considering clomid but worried about cervical mucus?

[belinda55]

i have been prescribed clomid however im really worried about the effect it will have on my cm. i dont ovualte on the same day each month and the only way i know when im heading to ovulation is the changes in cm.
does clomid always affect the cm ? is there still eggwhite but not so much ?

ive read about the post coital test which the consultant has said i can have but that sounds a bit weird ??

any experiences would be greatly appriciatated

Hi belinda first things first - I know nothing about clomid. However, I read a very interesting set of articles on this blog and thought the explanation of how clomid works was very interesting. It also talks about some of the side effects.

infertilityblog.blogspot.com/

There are 3 articles, 1 explaining clomid, one explaining the alternative letrozole, and one comparing the two.

Hope it helps till someone with experience answers.

I got pregnant the first time I used Clomid, but I used Preseed as well for the CM problem (for better chances of conception, not to predict ovulation).

Do ovulation indicators work for you? The only ones that worked for me were the Clearblue Ovulation Tests.

I'm on Clomid. I didn't get much ewcm before and have had lots since being on it, so it won't always reduce it. I think it's actually not so uncommon to have more - if it's actually making your body ovulate when it's not doing so naturally then it follows that for some people they will have more as it corrects the problem.

If you think you Ov irregularly, are you totally sure you really are? I only ask because I thought I was irregularly and had cycles varying 26-40 days, and most months got a pos OPK. But on further investigation it turned out that although I was developing follicles perfectly and sometimes got the LH surge, it didn't seem to be enough of a surge and the follicles would just shrink not actually rupture and ovulate.

Hope I haven't confused things! All I meant to say was don't rule Clomid out because of the ewcm possibility - chances are on the lower dose (50mg) it won't have much impact on it anyway.

Good luck

thanks for your messages.

i definately ovulate as i have taken BBT for many months and always get a rise.

unfortunately i ovulate currently anywhere between day 14 and 22. i have tried OPKs however have not found them to be very reliable ? due to drinking too much fluid ....not sure ??? or maybe using wrong time of day ?? hve only tried the (cheap) strips you buy on the internet ??

ive only been prescribed 50mgs so hopefully wont affect EWCM too much,think we may try again next month then give it a go.

ive read you should ovulate 5-10 days after last tablet ive been told to take it from day 2-5 so i guess i should ovulate between day 10 and 15 which will be the earlist ive ever ovulated ???

You should try temping to track ov and use Preseed lubricant if urecewcm dries up , I'm on month 4 of clomid and it has dried me up .. So to speak!

Pressed is great - really does help if clomid dries up your cm.
I also used a CBFM - expensive but it has helped me conceive twice now so worth it's weight in gold. You can get them on eBay too at a reduced price as they can reset.

Good luck. Sometimes just the extra oomph of 50mg is all you need.

You won't know until you try it. And preseed should help bridge the gap if it does dry up CM.

hi there sleepyfergus ...whats CBFM ????

although i know i can use preseed how will i be able to tell when im about to ovulate ?????

currenlty i ovulate beteen day 16 and 21 and i believe that clomid is likely to bring this forwards as i have been told to take it days 2-5 so i really wont have clue to when im about to ovulate ????

i do take my BBT some months but that will only show me after ive ovulated ?

I'm on Clomid and don't really notice EWCM, what is Preseed? Would it help me?

CBFM is Clearblue Fertility Monitor. They're not cheap - approx £90 new and then you have to buy the sticks (cheaper on amazon than boots) on top of that but you can buy the monitor 2nd hand on eBay as they can be reset. It tracks your cycle and can be used whilst taking clomid. It has helped me conceive twice so to me it was worth it.

I suffered from really long cycles - sometimes 2 months, sometimes 6 months so it was like shooting in the dark. So whilst the clomid regulated my cycles somewhat, I ovulated late in my cycle, around about day 25. I wasn't tracked using clomid - some women are scanned every few days to check their follicle growth - so using the CBFM helped pinpoint when I was about to ovulate. It shows your cycle in 3 stages, Low Fertility (eg during your period and the first few days following), then High Fertility, ( when you are approaching ov and just after ov) then Peak Fertility (good chance of ov)

You should start having sex when you get HF and defo when you get PF, and use the pressed then. Pressed is a lubricant which is sperm friendly unlike KY Jelly etc.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

Pippi - sorry, meant to add, EWCM helps the sperm to reach the egg. So if clomid has dried up yours, then pressed is a great substitute.

"I definately ovulate as i have taken BBT for many months and always get a rise".

That is not conclusive either I am sorry to say.

Clomid is often prescribed to women who present with ovulatory problems. It is possible to get a rise in temp in the second half of your cycle when an egg has not been shed so charting is not totally infallible. The PC test is useful to have done as well; it will give you and the cons more information.

Clomid can affect cervical mucus and make it thicker but if you are monitored throughout this should not prove to be a real issue.

I would avoid using any fertility monitors; they can be wrong. You'd be far better off seeing the cons for regular blood tests and ultrasounds whilst on clomid as this would be far more accurate.

Thing is, not everyone is monitored when using clomid. So if i hadn't used a monitor I think it would have taken me considerably longer to pinpoint my ov. And the monitor helped me conceive my 2nd also (although I wasn't on clomid) as my first pregnancy seems to have regulated my cycles, albeit they are still on the long side.

Each to their own though.

I'm not being monitored on this (my first cycle) of Clomid. Apparently if this 3 months worth doesn't get me a BFP, they will increase the dose and do follicle tracking and blood tests, to make sure I am ovulating.

Where can I get Preseed/Pressed/whatever it's called from?

Its poor practice not to be monitored whilst on clomid; no monitoring means you have no idea whether its doing what it supposed to be doing (clomid's main job is to make the ovaries work harder).

Also it should be given with a degree of caution to PCOS patients as clomid resistance can and does happen.

I agree, no monitoring is bad but it happens quite a lot

Preseed - I used to get mine from Access Diagnostics. If you google them their site will come up. Sorry, on phone and not sure how to post links!

sleepy furgus... ive never used fertility monitor, but ive just read that using it on clomid can give odd readings such as many high fertiltiy days and may miss peak fertiltiy days , is this your experience at all ??

sleepyFergus - do you think the Preseed was a help at all? I'm not sure whether to give it a go or not, as I get like a watery CM, instaed of EWCM, but have been able to get pregnant x3 (ended in mc's) and am not at all "dry", iykwim?

I'm a bit as to whether I need it or not?

Belinda55 To be honest, I found it a great help. I almost always used to get a PF reading. I did get a lot of HF readings, to the point where I started to know my cycle and ignored the first few days worth of HF becuase I knew I had long cycles and that my PF was days and days away (and it would have become tiresome doing the deed every 2 days for 2 weeks or so!). In the literature that coems with it, it does say that it's okay to use with clomid.

pippi sounds like you have okay cm! Mine was almost non existent, hence I used Preseed. Plus, when you're having sex a lot, sometimes you're just not in the mood (but have to do it anyway) so 'natural' lubricants all but disappear......preseed helped iykwim! Having said all that, it doesn't do any harm, so you may want to give it a try if you don't mind spending thr £12 for a box of 6 (i think it is).

Good luck ladies!

thanks sleepfurgus thats a great help.

pippi i have used the preseed before and you can also buy it in a tube as i found the indiviual pods were VERY generous and a bit of waste. the tube comes with applicators as well to get it in the right spot !