Clomid help...

[Tweetypie95]

Ergh... just when things start to look up...

Ive been TTC for 20months now. After coming off the pill I didn't ovulate or have a period. After all the tests I got clomid.

Starting with provera...on CD2 I took 50mg of clomid last month and "responded amazing" - by CD10 my follicle was 19mm and got a positive OPK on CD14 ... had a scan which confirmed O on CD18 and things looked great. Lots of BDing ... but it just didn't work out that way and AF came on CD25 with the worst cramping EVER.

I picked myself up and told myself ... we'll at least the clomid is working! Well bugger! I'm now on CD23 and have not had a positive ovulation test for this round :(

Looking for anyone who may have experienced ovulating one month then not the next.

At what point do I wait for AF before I ring the hospital and tell them it didn't work?

Awah this ttc is just shitty!

So you didn't have a scan this cycle? Have you got PCOS? Sometimes this condition (or the meds, not sure which) can affect ovulation kits. My specialist (very well
Respected, top of her game) told me not to bother with them as a scan is the only reliable method of ascertaining whether the C has done its job.

Sorry if you aren't taking it for PCOS, but just thought I'd mention. Good luck.

And not to worry you, but I've had about 11 cycles of Clomid in the past (lost track) and I only ovulated on about 3 of them.

Thanks for your reply Tips!

No I didn't have a scan this cycle. As the 1st went so well she said I was on my own.

I was just suppose to go for an appointment after 3rd month for consultation and prescription.

I do have PCOS, I think it was a nurse who told me to do the the opks actually ... my FS never mentioned them.

No it's helpful... your not worrying me... I prepared myself for the 1st not working so when it did I got my hopes up and wasn't prepared for it to stop! Haha. What a tease my overies are!

Have you found something that worked better? What was next for you?

I didn't ovulate, according to the kits, during my time on clomid - but my blood results and scans suggested otherwise. My clomid baby is due in September. Ignore the kits!

I had 7 cycles of clomid - for me it alternated between working and then not working, so only worked every other cycle which I found weird. First 2 cycles at 50mg then 100 for the others. I conceived on the 7th cycle. I never had a scan, just 21 day bloods at the clinic.

Sounds like you're being well monitored then, which is good.

Clomid was many moons ago for me and I lose track of exact number of cycles for each med' but in a nutshell:

• tried Tamoxifen and Lettozole (breast cancer drugs which can also work in the same way as Clomid)
• when the above failed (bear in mind I only ovulated once on Clomid on my 3rd cycle of 150mg) I had ovarian drilling. This regulated my periods for a while but I still didn't ovulate
• then tried a course of Gonal F on its own
• then had 2 cycles of IUI (I wouldn't have bothered with this in hindsight as both courses were almost as much as an IVF cycle and I'd have just done that if I could go back.
• then when this failed I tried IVF

It varies from trust to trust but I think that's fairly consistent (mixture of NHS and self funding). I'm only telling you as I loved to know this info when I was at the stage you're at.

Don't be discouraged though, you are so early on in the process and there are many, many treatments ahead. Clomid is only one drug after all and in most people, it works.

I wasn't going to do the kits but I did a freak one last cycle (as I found some in my draw) and it was positive! So just thought oh might as well. I haven't got the sore boobs after O like last month though.

I'll just wait till the end of the week test and the ring the clinic.

That's odd! Ovulating every other cycle! That's really helpful! Aacruallintentions - Thank you!!

Tips, I really appreciate you telling me all this, just good to know I'm not alone - and that there's other options!

Please tell me you got you BFP in the end!?

Not had BFP yet - just failed a second IVF attempt with no frozen embryo's from that cycle so will need to start from scratch when we attempt a third cycle.

We remain hopeful which is what you need to do too. I hate platitudes but what can you do? Wishing you lots of luck for the road ahead

I have to admit I don't know a lot about IVF so I'm ashamed to say I don't really know what that means!

You've helped me so much, thank you. :) best of luck on on your next round of IVF! Hopefully 3rd times the charm! I have my fingers crossed for you!

Hi

This is my clomid story so hopefully will give you some reassurance

Cycle 1 50mg clomid. Scanned. Late ovulation around cycle day 22. Did not conceive. 37 day cycle
Cycle 2 - 50mg clomid. No scanning. I tried opks but never got a positive. I had a 52 day cycle. I called the clinic and they kept saying wait another week. Take a pregnancy test. I did but there was no pregnancy. I don't think it worked or I ovulated very very very late as I had a period

Cycle 3- 50mg clomid. Taken from day 2 onwards. I didn't use ovulation kits. We DTD every other day for two weeks from the end of the period. This was because I never could tell when I was ovulating. I felt funny and took a pregnancy test. Although I was testing on all cycles too and it worked! I am now about 6 weeks pregnant.

