CLOMID first timer....

[cheekycurls]

I can't seem to find any clomid threads that are active, so thought I would start this one.

Currently just finished taking my last tablet (50mg) on my first month of clomid, I'm very excited & nervous at the same time.

So many things going on in my head, no one to really talk to, symptoms are a bitch (but must mean something is working if I have symptoms yeah?!)

has anyone taken clomid without being monitored? My consultant isn't going to scan me to check on follicles, I just have to go back to see her in 3 weeks (not sure what for?)

Really hoping this works!

But if anyone wants to join me on a clomid ride, share info or success stories, feel free to......

Well lovelies am off for my day 20 bloods this morn fingers crossed ay still getting same faint line on OPK along with deeper one my cycles r long 34 days so I am consentrating this week in lots if bed rocken an hope it works have a lovely weekend all big hugs to u all xxx

Good luck meluv, got my fingers crossed for you!

CES have a brilliant time in Venice - what a lovely city. If it is the case that you're ovulating fine and having chemical pregnancies then I believe that can be relatively easily resolved by giving you progsterone supplements. I wonder would it almost be worth using condoms again for a month and seeing what happens then? Anywho - have an amazing weekend, eat lots of gelato for me!

Hope everyone else is doing well TGIF!

Hi ladies its cd18 for me, still getting the faint 2nd line doing a lot of bed rocking just incase my pcos is giving false readings which could be the case and I really hope it is. Booked my app for my 2nd round of clomid as my af is due in 10 days :( not giving up hope but I just think its not working for me hope the 100mg of clomid does its job!!!!!!!

I really don't know what I will do if this doesn't work as I know I will get referred but I'm over weight so I know they will say lose the weight then come back I will be heart broken so I'm trying my best to start wealthy eating. My doctor keeps telling me because of my pcos I will struggle to lose a substancial amount of weight and she will do her best.

Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for your replies and making me feel so welcome. In answer to your questions goldengirl71, I haven't heard of provera and that was never mentioned to me at any of my doctors or hospital appointments. I now don't have an appointment at the hospital until March next year and this is a 6 month appointment (well a little longer as I started the Clomid in August but they didn't have any earlier appointments!) and the doctor said this is to cheer me up if nothing has happened and to give me another 6 months of Clomid! I have used all of my 3 months of Clomid that they originally prescribed so have to go to the doctors later today to get the next batch. I was only scanned after my first lot of Clomid and this was an internal scan which showed I had a follicle. I had internal scans, blood tests, HCG before all this happened and all they could tell me was that I ovulated irregularly but that was it, there is no explanation for it, I was just born this way!
I have done the ovulation sticks and have even bought a fertility monitor but it just shows that absolutely nothing is happening! I am going to ask the doctor today if it is worth me even bothering spending my money on these things.
My hubbie is very supportive but he just tells me I have to chill out and go with the flow and things will happen when they are meant to and and that it's just not our time yet. I try to be as laid back as him but find it difficult! I know that this is not a race and I am a strong believer in everything happens for a reason but sometimes it's difficult to keep a positive outlook on it all. But I was reading some of your comments earlier and saw that there was one that said not to think "Why me?" and "Why not me?" which is true as what is so special about me for it not to be me? Life is different for everyone and we all just have to deal with what is thrown at us!
Anyway, hope all is well with you all.
TGIF!
xx

JoMarie, I cannot stress enough how quickly you should march into your GP surgery and demand to be helped more effectively. None of us should be abandoned for six fucking months and left to our own devices. You need another appointment with a consultant who needs to look at increasing your dose. Be bold and ask for what you need. Remind the bastards that helping you properly now will save them a lot of money in the long run if they can help you avoid IVF on the NHS. Tell them this is what you are lookinng at and that you will NOT keep having Clomid chucked at you without someone seriously looking at your cycle length and your bloods. This kind of cavalier attitude to a woman's misery makes me so fucking

Meluv, heaps and heaps of best wishes coming your way for today's test. Hope it's really positive for you x

So I pissed on a stick (at 10DPO). Instead of a line there was this message: 'Listen, twat, not only are you not pregnant this month, you will never EVER be pregnant again'

GOLDEN!!! Didn't I tell you not to go pissing on any sticks too early? Those pregnancy hormones need time to build up in in your body...and even if this month is a negative, that most certainly doesn't mean that next month will be. (Though, your post did make me chuckle...)

JoMarie, completely second what Golden has said. You should be receiving ongoing care at your fertility clinic.
Just as an example of what I've been getting - day 12 scans every cycle, day 21 bloods every cycle, day 28 bloods on the first cycle.
When you go back to the doctor's for your next batch of clomid see about getting another internal scan and getting blood tests done day 21 of EVERY month to see whether you have ovulated or not.
Good luck - I'm a bit shit at being demanding but you must do it if not to get fobbed off again!

