Advice - Clomid & thin endometrium

[VioletCookie]

Hi all,

I've hit a brick wall today. Feeling desperately sad as have been TTC on and off for 7 years.

After investigations this year I've been put onto Clomid and have completed my first month. Unfortunately I've just had my period, I know it's early days but I can't help feeling like this will never happen. Does anyone have experience with Clomid?

I've been told I also have a thin endometrium and subseptate uterus. Trying to keep upbeat but feel like the odds are against me. Being positive though, I did ovulate this month!

Any advice or words of wisdom would be so appreciated x

About to start month 5 of clomid and I'm worried its not going to happen.

My month one bloods were 38 on day 21, so I'm ovulating but I'm worried this could have dropped off since? I also have PCO, is this working against the clomid?

Feeling very tearful with it all today x

@VioletCookie how did you get on? I’m about to go into my 5th cycle of clomid but thinking not to as my lining is thin. This months period is barely existent. :(

Hi lovely,
I was the same as you, period was so light it may as well not be there! Unfortunately Clomid wasn't for me. I was given Letrozole for 2 months afterwards but that didn't work either.
I was feeling so desperately low but actually IVF when you have a thin lining has turned out to be great - the medication boosted my lining to 9mm!
We became pregnant on our first transfer and everyone kept saying goodbye how well my lining was growing. Sadly however we recently miscarried 😔 Trying to be positive, I've never been pregnant before so this is a great step. Absolutely terrified of having another transfer though, the last 4 weeks have been heartbreaking.
Will your next step be IVF? I found the side affects of Clomid absolutely awful, the night sweats were unreal! Hopefully you're getting through it OK x

@VioletCookie thanks so much for taking your time to reply. I’m really sorry for your loss. It’s the hardest time isn’t it and after already going through a lot physically and emotionally for the IVF too. Fingers crossed your second round is an extra sticky one for you! When will you be starting that?

Thats great the IVF meds boosted you to 9mm! Do you know what you was on? I was worried about IVF not even helping my lining but this is helpful and hopefully it will.

i Just feel fed up because I haven’t concieved since our miscarriage back in Feb 2021. We lost our girl at 18 weeks. It’s so hard to cope with. I paid privately and had a hyterscopy in May to help my lining etc and my periods did seem to improve but now I feel like that was a waste of a procedure because I’ve had so much clomid. I think I need to listen to my own body and just stop the meds now because I’ve still no flow which isn’t right.

Thats another thing I hate the side effects. The night sweats and the mood swings. I think it’s time to call it a day. I’ll consider IVF in the new year.

xxx

Oh you poor thing, that must have been so incredibly difficult being so far along as well. I'm so sorry to hear that. It can be a very draining and traumatic experience going through fertility treatment, then the anxiety of actually being pregnant, then going on to losing them 💔 I'll be crossing everything that we get our miracles soon!

Please don't worry about your lining when it comes to the IVF, I had exactly the same fears and the nurse told me it's no issue. If my lining didn't get thicker, they would keeping upping the meds until it met the minimum! We went with a mild IVF approach and only needed around 2 weeks of injections - Bemfola and Cetrotide - standard does size and lining nice and thick!! Unfortunately we couldn't have a fresh transfer as I got OHSS so we did frozen. The meds to then thicken my lining were oral oestrgen tablets (they gave me 2 different brands) 1 tablet 3 times a day. My lining wasn't at the minimum (cue massive panic...) but they increased me to 4 tablets a day and it shot up within 3 days! If that hadn't of worked they would have increased it again, so I really believe you will be ok too!

We hope to be starting our next round with my next cycle, which is fairly soon after the miscarriage but they seem to think that i'll be ready. It's such a minefield isn't it, I'm just bobbing along doing as I'm told all the while feeling terrified and my body battered!

Have you done a test this month to check the spotting? I must have a reputation in the pharmacy after all these years... month after month, test after test!😅it gets soul destroying after a while. Xx

@VioletCookie It’s just heartbreaking. I keeping thinking I should have a 14 month old not trying to save up for IVF and wondering what’s best to do :( I’m so sorry you had all your treatment and then had the loss. It takes its toll on you mentally and physically doesn’t it.

Im so pleased through the IVF treatment there are lots of options to try and increase. I take progynova estrogen tablets after my clomid which is meant to help my lining but my Dr said he wasn’t a massive believer in it for some reason but after doing some reading I’m sure it’s given to people during FET to increase the lining so I’m not sure why that’s been said.

im a bit worried about not taking my clomid this month wondering if I’m doing the right thing 😞 my period is a bit better today but I’d have to start it today and then if my period isn’t very normal I’ll regret starting it if that makes sense!

Sorry for TMI too but the texture of my period has changed since my loss too which is making me worry. I know I’ve had the hysterscopy but it doesn’t give me much reasurrance!

I just don’t know if to hold out for the new year or not. I don’t want to seem impatient but at the same time if my spotting from 7 dpo (low progesterone) has been stopping me from getting pregnant then I’ve actually not tried that many months but saying that I can only control the spotting using the cyclogest. I think I have enough for roughly 3 more months of estrogen and progesterone. Could leave the clomid out.