My cycles are very irregular. I ovulate very rarely on my own. I was diagnosed pcos.
So fingers crossed the next cycle works for you!

You should ideally be scanned each cycle; them not doing this is bad practice. You now have no way of knowing whether clomid is doing its job or not (its primary function is to make the ovaries work harder).

Would also suggest you refrain from using OPK's; clomid encourages the production of LH and the kit may just read that instead therefore giving you a false result.

There are certainly other treatments that can be tried if clomid does not work out for you.

Attila I was never scanned, but if you're prescribed Clomid to make you ovulate, then they can tell that with simple blood tests.

Atilla they scan at first round to check that the medication is working and that your not maturing too many follicles and at risk of OHSS. They also do a blood test as acrullaintentions said to check that ovulation has occurred.

They also have regular review appointments. It is quite costly for the NHS to keep scanning when the first round has indicated that ovulation has occurred.

Even on private treatment the scans are very expensive.

Thanks Rkay! Very encouraging story! Congratulations on your bfp!

I've been told to wait another week, do another test and then take my 3rd round of clomid. Felt like if it didn't work this cycle then the next one would just be another wasted month... (especially as you can only have so many rounds) but it looks like from your experience it can still happen ... :)

I'm not going to do opks ... any sort of stick that requires pee is never good. Ergh. Like you said BD every other day a couple days after last clomid pill.

Will it be a problem that I'm not going to have a period... I imagine that's not good for the lining?

One of my ovaries is more PCOS-y than the other and I never ovulated on my own.
It appears that the Clomid works really well for one of the ovaries and not so well for the other, we just try and hit the vaguely working ovary on alternate cycles with a bunch of clomid and a lot of BD-ing..

Maybe one of your ovaries is more PCOS-y like mine and that's why you didn't catch the OV this time?

That makes sense Twinkle! Can't expect both ovaries to respond the same!

Any ladies which have had alternative months of it working/not working ... did you go ahead and start without a period?... Wondering If i should just go ahead and start it tonight.

Thanks!

Hi ladies, I am starting clomid on my next cycle I imagine it will be a couple of weeks from now. But I have been diagnosed with pcos so have irregular cycles. I have been advised to book follicle tracking, it costs £150 per scan. Even though we're being treated on NHS they don't cover this scan. Does anyone know if that's £150 for each scan in that cycle they say to do it every two days!

Hi hannahhannah I didn't want to read and run. £150 per scan sounds about right to me. I am also on nhs Clomid treatment and I'm unmonitored

Thank you SLady. I thought as much! I hope it works quickly.

Hi Hannahhannah, whereabouts are you? I live in Essex and found a place that offered 3 follicle tracking scans for £130. Not sure if that is something other places would offer. Would the scans you e been quoted £150 be at the NHS hospital you are at so the Consultant can review them?

Hi @Sunny1984 thank you for your reply. I live in Chiswick so Essex is probably a bit of a stretch, I think there might be somewhere in Wimbledon. I am contemplating moving to another hospital all together but that could delay further.

The scan is done at Chelsea and Westminster which is where I first saw the consultant. It's hard to really judge it as I have no idea how long the whole thing will take, if it required lots of them I would be spending thousands of pounds. It seems pretty rubbish that there's lots of other hospitals near me that offer it free, St Thomas's, UCL as far as I am aware.

For anyone who is starting early treatment for infertility at any hospital and is given an opinion of choosing the hospital I would definitely advise checking if follicle tracking is covered.

I'm in Suffolk sunny and mine was about £150 per scan. It's crazy how much places differ. Frustrates me so much!

It's just so unfair how it's not the same everywhere! I'm so annoyed I live between 2 hospitals and if I'd picked the other one I would have been monitored!! When I had my 1st round it was at a private clinic and that was £450 which was only 3 scans so that is the same as you will pay is guess!
The place I found isn't linked to the hospital so I decided against it in case the consultant wouldn't review them! It's all just so frustrating

Hi everyone,
Sorry to crash this post. I am starting gonal F injection tomorow.

Sunny1984, pls where did you find the £130 package for follicule tracking?
I live in Thurrock and can easily commutearound essex.
Baby dust to everyone.