Annalou, the best way for women with PCOS to lose weight is to follow a low GI diet. Basically you want to remove refined sugar (so, cakes, biscuits, sugar in tea, etc, etc) from your diet as much as possible and swap 'white' products (pasta, rice, bread, etc) for 'brown' ones.
You also want to make sure that you're having protein with every meal/snack.
If you want, let me know what you'd eat in a typical day and I can help you figure out what swaps to make.

Hello girls had my bloods get my results next week so am none of the wiser I have been reading your post annalou keep thinking positive luv and it will happen we will all get there sooner or later I no we all want the sooner golden u r a lil bit early to be testing lovely and am not loving that mess u said was there YOU WILL GET PREGNANT lovely and I no that my feeling r very rarely wrong joemarie please do as golden has said and go back an ask to see consultant they can't just give u more tabs an leave u again don't accept that luv please ... Peed off with them OPK sticks now still same two lines one dark one faint but hey golden my egg white is hear just these past couple of hours what does that mean can u help me out an let me no CD 20 I no I sound a bit dumb lol lol x

Snap meluv mine tonight is back to 1 line :( gutted

Golden I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that you have just tested to early

Oh, fucking hell, Summer! I've gone and tested again at 11DPO and it's a BFN. Where is the sense in this? Someone just throttle me. I had to retire to bed early last night I was so horribly nauseous, bloated and just shattered. I had felt this way since early afternoon (which is why I didn't come on here...just too..wasted, if that's the right word). I've had a hike in temperature this morning which would suggest a) I'm ill or b) I could be pregnant. I am devastated, really, as I believe in my heart I am not. I swore I wouldn't raise my hopes

R golden big hugs lovely am sorry for me saying u be first realy feel bad so so sorry hope u forgive me .. There still cud be a chance u r luv I hate this journey it's so hard an bloody disheartening please don't give up keep your dream alive stay positive luv am totally gutted for u hear are some flowers from me hope they cheer u up ... When is your period due luv xxxx u r the rock of this lil group an it hurts me when u r upset big hugs xxxx

Aw, thanks for the flowers and kind words, Meluv, you are a darling, you really are. I'm not devastated, but I am staying at Mum's this weekend and so, to prevent further devastation, I have just given her the First Response pregnancy test stick I was going to use tomorrow morning. I have told her to hide it and to refuse to give in even if I am screaming for it. I am only 11DPO today and my period is only due on Tuesday. I shall get a firm grip of my bloody self and wait for AF like any normal, rational woman not that any of us can claim to be normal any more on this insane journey

Oh golden you are having a tough weekend sweetheart. Those symptoms sound very promising but I think you did the right thing in getting your Mum to hide the First Response stick as you will only upset yourself more if you get another potentially misleading BFN tomorrow.
My fingers are tightly crossed that Tuesday is going to bring GREAT news for you.

Well I went for a scan at CD9 today and had two little follies (10mm) and one big 'un (18mm) The nurse and I both thought the 18mm might be the one from last month in cyst form so she took some blood and said my estrogen level was high so it might not be a cyst after all...
Anyway, long and short is that DH gave me the HCG jab tonight (I was terrified - he was pissing himself but did a bloody good job!) SO ladies please keep your fingers crossed that I lay an egg in the next few days ... off to jump DH now then :)

Hope everyone else is doing well this weekend. I had a massive tearful breakdown earlier today but now cheered up a lot - so weird the emotional rollercoaster of this journey...

Summer!!! What the hell are you talking about? Your DH injected you??! I didn't know we could DIY! Why wouldn't the nurse inject you today? Please tell me more about size of follicles indicating cysts; mine measured 23.5 and 25mm at my scan! Please tell me these were not cysts!! (I despise over-use of exclamation marks but in this instance I will allow it as I am panicking!!!!!)

What was your tearful breakdown about? I am patting your back soothingly and crossing my fingers that your egg pops out even more powerfully than a stripper's ping pong ball flies out of her fanny

golden that's a beautiful analogy

Yes, apparently we can DIY... we got given a little sharps bin and an informational DVD (didn't watch that one - probably not a classic on a par with Kramer & Kramer!) so I think it's quite common.
The nurse didn't inject me then and there cause she wanted to get my estrogen levels back first to find out whether the 18mm-er was a cyst or a follicle (presumably - if estrogen had been low, it'd have been a cyst)

DON'T WORRY about your follies being in the 20s, that's a good thing!! The only reason the nurse and I were concerned about mine is because they don't usually get into the high teens until day 12, and this was only day 9. (But, actually, the fact that yours' were in their 20s reassures me a lot, as if the clomid's been building up in my system I guess it's entirely possible that mine are growing more quickly this month)

I'm sure yours' were not cysts but lovely ripe follicles bursting with egglets.

