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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

Letrozol/Femara

78 replies

Arthursmom · 23/07/2023 12:01

Hello,
I'm trying letrozol 5mg for iui but am unsure what to expect and google doesn't seem to have much info. Can anyone tell me how many follicles they produced on letrozol? I'm hoping for more than one but wonder if this is likely? I'm 37 and ovulate normally so this is just to boost chances. We are a same sex couple using frozen sperm.

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CarpeDiem75 · 31/07/2023 14:13

Hi
@Arthursmom how are you? How was your first cycle?
I am starting Letrozole this week I think (waiting for my period to start!). I regulate normally but had so many early miscarriages that we are trying to help the quality of my eggs.
Have you found that you have ovulated early with Letrozole? Looking at the dates you probably have not yet 🙈
I had this medicine few years ago with my first pregnancy (was a success) but at that point I was not ovulating at all.. another story!!
Let me now how you are doing!

Original poster
Arthursmom · 31/07/2023 14:35

@CarpeDiem75 ah I don’t think I’m much use to you 🤦🏽‍♀️ I don’t start until my September cycle (oldest starting nursery so wanted to avoid that timeframe). Same boat though, early miscarriage so wanting to improve egg quality / release more than 1 egg. Good luck! Please let me know how you get on.

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MK85 · 31/07/2023 15:08

@Arthursmom letrozole only makes you produce one follicle.
It's clomid that has the potential to recruit more follicles .

Original poster
Arthursmom · 31/07/2023 15:19

@MK85 i think it depends on the person and dosage. There’s definitely not as many as clomid but letrozol is used in IUI to produce more than one follicle as well.

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OhChacha · 31/07/2023 17:57

@Arthursmom letrozole has a very. low risk of multiples which is why alot of doctors now prefer it due to its low risk. It also has alot less side effects compared to clomiphene for ovulation induction.

I've never known anyone to produce more than one egg on letrozole personally so I wouldn't rely on it for that purpose as chances are extremely low if you look at statistics. I would opt for double embryo transfer if you want multiples

Original poster
Arthursmom · 31/07/2023 19:11

@OhChacha thanks for your reply. I don’t want multiples! I’m older and we are using letrozole for IUI. I’ve read quite a few studies and multiple old threads on mumsnet where people are doing the same as us and producing more than one follicle. We are hoping to produce more than one to increase chances of one surviving as, at my age, many of my eggs are not great quality. This is quite commonly done for same sex couples. Letrozole, like you say, has a much lower risk of multiples. My IUI will go ahead with up to 3 follicles but not 4. I’m really just asking how many follicles people produced who took Letrozole and were scanned pre ovulation to give me an idea what to expect. I’ve asked this question in a few topics and people have responded. The consensus seems to be 2. Again thanks for your response and interesting experience of people only producing 1-maybe that’ll me too but I am hoping for 2.

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CarpeDiem75 · 31/07/2023 21:08

@Arthursmom yes i will keep you updated. Related to the amount of follicles ...for my first once they have doubled the dosage of letrozole I went from none to 2 mature follicles but because we wanted to have a natural conception we didn't get the trigger medicine (ovitrel) to release both eggs so my body only released one at a time. Would you get a trigger shot? This would help your chance with the IUI maybe. That's the only time I had a successful pregnancy!
We are going for natural this time again I am really hoping this medicine will give me a baby again ... so tough when this is your last hope 😞

Original poster
Arthursmom · 31/07/2023 21:29

@CarpeDiem75 yes we will use ovidrel as well. For my DS we had no meds at all but I fear I’m that bit older now and just need to get on with it so meds it is. We tried just with ovidrel and did get pregnant but miscarried sadly. That’s for the info! I suspect it will be 2 follicles as that seems to be the consensus. good luck this cycle! Assume you’re about to start Letrozole?

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CarpeDiem75 · 31/07/2023 21:39

@Arthursmom I am hoping so I need to phone them up tomorrow so they can scan me and hopefully start treatment ... but I am worried that I will ovulate when me and my partner are not together as we have booked holidays months ago and he only joins us a bit later 🤦🏼‍♀️ seriously my luck!! Lol
I might ask ovidrel in a few months if I struggle getting pregnant! When will you start in September?

