clomid is 50mg per day and the maximum is 200mg, so I'm not overdosing by any stretch of the imagination.

I've only got this one last chance on Clomid left....it seems a pity to waste the opportunity, maybe like I said before, it's fate??

Loubie xx
CD29 (now officially a day late, but spotting on the increase so practically nil chance of a BFP)

Not only is AF 99% here (it's only a matter of whether CD1 will be today or tomorrow) but I also got my blood test result back today and it's doubtful whether or not I even ovulated - my result was 29. In 6 months of being on Clomid I've had it tested 3 times, the results have been 20, 42 and 29. Not very encouraging is it? What is it with my stupid body???

Sorry for being so down, but sometimes I wonder whether its worth it. I don't mind putting up with the clomid side effects if I'm in with a chance of being PG, but if it's not working then it makes them very bitter pills to swallow indeed.

Loubie xx
CD29/1

i think i have read somewhere that clomid can still be in your system a little bit the month you stop taking it but because clomid can dry out cervical fluid (which the hospital didn't tell me), the fluid can increase the month after and many people concieve the month after the clomid has been discontinued.

am on cd 4 today decided to temp etc this month i am 'taking charge of my fertility' to see if it makes a difference or at least highlights any potential problems.
I am thinking about stopping the clomid after this month as i go on holiday anyway but the clinic suggested that we may need to try iui soon but you need a 1 month break from the clomid before starting this. Will ask if this is allowed as i will still have 1 month of the clomid left

good luck to all this month

Hi flustered. I did some googling on my results for day 3 and 4 as I wrote all the results down when I was with the Dr and my fsh was 7.2 and I read that under 10 shows that with these levels I (or anybody) will respond well to fertility drugs such as Clomid which I did. I think that is what your consultant meant. I have a low egg reserve (I am 41.5yrs) and only two follicles showed on the day 3 scan and they like to see 4-5 although I was told that it doesn't mean that I can't get preg with 2.

Loubie, I am sorry to read that you think that your AF is on its way. I have been ttc for 2 years now and it cannot but preoccupy you. Fingers crossed its not AF.

Dizzy, you need to get some proper answers to your questions. When can you speak to a dr?

I am now on day 7 of early miscarriage and have accepted it. I have however been feeling moody, hot, have a headache when I wake up EVERY morning, feel emotional on and off and feel pesimistic. I thought maybe it was because of the miscarriage and that it had finally hit me but then I realised all the above is side effects of bl**dy clomid!!! I am taking a month off of clomid before starting again. I have put on half a stone which feels awful and I am sitting here feeling HOT! If the clomid has a lasting effect so far, does that mean that it can improve my follicles this month even though I am not taking it? Does anyone know?? I was told when I left with my next supply of clomid NOT to take it this month but that I could still ttc and get preg naturally this month(not banking on it). Shall still try but won't have the follicle tracking but will be looking out for cm.

Babydust to you all.............!!!

Hi again Dizzy,

I was really suprised my FSH had come down as I was not expecting it to have. I asked the Consultant if he knew the reason for fluctuating FSH on day 3-6 and how do I know that it won't rise again. He shrugged and didn't really answer the question.

Hi Dizzy,
I had been referred by my GP to try clomid, but because the tests done at the hospital showed elevated FSH on day 3-6, the Consultant told me to have two more blood tests as "they" like the FSH to be below 10 before starting clomid. He said he couldn't prescribe Clomid, if the FSH remained high, as it wouldn't be of any use. He didn't go into detail but I remember him talking about eggs in the basket so I think I assumed he meant that if the reason I wasn't getting pregnant was because my egg reserve was low, clomid would not improve that. I really don't know, I wish I did. When I go for my appointments I usually wait around for an hour before I am called in and then he usually faffs about trying to find results of tests, and rushes me through. My fertility has been investigated for the last 10 years so I am used to it. I sometimes think that I should just be grateful for my DD and leave it at that, but then a friend will be pregnant or I'll be out with friends who have their 3 year olds and a baby and I will think differently. See what they have to say when you go for your appointment. I wish you luck and know exactly how you feel, it is so hard. One thing I have learnt is that getting angry and stressed plays a part, so try to remain calm when you go for your appointment (if you can)and write down what you want to ask beforehand, as I always forget when I get in there. When I saw my Dr to get referred I just handed him a piece of paper with it all written on.

ps flustered. I am still confused. you said your consultant said clomid wouldn't work with high fsh...did he expand on that and explain how the clomid would react with high fsh. Causing me to not ovulate seems like more than just the clomid not working. If clomid is supposed to increase fsh and lh even further why would it do the reverse to me. These are the questions I am going to ask next week when I see consultant

ps flustered. I am still confused. you said your consultant said clomid wouldn't work with high fsh...did he expand on that and explain how the clomid would react with high fsh. Causing me to not ovulate seems like more than just the clomid not working. If clomid is supposed to increase fsh and lh even further why would it do the reverse to me. These are the questions I am going to ask next week when I see consultant

hi flustered, yes I do remember you.