Tearful breakdown was just about the whole TTC thing - stoopid I know - I was massively disobeying the one step at a time rule of fertility drugs and getting myself into a panic over IVF and adoption and what to do with my life
Though it gave DH the opportunity to come out with this corker - there's no fair or unfair in life, there are only choices, and some people have harder ones to make than others. :)

I hope you weren't panicking last night and aren't feeling too nauseous this morning - only two more sleeps til test time...

Hello
I hope you don't mind me chiming in, I have been lurking for a while but since I am on clomid 50mg as of yesterday I thought it was time to say hi.
Sorry you guys have been having such a hard time - I for one am now thoroughly fed up of all the pregnancy announcements that seem to be going around - I've never been pg and beginning to wonder whether or not I ever will be.
Anyway, my story is we've been ttc #1 for just over a year now. I went to the gp quite a while ago concerned that i was not ovulating (I actually now think I do since I started taking BBT readings) and since then have had various scans, blood tests and HSG and there doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong with me. Boy test came back good albeit slightly borderline morphology numbers (doc not concerned about this). Two issues I do have which may be linked are that my LP appears to be short - c.9 days - also I have recently discovered (and am now being medicated for) underactive thyroid. Doc doesn't think this is an issue but dr google disagrees.
Anyway after apptmt with the fertility clinic on tuesday I was prescibed clomid for 6 months. I actually was a bit annoyed that I was just given it (I think they are basically trying to get rid of me for 6 months) when all the signs so far are that I am ovulating also he had no interest in my plea that perhaps my LP and thyroid issues were at play. Didn't even ask about my cycles (I had 6 months of charts ready to show!). However I have since researched enough about clomid to make me think that it is worth a bash because it can help LPs by getting you to ovulate earlier (I ovulate around day 17/18 according to OPKs, BBT, pains and mucus-watch) so am trying to keep postitive.
I took my first pill last thing yesterday so that side effects may have happened in my sleep, but today am feeling a bit sick and headachy - may be my period though, we'll see.
What I am worried about having read most of this thread is that clinic don't seem to have much interest in monitoring me other than ONE scan which I wil be getting on day 12 (only day she could fit me in!). So, expecting that she will just say "it's fine" (she's not very communicative) what specifically should I be asking about at that appointment and should I be pestering for further tests eg 21 day bloods?
Also, the 21 day tests I previously had (which I deliberately had later than that because ovulating late!) suggested progesterone in the high twenties, not disastrous but could do better. Should I be getting progesterone supplements and if so what's the best way of getting them on the net because neither gp or fertility clinic wanted to give me this.

golden keeping my fingers crossed for you this month.

I hope we can all help ourselves on our respective journeys.

Thanks for reading x

Christelle, welcome to the thread . Firstly, I have no doubt in my mind that you are ovulating. A result of >25 for day 21 progesterone indicates ovulation. Like me, you are charting your body temps and, like ,me, they are 'proving' you ovulate. However, when I got my day 22 results back (I always ovulate on CD15) the score was 18.5. The consultant said this indicated I was not ovulating. You can imagine my horror after nine months of beautifully high temps after a sustained shift. What does it all mean? I have no fucking idea. Because of my age (I'm 41 with no kids) I snatched her hand off when she offered me Clomid.

What I would also say is that you are being treated like a fucking idiot by both your GP (many GPs are thickos when it comes to fertility) and, less forgivably, your consultant. Thyroid issues and luteal phase lengths are monumentally important to a woman's ability to conceive/sustain a pregnancy and I suggest you march into your GPs surgery and demand treatment for your thyroid. Luteal phases can be easily lengthened (agnus castus and progesterone suppositories to name but two) but I suggest you take this up with your consultant. If you are not due another appointment with the consultant I suggest you firmly demand one. Threaten to go over their heads if they do not comply. Tell them clearly that your thyroid and luteal length issues are being explicitly ignored and you are entitled to get both addressed. Bastards.

I found that fertility consultants/nurses are highly opposed to our efforts to pinpoint ovulation by charting our temperatures (I was told it was a stupid/pointless/archaic/deluded practice). They may be right, but what the fuck else are we supposed to do when we are desperate for confirmation of what is going on inside us? Anyhoo..the very least we can do is put on the armour of determination and demand the help we need. Please take the first step of getting the right treatment for your thyroid and luteal phase length. Much luck x

Thanks for the warm welcome golden.

