My fertility journey & now starting Clomid - Any advice or experience?

[Crazydoglady123]

I have a child who is 9 and fell pregnant easily. A year or so after I was diagnosed with PCOS after a scan. I suffered with an eating disorder and my periods stopped for 6 months. I then went onto various contraceptives (pill, depo) as my circumstances changed. I then tried the Mirena coil and everything seemed great on it till it disappeared and at the same time I started being in lots of pain so had a pelvic scan (to locate coil) and discovered I had a 6cm ovarian cyst which a few days later I ended up heavily bleeding so was admitted to hospital and had cyst removed. The consultant also removed my coil and upon waking from surgery told me that it'd started to embed in my uterus and it was that which caused the bleeding and pain.

Fast forward to more recent, I'd been on the depo again since (no probs). I stopped it two years ago to TTC with my partner (not my Childs dad) and finding it really, really difficult to conceive :( He has had two sperm evaluations as the first was low but the second was much higher (although slightly low morphology) but the doctors seem to be fine with him now and back looking at me. I've tried ovulation tests (which always showed a surge), I've had a Hycosy which everything was fine and just finished 3 cycles of Letrozole which was a high dose. My 21 day blood test showed my progesterone at 23 and it apparently needs to be over 30 to have ovulated. I'm not due to start tonight Clomiphene. He's prescribed me 100mg a day (day 2-6) so from what I've read again is another decent/high dose but I didn't get to speak to him properly and feel a bit anxious as hear lots of lovely side effects with these! Is it true they're better taken at night? Also online I read that there's a 10% chance of developing an ovarian cyst with these so I'm not sure if I should try and book a private scan after the first cycle to make sure I haven't got one again? I have two rounds of this then another blood test. If I ovulate on it then I'm allowed another 4 goes, if not on the sheet he gave me it said Gondatropins may tried after or keyhole surgery to make holes in my ovaries... Any experience or advice greatly appreciated!

@Suki2020 sorry didn't tag the post

@Crazydoglady123 I’ve never used digital ovulation tests, is it normal for them to flash for days? No I have my scan 15th March.

@Suki2020 I think everyone varies but I got my static (peak) this morn 🎉 Oh I don't know why I thought it was tomorrow! How are you feeling now?

@Crazydoglady123 that’s great news you got your static this morning. I’m ok, still getting a little emotional but it’s a lot better than the weekend. AF has finished for me now and on day4 of clomid. How you feeling about tomorrow?

@Suki2020 that's totally understandable! It definitely doesn't get easier with time that's for sure 😔 Have you had anymore side effects on the Clomid this time?

I can't bloody well wait till tomorrow. I'm so bloated and uncomfortable, I just want to see what's going on in there now.

@Crazydoglady123 i bet it will be a relief to know what’s going on. No don’t think the side effects have been quite so bad this time whilst taking that tablets. Only really getting hot flushes. Just before and during AF was the worst but I’ve never suffered before with my periods.

@Suki2020 do you get them anytime or at night? Mine finally went about a week ago

I only seem to get them during the night, they wake me up where is so hot I have to stand at the window and then 5mins later I’m cold. Now I know how my mum feels when she says she’s having a hot flush haha

@Crazydoglady123 sorry meant to tag you

@Suki2020 yeah that's when I had mine. I'd wake up in the night and start stripping off. I'd said to my OH dreading the menopause now 😬

@Crazydoglady123 good luck for your scan today

Thanks @Ronnii

I'm so upset...so I had my static smiley yesterday, had the pain Saturday to last night but felt a lot better today. Just had my scan with my consultant to check on my cyst situation and great news, they're all gone. So I asked if the pain was ovulation but I haven't ovulated or due to apparently 😭 I'm so deflated. I really thought I had ovulated. Can the scan be wrong? Could he miss a corpus luteum? He wants me to try one more cycle next month on Clomid before I start my IVF. Apparently I can move straight from Clomid to IVF fine but I'm chancing again over responding to the Clomid but if I do it, he wants me to go back up there for a scan on CD12. He's not even wanting a lower dose either, back on 100mg.

@Crazydoglady123 im sorry it wasn't better result. I remember being so deflated when I found out I wasn't ovulating. Just from blood tests, I never had a scan. I wonder if you have a late ovulation if the scan just can't see that yet but I don't know.

It's strange they never tried you on 50mg clomid, I thought that's what everyone started on but I've seen that's not the case and doctors putting ppl on 100mg. What if you just took 50mg? Is that bad to say

I'm trying to be positive about clomid but I struggled with the side affects only on 50mg. Only good I can find is that it has the possibility of working so can be worth it.

@Ronnii it's just so weird I got a peak and yet not ovulating. I just spoke to the lady at the clinic I get private scans with as I messaged her asking if a follicle could be missed and she just rung me and had a chat with her and she said there's no way my consultant could miss on but it is really weird to get a peak and not ovulate. She asked what he'd planned to do and I said one more month on the Clomid and she was shocked he was putting me back on 100mg but she said as long as he's scanning and monitoring me then go with it. Someone on another thread just said too maybe the build up from three months of Letrozole before the Clomid made me over respond but this time I've had a month off anything so I think I will try it. All you ladies have had such great results on Clomid

@Crazydoglady123 yes maybe your ovaries just needed a month off 🤞

@Ronnii I think my ovaries are on furlough tbh 😂😩 They need to start doing some bloody work 🙄

@Crazydoglady123 oh no sorry to hear that hun. That’s crazy how you’ve got your peak but not ovulating. What were your cycles like before you started medication? Did you have EWCM?

@Suki2020 thanks lovely. Yeah I know, no one can understand how that can happen. My cycles just felt normal. Never really the same length but never more than 34 days. I always found I had one day of bloating a month around CD19 which was when I thought I was ovulating but when investigations started my bloods showed I wasn't ovulating. I never really tracked my CM over the years but I have been watching closely this cycle and haven't had any, which obviously now makes sense if I haven't ovulated.

I double checked with the IVF clinic too and I'm okay to take Clomid the cycle before IVF so I will give it another try. Can't wait for more hot flushes @Suki2020 🥵

@Crazydoglady123 that’s good. So if your next cycle of clomid doesn’t work the will your following cycle be ivf or is it a waiting game?

@Suki2020 yep I can do next cycle Clomid and the cycle after IVF

@Crazydoglady123 that’s good. I just thought it would be another waiting game after the clomid before ivf. How are you feeling now?

@Suki2020 a bit better now thank you. How are you and where are you now in your cycle? I'm pleased I can go from one to the other, just feel anxious about going back onto the Clomid. I told my mum about us TTC and all the problems today for the first time in case I do get bad again on it as was so hard with the dogs and my DS and other commitments last time when OH is at work so at least I have her for back up now.

@Crazydoglady123 that’s good that you’ve told your mum Aldi gives you someone else to talk to, it’s so tough sometimes that I think we need help or just someone to vent to. I’m CD 9 now so finished taking the clomid and just crossing my fingers that I ovulate soon.