That information is very helpful. The consultant suggested that my elevated fsh could be the reason why but did not sound sure. I have been looking on net for any info and there is not a lot regarding clomid and high fsh.

If that is the reason why I have not ovulated this month then I am seriously thinking about putting a complaint in. The consultant who prescribed should have told me the risk with my elevated fsh so I had the option of declining the clomid, which beleive me I would have done.

glad to hear your fsh levels are normal again. Mine have gone from 14 last April to 12.2 in Feb 2006 so its coming down but very slowly...I don't know whats affecting it so cannot speed up the process

Hi I was wondering if I could join the thread? I feel like I need some support!

I've been on Clomid for 3 months - this is month 4 and I am due to be ovulating around now (CD13 at the moment). My problem is I really can't tell whether I am ovulating or not. I have done OPK tests every month since being on clomid but they are always negative. My blood tests on CD21 have shown so far that I only ov-d in month 2 and months 1 and 3 did not work.

After month 3 the consultant upped my dose to 100mg so this is my 1st month on 100mg and WOW the side effcets are horrible - I have felt so down this week for no good reason. It's terrible. Anyway, I am going to keep my fingers crossed for this month - I can't take many more months like this!

Has anyone out there been successful with an increased dose of clomid? I'm on it because of PCOS - no periods for a full year after coming off the pill - diagnosis was a total shock!

Any tips on how I know I am ov-ing and when to BD when I do know?

Help?!

Sorry I've not been around for a bit, we've recently got a new PC and it took me ages finding my log in details, so I've been able to read but not reply!

Sorry to hear a few of us are having a bad time of it, hopefully we'll all be new mums (again for some of us) some time in 2007.

Loubie xx

Good news and bad news for me....

The bad news first....it doesn't look like it's going to be my month yet again. I was so upset this morning when I discovered I was spotting (a sure sign that AF is around the corner ) Matt is really upset too...he shed a few tears for the first time ever which made me feel like such a failure, bless him

Which leads on to the good news....2 bits really, the first being we've accepted an offer on Matt's house today which is a big surprise as it only went up last week The offer was a very good one too, only £1K under the asking price. So...we've been a bit rash and booked ourselves a 5 star holiday in Sharm el Sheikh (we loved it that much when we went in January!) in October. The kids are going to Florida with their dad the same 2 weeks so it will be just me and Matt for a 2nd honeymoon!!

I need something else to focus on...TTCing has taken up the best part of 2 years now, and I'm not sure I can keep on going month after month, the disappointment is too much to bear sometimes.

Don't get me wrong, we'll still be TTCing, but I'm going to try REALLY hard not to get so preoccupied with it.

As for continuing with fertility treatment/adoption....I'm not going to even think about it for a while yet....I need to devote more time to 'us' if you know what I mean. The preparation course for adoption isn't until June, hopfully by then I'll have my head in order

Sorry this turned out so long

Loubie xx
CD26

Hi Dizzy,
I've chatted with you before, do you remember? I had a high FSH level and had to get two more blood tests done to check what egg reserves I had (how many eggs are left in the basket) was how my Consultant put it. I went back on Wednesday and my levels have come down significantly under 12, I think the most recent showed a level of 3.5 (I was trying to peer at the result in my file over the Consultants shoulder). Anyway he has now decided to start me on clomid. Had the FSH been greater than 12 again, there was no way he would have given me clomid because he clearly said it wouldn't work. I am wondering if the high FSH is the reason for you not responding to the clomid?

Hi all ... toay is CD10 and I've got what can only be described as period type pains, maybe this is an ovulation sign? No dip on the chart and last night got a circle and not a smiley face! Maybe tonight?

ps. I also try and think about the time I hold a new baby in my arms and that it won't be long (would be my 2nd). I try and stay positive and most of the time I am convinced its going to happen but occasionally a little part of me gets scared that it won't happen, like at the moment because I see this as a setback and its not a nice way to feel because it stops me enjoying the good things that I have around me. My favourite advice to other people when they are having bad times is to count your blessings. Try to do this myself but really hard when it comes to children...its really hard to be positive sometimes especially when get bad news, have to try and brush yourself off and get back on that saddle but God its hard isn't it.

I really wish you the best skbf. will be thinking of you and going to take your past advice and have a very large glass of wine tonight.

hi skbf. So sorry to hear how your feeling and can fully understand how frustrating it is to be almost there as you were. At least the positive side is that you know can still conceive and the clomid works for you.

I've spoken to the nurses who have advised me to come and speak to a doctor (going to try and get an apptment for next week) The jist of it sounded like they didn't know. Suggested that no ovulation could have been because:

1. an annovulation month or
2. Because my fsh levels have been elevated could have affected the clomid.

neither of these reasons make sense to me and I told her so. My high fsh levels did not stop the iui drugs from working so why should any other drug not work for me. Her answer 'oh yes, I see what you mean'! I am not paying for private health care without getting full explanation. hopefully the consultant will be able to do this.