Yes I too am fed up of being treated like an idiot - when I went to see the consultant gynaecologist the other day he actually said really patronisingly "remember you need to have sex around ovulation to have any chance of conceiving" (really??? I would never have known). The thyroid issue, both the cons. and gp are convinced do not contribute to the problem but I am certain that they could be, luckily the GP appears happy to give me medication to control my symptoms, am going next week for monthly blood test after which I will push for my medication to be increased until my TSH level is between 1 and 2, which is what it should be for conceiving I understand. (A few weeks ago my TSH level was 8, soon after which i started on levothyroxin).
The LP issue is a lot more complicated. I have tried AC and b6 (three months each, increasing doses) and they did nothing hence I'm hoping the clomid can at least help me ov earlier, we'll see. I will ask the gp again next week about progesterone but don't hold out much hope. Other gp is convinced that the LP is not a problem but I fail to see how it couldn't be because about the time any embryo would be implanting my AF arrives, thus screwing any chance of a pregnancy surely. And she is bloody pregnant so surely she should get it??!!

I'm very frustrated by the inability of the nhs to get to the bottom of what is wrong with me or even try to! As I previously said I was basically fobbed off with the clomid. I'm worried about being sent for ivf further down the line which I can't see would be succesful unless someone really understands what is happening (or not) down there.

Hey ho enough about me. Hope everyone is having a reasonable weekend.

Hi girls hope you all had a good weekend :).

I'm pissed off for the past 2 days I'm getting 1 line on my ovulation stick so I really don't think it worked for me. We are still having sex every other day just incase. My af is due in 7 days better go out on buy the tampons. Sorry for all my negativity but that's the kind of mood I'm in.

It's nice to see new people joining with different stories. Can anyone tell me from them that have been referred are any of you over weight and still getting treatment?

i rarely get +ive opks yet pretty sure i ovulate. they can definitely lie.
not overweight here but was told for ivf id need to be within a certain bmi range- if i lost weight id fall off the bottom of it.

Hello all and big welcome to Christelle

I have to echo what golden says about forcing the issue with your doctors. A short LP is, of course, a problem when TTC and if agnus castus hasn't worked for you (and, tbh, I think a lot of women don't have much luck with it) then progesterone might be the way forward, but give clomid a try, it can help regulate awkward cycles even for women who do already ovulate.

As for your thyroid - yes, it sounds like you know exactly what you need, again, you must push for it. The NHS is such a postcode lottery as to the kind of care you receive. Wrt the scan, a day 12 scan is at the right time (because that's when you see whether you're developing follicles) but you also MUST have the day 21 blood tests. You may find with that with the clomid your progesterone levels are higher and your LP extended naturally - but you need the blood tests to show this!

Check out the NICE guidelines for infertility treatment (you can find them with a bit of googling) because I'm pretty sure that day 21 bloods are mandated in those. GOOD LUCK it is extremely tough sometimes to get what you need
but we will all be here for support!

Annalou I'm sorry you're in a rubbish mood, this has been a bit of a tough weekend for me as well. Perhaps it's those dark evenings, who knows. Anyway, you're doing absolutely the right thing dtd every other day, if an egg does show up, you're doing all that you possibly can to have sperm there to meet it.

Summer, tell me how old you are and I'll tell you what to do with the rest of your life You are such a wise woman, but you are still entitled to get tearful and wonder what the fu*k to do next if the Clomid fails.

Christelle, you sound informed and confident, too, and I am sorry you are having to deal with dismissive 'professionals'. I didn't realise you were already getting medication for your thyroid - do push to get the result you would like for your TSH levels. I do not have the foggiest why I mentioned agnus castus. I am a huge sceptic regarding alternative 'therapies'. The whole industry infuriates me and I would happily maim anyone who offered me some tree bark as a 'remedy'.

Annalou, I am sorry you feel so let down by the OPKs. Let's ignore them, shall we? You speak as though you are worried about your weight. Is your GP worried, too?

Well, it's D-Day for me tomorrow. If my temperature takes a nose-dive I know for sure AF is on its way Tuesday. Have a good evening ladies. I've just polished off a chippy tea and am waiting for the final episode of Downton Abbey (sob).

Meluv, I see you are rarely around on a Sunday and I can only assume you are holed up in some little church somewhere holding a prayer meeting for all us ladies on here

Hello christelle an welcome hunny do what golden said an demand what you are entitled too don't just be palmed off hunny they should be more in the ball with it all at the end of the day it's the field of work they have chose so if the going to do it do it properly its people fucken lives an dreams they are playing with grrrrr anyway hunny we r all hear for each other big hugs xx .... Annalou try keep your head up lovely stay positive an keep trying and my fingers r crossed that u won't need any tampons big hugs xxx feel awful saying this when so many of us r down but I have got to share it as I have moaned so much about them woo hoo girls I have two big fat dark lines on my OPK stick woo hoo at long last golden your cd days for me ov r bang on luv fingers crossed I will keep bed rocking an the lil swimmers will get there mwah big hugs girls xxx

Pmsl golden me in a church the holy water wud jump out with shock if I walked in luv xxx