Then I worry about getting my AMH tested for IVF when I’ve been on so many medications because it can alter the results and I want to be eligible for a refund cycle package.

sorry for the long post xx

Dont worry about the long post or TMI, it's good to get everything out with people that understand what you're talking about! I'm an open book so feel free to say/ask anything.

I completely understand and that must be so upsetting for you and your partner. I'm dreading the due date already, did you find that really difficult? But taking the positive we know we can get pregnant, so I'm hopeful with the help of science/ivf we can get pregnant again...

For my FET I was given zumenon and then progynova when that ran out (I was told they are exactly the same) and my lining shot up! I'm no doctor so can't say how good it is as a whole, but it worked really well for me so I'm definitely a believer that it can work for others too! When I was on it everyone kept telling me how great my lining was, it was so nice to hear!

If you decide to have a month off clomid I think you should still have the drug in your system this month and your levels should still be higher? I'm not 100% sure but I think the nurse told me that last year! So although its a month off hopefully theres still a chance for you. I was also terrified about my AMH results too but they were better than I anticipated (27.1) after 6 months clomid/2 months Letrozole so hopefully yours will be OK too. Although it depends on the egg quality too I guess, on my collection they retrieved 17, fertilised 10 and only 4 made it. 1 average/good quality (which we miscarried) and 3 poor quality. I'm worried that if the better quality didn't make it, the chances are lower with the remainders 😔 Will your doctor test your AMH soon or do you need to wait?

I'm not sure if it's just me but the fertility process has made me so negative and catastrophising everything! It's completely taken over my life, even deciding on an IVF clinic felt so overwhelming! Have you got a good support network? Xx

@VioletCookie Thank You that means a lot. Nothing is TMI after years of TTC is it 🙈

It was tough. I almost thought I’d be pregnant again by the due date and I wasn’t. Plus it’s the month we got the post mortem
results and then even 12 months later - nothing. Not even a sniff of a positive pregnancy test. It’s just soul destroying 😞

Ahh really? That’s great! It shows that it should be working though but I’m wondering if clomid is an estrogen blocker and it doesn’t leave your system quickly like letrozole then is it even doing anything. I’m taking this month off clomid but I think I’ll still take my estrogen and progesterone. Surely there is no harm in that because I’m low in them both. Before clomid I used to ovulate day 17. So I’ll see what it’s like this month without it. I almost feel nervous for not having it this month and thinking do I start it this evening! But I’m not… I should have the month off I think and I’m away with work next month in my fertile week so that’s a bit of a break. Then it will be November and December. Then I don’t wanna take the meds then because of wanting to start IVF in the Jan 🙈 I think it’s the estrogen that can lower your AMH from what I’ve gathered and it was only 8.4 in January and needs to stay above 5.4 for the refund cycle. Knowing my luck it would of dramatically dropped… so yep there goes me catastrophising! It’s something I’m not good at! I wish I wasn’t but I’m always worrying and thinking the worst! They did say my follicle count was 21 so they said it would be hard to work out the IVF meds as my follicle count doesn’t really match to my AMH.

Ah that’s hard with the embryos. It’s crazy how quickly it can all drop off. I’m worried how I will deal with all that. On my clinic FB group a few have had the “poor” grade transferred and it’s worked and glad they went ahead with it obviously!

For me too… if the progesterone is stopping my brown spotting which I used to get for a week before my period surely that means the brown spotting is caused by low prog and not something else? Because it’s fixed it in that moment. Sounds silly but I said to my partner If we don’t ever get pregnant again I don’t want a 12 day period each month with the spotting!

Im the same and have started doubting myself a lot. Even at work etc. :( it’s so hard isn’t it. Xxx

Oh my goodness saaame! Even at work, the one place I've always been confident in myself I'm having awful imposter syndrome like I'm letting everyone down and just treading water! Honestly nothing is TMI anymore, my partner has seen me in some very unflattering ways now too 🤣 it's just so difficult to stay sane, then just when you feel OK boooom another pregnancy announcement! Honestly feels like they are every week at the moment 😅

The post mortem and waiting for the results must have been incredibly difficult for you both. Do you mind me asking if there was anything specifically that caused the miscarriage? Please don't answer if you'd rather not, its a personal question. Did you conceive easily or was it after a lot of trying?

Its great that you're above the 5.4 minimum. I'm going to keep everything crossed for you! I didnt know about the oestrogen so I'll have a look into that. Crazy how the meds to help us can also ruin us! The AMH vs follicles does seem to contradict but I dont know enough about it and you'd like to think the clinics have come across this before and know how to manage it. All these meds and blood levels are a minefield... I realised during the miscarriage that I had absolutely no idea what to expect! Fertility and pregnancy loss isn't really talked about outside of these groups and certainly wasn't when I was in school. If I'd have know it was this difficult I'd have started trying 10 years earlier!

A week away with work and a month off trying sounds like it could be a good mental health break. Hopefully you'll feel a bit more like your self again and feel slightly more refreshed for the next month. I'm tired of wishing each month away, I want to be excited about life again and enjoying living in the moment! Xx

@VioletCookie We are literally the same! 🙈 Like you say at work is where I felt confident, tried really hard to get success etc and now I’m just like meh! Then worried what everyone thinks of me. I’m just literally getting through each day!