The part that confuses me skbf is that if I didn't ovulate naturally and then didn't ovulate using clomid then I would class that as a no response and the drug didn't work for me. But this isn't a no response. Clomid is supposed to fool the body into producing more fsh and lh than normal. In my case it seems to have stopped it completely which is what I want explaining. But no-one seems to be able to and because of that they are putting it down to a possible annovulation which isn't very fair as they have not said there is no other possible reason. I was referred to this hospital (manchester fertility Services) last April, my fsh was elevated back then but it didn't concern them enough to tell me. I didn't start any kind of treatment until July. Its only now that doctors are saying FSH might have something to do with it which sounds too convenient to me.

It is possible that by some huge unfortunate coincidence this month is a normal annovulation month which I suppose is good news because means clomid might work for me.

Sorry to keep banging on about it but am the kind of person that needs to know whats going on at all times even if its bad news.

Dizzy, maybe they should prescribe 100mg? I haven't read anywhere that it can stop ovulation but some women respond well to it and others don't. And if your follicles are there and growing, maybe they need a higher dosage? I have read that Clomid is the first step as it is a cheap drug with a good success rate. If it doesn't work for somebody, they then go on to other drugs which I think are administered by injection. PLease don't worry, difficult I know, but do ask questions to the doctor(s) concerned. The nurses are not qualified to answer your questions and you are not happy with their answers so do speak to a doctor. I did read that Clomid results can be cumalative so it maybe that next month you will ovulate. Also, some women do have cycles where they don't for no particular reason and it could be that this happened to be your month where you didn't regardless of taking Clomid. Please cheer up and don't give up hope. I am nearly bursting into tears every 10 mins which is either due to the whole sorry episode finally sinking in, hormones + Clomid or the fact that i may never have a 3rd which I will be really upset about. A friend said to me a couple of days ago that in a year's time I might be holding a new baby and wonder why I let myself worry to the extent that I have and she is right. That applies to all of us, the whole thing is just a process, albeit a painful and arduous one, but nevertheless one which we have to get through.

Ask the doctors specific questions to get the answers you want. Which private clinic are you going to?

well, I went for another scan this morning to check follicles and there has been no significant change since day 10 (now day 14). I didn't think would be as been using opk's and no lh surge so far. The follicles were around 10mm which is nowhere near the size they should be which suggests no ovulation this month.

The nurse suggested that the clomid probably didn't 'agree with me' but I don't accept this. I have researched clomid and no where does it state that a side effect is to cause normally ovulating women to not ovulate. In fact if the consultant had told me this I wouldn't have started on it. The consultant was very blase when he prescribed...'have a go on these for a few months to give your ovaries a boost, have a scan at 12 days IF YOU WANT TO'.

I feel very disappointed,upset and let down at the moment. Its one thing failing to conceive each month but its another to have no chance at all this month. The private treatment I have been getting is no better than nhs...I'm on my 3rd consultant who isn't actually in today so they have to refer my scan result to another doctor! I'm started to doubt whether the nurses are actually qualified! as there medical knowledge seems to start and end at 'I'm not sure what that means, why don't you just do ivf'.

I have to call the nurses this afternoon to find out what the doctor said and If I dont get a full medical eplanation I might blow my top!

I have managed to stay quite relaxed (for me) for the 2 years that I have been ttc and the only time I have gotten stressed is when I get duff information or insensitive remarks from the nurses!

Somebody please say something to make me feel better...I think anything will do at this stage!

My first cycle on clomid and looks like it hasn't worked. My temp dipped down today so looks like she's on her way. Just in time for me going away for a few days too!

Oh well, theres always next month!

Good luck everyone else!!

thanks eldestgirl. at least I know its not abnormal. I am trying really hard to look at it as just a coincidence to have this happen while on clomid and strange things happening with ovulation.

roll on tomorrow morning when I'll know for sure if going to ov this month

Dizzy,
It's poosible that you may have "irritated" your cervix. I have had this in the past. It's completely harmless, even if it does freak you out seeing brown blood at the wrong time of the month.
OR clomid does interfere with your hormones, so it could just be a little spotting. Brown colour is nothing to worry about though.
Sorry I can't be of more help as I am new to this myself. I don't have the instructions that go with the drug, if you have, you could look to see the possible side effects listed.

hi its me again. I know I have had a couple of rants on here but I'm afraid I'm going to have another one!

Just noticed some brown spotting. We bd last night as still sticking to every other day in hope ovulation is delayed this month. What on earth could it be. Sorry if tmi but I was thinking that maybe because I didnt have any fertile cm for 'lubrication' my cervix might have got 'nicked' a little bit causing a bit of a bleed (but brown). Pretty sure not an ov bleed/spotting as not ovulating (yet).

so, no signs of ovulation around normal day and now brown spotting. anyone any ideas? Could this all be down to the clomid? is it normal to spot after bding?