Original poster
Arthursmom · 31/07/2023 21:59

@CarpeDiem75 oh that is bad luck! Fingers crossed timings work out. Are you tracking with ovulation sticks? It looks like around the 15th I would be starting

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CarpeDiem75 · 31/07/2023 22:10

@Arthursmom yes I generally order the advance ovulation test the flashing/static smiley one so I can really pinpoint when I ovulate. I can really feel when I ovulate though. I feel a very dull and heaviness feeling on a natural cycle... so I am really expecting to feel like bursting on letrozole 🤣
I just remembered though from my first time with it try to get the tablet before going to bed as it can make you feel nauseous. I did it and didnt have symptoms at all.
That's exciting the 15 sept will arrive quickly!! What are the reasons for not starting this month?

Original poster
Arthursmom · 01/08/2023 06:39

@CarpeDiem75 our DS is starting nursery in a few weeks and I just want the focus on him. He’s almost 3 but due to lockdown etc has never had a nursery place. He pretty confident and outgoing but I expect it’ll be a big adjustment! I’ll also be able to get more rest once he’s at nursery so waiting makes sense.

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CarpeDiem75 · 04/08/2023 13:26

@Arthursmom yes definitely makes sense to wait for the right timing... unlike me lol! I have started my tablets on Wednesday and I have another scan in a week. I am on the lowest dosage to start with so not sure if this is going to make much difference. Let's see!

Original poster
Arthursmom · 04/08/2023 16:00

@CarpeDiem75 oh wow good luck! Hopefully it does something. We have actually moved ours forward as it looks like my September cycle would fall on a weekend and the clinic is closed on Sunday. Not ideal. So I should be starting in a couple of weeks!

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LavenderSweetPea · 04/08/2023 17:22

@Arthursmom when I was using letrozole I was scanned each time. I did 6 cycles, on 2 of them I produced 2 folicles. On the cycle I fell pregnant I did have 2 follicles that cycle, but the pregnancy ended as a single ectopic.

CarpeDiem75 · 04/08/2023 23:25

@Arthursmom that's exciting!! Good luck! You will have to let me know how you are getting on with it!

CarpeDiem75 · 04/08/2023 23:27

@LavenderSweetPea sorry to hear about your ectopic 😞Have you resumed the treatment or have you move onto another medication?

Original poster
Arthursmom · 04/08/2023 23:36

@LavenderSweetPea thank you for your response. I hope you have recovered. That’s such bad luck. I hope you’re ok?

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LavenderSweetPea · 05/08/2023 07:22

@Arthursmom @CarpeDiem75 I won't lie it was totally awful. You put so much effort(and money!) Into it, it finally works and then it all falls apart. I didn't ovulate at all myself (no periods for a year) so no chance of getting pregnant naturally. Fortunately they caught it quickly so I didn't lose a tube.

I decided to take a break from the treatment to recover mentally, with the thought of starting leteozole again towards the end of the summer, but miraculously I think the pregnancy kick started my system because I found out I was pregnant in June without treatment and I'm now 12 weeks :)

CarpeDiem75 · 05/08/2023 09:39

@LavenderSweetPea congratulations!! Hope it all goes well. Must be nice to have passed that 12 weeks milestone!!

NoIncomeTaxNoVAT · 05/08/2023 09:51

I did 3 rounds of letrozole for DD1 when i was 35, two rounds resulted in ovulation (5mg), each round only produced 1 follicle. As with pp, i was told by our specialist (who was a PCOS specialist at a London hospital on the NHS), that lots of clinics are moving to letrozole because there is a low likelihood of multiple follicles in comparison to clomid. But if you arent hoping for multiples, i guess it doesnt matter as long as there is one! Good luck with your IUI!

Original poster
Arthursmom · 05/08/2023 19:22

@LavenderSweetPea such a lovely ending ❤️ I’m sorry you had to go through all of that to get here xx

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Original poster
Arthursmom · 05/08/2023 19:27

@NoIncomeTaxNoVAT thanks so much for responding and congrats! So glad it worked for you! Yes, as you say it only takes 1 and not hoping for multiples just aware that chances are higher with 2/3 follicles with Letrozole

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CarpeDiem75 · 12/08/2023 06:34

@Arthursmom hey I thought I would give you an update. So I got my first scan at day 10 after being on letrozole 2.5mg and only 1 follicle was there and it was ~7mm so to me don't see much difference to a normal cycle! The clinic doesn't want to double my dosage next cycle so I am a bit upset as I feel I am wasting another cycle 😞 so frustrating!!

Original poster
Arthursmom · 12/08/2023 10:54

@CarpeDiem75 oh goodness. I’m sorry. That’s not what useful. Hopefully it has helped with egg selection. Did they say why they didn’t want to up the dosage?

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