Haha I know nothing is private now is it! I don’t mind you asking. We lost her to covid. Which I knew… it’s what all the dates added back too and she was fine on the scan at 14 weeks but must of lost her not soon after but only realised at 18 weeks when we went for a private scan. It was a MMC which felt so cruel! I was going about my everyday thinking I was pregnant and baby was well but I wasn’t :( that’s so hard to cope with.

My story is - I’ve got a just turned 3 year old. I’m 36 now so I was 33 obviously when I had him. When he was 15 months old we discussed trying again. I felt a bit nervous I’d only been back at work 3 months but I thought why not it could take some time. A few weeks later I was pregnant. I felt so lucky and I only really returned to my job full time because I knew I wanted a close age gap and get my mat Leave etc. so to be here 18 months later and no closer to a pregnancy just blows my mind. For my mental health I am worried I may have to close the door on all this but I don’t want to regret not trying EVERYTHING. I’m constantly thinking well what is wrong with me now, why have I suddenly got issues and a hormone imbalance etc. I know I wish there was more awareness about things! Makes you think you have sex once and get pregnant.

My nurse got back to me today through my Dr from the clinic to say that clomid doesn’t thin the lining so continue but no need to take the estrogen after? I don’t understand?? Plus it does thin it.

Yeah surely they’ve done people who don’t match up before and maybe some of those follicles are empty hence the lower AMH. I just pray it hasn’t massively dropped because I’ve been way more stressed etc. If it has and we decide to do IVF I’ll have to do the multi cycle programme and not the refund one so there’s ways around it but I would of felt more secure with a refund cycle.

Im quite looking forward to a month off. When are you next at the clinic? I know you said it was coming up xxx

Hi lovely,

Sorry for the delay, I've been having a wobble coming up to the 2nd FET while still trying to process the miscarriage so have tried not to look at my phone too much. I work in sales so I'm meant to be really sociable and proactive but it's so difficult to switch that on right now!

Oh bless you, that's incredibly sad 😔 my heart broke for you just reading that, I can't begin to imagine the emotions you must have dealt with going through that. Did your son realise you were pregnant or was he too young? It must have been difficult to keep a happy face around him when you had so much to deal with 💔

So my story - I'm 34 (35 this year) and I've never been pregnant until July just passed through IVF. I have two conflicting diagnosis - one is anovulation and thin endometrium from the fertility clinic at my hospital, the other is unexplained infertility from the IVF clinic. I know what you mean about trying everything... you'd never forgive yourself for leaving a stone unturned! All I have wanted for the past 8 years is to be a mummy and I can't believe I'm nearly 35 and it's not happened 😔 I am so motherly to my friends, colleagues, friends children etc that I feel so ready for this, it's just not happening for us. I spoke to a therapist last year and told her I can't imagine a life without children, she told me I need to as I'm forgetting how to live! How am I meant to do that? I'm so consumed by this I don't know how else to live. It hurts so much knowing we're no closer to picking our child up from school, family days out, getting excited for Christmas etc. My partner doesn't really show emotion and this weekend he broke down in tears, we're at rock bottom.

We had a phone appointment with the clinic last week. We're having another FET on my next cycle which starts in roughly 7-10 days (if the miscarriage hasn't messed it up too much, I've not had a period since as it was quite recent). And I have a scan on Friday to check everything is OK internally as I've still been randomly spotting. I know I need to believe it will work again but I can't get into the right mindset! I think I need to book a massage or something relaxing 😅 there's a part of me that thinks 'maybe I'll get pregnant naturally this month!' but I know that won't happen. I also hate how negative I sound, this isn't me!

How have you been, how are you finding things so far this week? Xx

@VioletCookie I’m so sorry I didn’t get a notification for this! I’m so sorry you’ve had a tough few weeks and your partner too. It really does take its toll on EVERYTHING doesn’t it. Friendships, relationships, work! Just life in general. Did the therapy help apart from that one comment? Which is impossible to do! It’s like when people say forget about it and it will happen 🙃

I’m really hopeful for your next FET. Have you started it yet, how did your scans and tests go? We have a phone call on Tuesday with my Dr at the clinic and he retires at Xmas. I’m not sure if I mentioned before about me not ideally wanting to start IVF until the new year because of my retail job and we are open 9am - 11pm and it’s not going to be easy going off for scans and blood tests etc and a lot of heavy lifting. I’d ideally like to give myself the best chances of it working and if that means waiting till Jan I’ll have to do that but my Dr knows us best so ideally wanted him to do my protocol. Someone said to me you can get pregnant naturally! But I just don’t know how much longer I can stay in this limbo. I’ve felt quite detached lately though to be honest. I’m still sad but I’m just drained of everything!

I feel you working in sales too. It’s so tough, I just can’t motivate myself. I’ve just had 2 days off and I don’t want to go back today. I do much better when I’m at home and doing my other job (setting up a nail business)

im going to send you a DM.

big hugs xxx