TTC with Letrozole/Clomid

[acaciabluebell]

Anyone else here on Letrozole or Clomid for ovulation induction?

I'm on my 2nd cycle of Letrozole and looking for others in a similar situation.

Info about me:
26 y.o
Been TTC for just over 2 years.
Dosage: 5mg of Letrozole on days 3-7.
Diagnoses: Male factor (0% morphology), low AMH, low progesterone

I'm currently on CD10 and using OPKs to track for ovulation. I'll be taking a blood test on 7dpo to check if I ovulated.

@WaitingForEgg sorry you already wrote that it is on Monday ☺️ Good luck 🍀

@xoJellyBean Do you know if you already ovulated or not. It is ideal to have very low progesterone pre-ovulation. It should be 10-20 post ovulation. Do you use any progesteron pessaries to support your lutheal phase?

@Hopefull1981 I haven't heard of ovreena. I used Gonal-F this FET and had no side affects.

@WaitingForEgg don’t be silly, I think hearing positive stories is great encouragement. Definitely keep us updated on your journey 😁

@xoJellyBean my consultant never did any progesterone testing once she could confirm ovulation occurred. Are you being scanned also? I am on cyclogest twice a day from 2days DPO so I suppose a blood test would be misleading.

Update from me, I'm CD6 and have recently started Letrozole cycle #4. I'm on 7.5mg this time. Hope this will finally be the one but I have very low expectations.

@WaitingForEgg Congratulations!! Wonderful news which brings hope to all of us on this thread 😊🥰

@xoJellyBean It sounds like you haven't ovulated yet. Have you been tracking ovulation with OPKs or BBT or scans? Progesterone should be over 30nmol to confirm ovulation on Day 21 / 7days past ovulation. It could be that you have not ovulated yet, or you are having an anovulatory cycle.

I’m so so paranoid about MC. I’ve not had a MC before fortunately, so im not sure why im such a constant bag of nerves. I guess it’s the long journey to get to this point putting so much more pressure on things. Top was yesterday, bottom today. Worried about the bean sticking. How frequently do people usually test?

@WaitingForEgg I think it is getting darker and darker day by day. Definitely in the right direction 👍 If I were you, I would only test with the first morning urine, as during the day urine gets diluted when you drink more water. It might cause a lighter line which in return would freak you out. Otherwise line is really good for such an early pregnancy 🙌

How are you doing today@WaitingForEgg? Are you testing tomorrow @Cayandsimit? Fingers crossed for you.

I went to a wedding at the weekend and I am only starting to feel normal now 😂😂😂

@cayandsimit Hi! Thanks for asking. I am really anxious. No AF so far. I don't wanna do a home test today. I will go there really early in the morning and wait until they call me for the results tomorrow. They usually call in the afternoon...
That is great that you attended a wedding at the weekend! Seeing friends or family must feel nice. I hope nobody bothered you with "When are you going to have a child?" question 😅
How are you feeling other than that? I assume no AF so far. Do you have any symptoms?

Hahahha God! I tagged myself above instead of you 🤣🤣🤣 That is my anxiety level right now. Having a much necessary monologue 🤣 @Hopefull1981

@Hopefull1981 thanks for asking im doing ok! I’m feeling really tired. Lots of tugging and pulling in my tum. Still obsessively testing, line getting gradually darker. I have a 7 week scan booked for 2 weeks Friday which seems mad. I had work today and was so so exhausted

Good luck today @ @Cayandsimit I’ll be keeping everything crossed for you. No symptoms here day 28 but 9 days DPO (if it happened). @WaitingForEgg those look like great lines. It must suck a relief to see them getting darker.

@Hopefull1981 no AF so far is also a good sign. When do you need to test?

@WaitingForEgg lines are looking really good. I would have been also very anxious about the first scan. I hope you can take it easy at work and rest well at home later.

I gave blood this morning. Normally they call in the afternoon but of course the clinic was getting a new test machine today so the results will be in either really late this evening or tomorrow morning. So, extra torture for me 🙄

@Cayandsimit I think I will start testing tomorrow (even if just to satisfy my need to POAS). I am not confident at all given they can't confirm ovulation. My cycle is normally 29 days but given the chemical pregnancy last month the apps are telling me AF isn't due until Saturday.

I was a close contact of a Covid case yesterday in work, so I have to work from home for days. Really hopeing I didn'tty catch it, would be just my luck.

Oh you poor thing, fair play to you for not doing any home tests. Do you have any symptoms?

Clinic called. Beta is 8, so 99.9% I am not pregnant. They want me to give blood on Thursday again just to make sure. If it doesn't double up then there is no chance for me to be pregnant. I am so devastated. I did everything right, bought the best medicine and it was good quality expanded blastocyst. I really don't know what else I can do... I have zero enthusiasm and hope for the next FET. I think I just have to learn to be happy with our childless life because it is never gonna happen for us...

@Cayandsimit I am so so sorry to hear this. I truly thought it would happen for you. Be kind to yourself xxx

@Hopefull1981 yeah, I thought this would be the one for us. I really hope you get pregnant this time so you don't have to go through IVF or ICSI. I wish you all the best in TWW. I might not be as active as before in the forum but really looking forward to hear your good news 🤞

Hi all, i hope you dont mind me joining this thread. Last night i found myself reading from the start right through to the end. @WaitingForEgg your journey has filled me with hope. (Despite af arriving today)
I'm 35 ive been trying to conceive 2 years. At the start of last year i went to my GP who undertook all of the standard tests and arranged for a semen alaysis. My scans indicated i could have PCOS and i was then put on the nhs wait list. I waited until October last year but due to my age i decided i needed to try a different route and so i went privately. I arranged to have a tube test to make sure there were no blockages- there werent. My consultant said all my tests suggested i wasnt ovulating and that my progesterone levels were on the low side. So my consultant started me on clomid, despite also giving me the gonasi trigger i still didnt ovulate so a few months on iv now moved on to letrozole. I tried 2.5mg last month and i thought i had ovulated ( so even though im told im.not ovulating i get a strong cramp either on my left side or right side each cycle and once this happens i tend to start my period 12 to 13 days later. However my suspected ovulation has always been around cycle day 24ish. So last month on letrozole i thought i ovulated on day 15 i was shocked, but still my progesterone tests have indicated i haven't ovulated as it was inky at 22 :(. Im starting my new cycle today and will be on 5mg. I also just had my nhs appointment come through i was told that on my bmi i wouldn't be eligible for help. I mentioned i dont have a bad diet i just struggle to lose weight. The nhs consultant suggested i have metformin too. So i will start this.

I know this is a lot of information, im just hoping that someone will be able to offer some advice. Ive asked if i can do anything about my progesterone but the consultant said no.

Like many of you have mentioned this journey is exhausting, the emotional rollercoaster is just heartbreaking. Its difficult for people around me to understand me. I feel like people dont understand unless they have experienced it. The line of stay positive is driving me insane.

@Amz34

You are on letrozole, are you having monitoring scans? I think this made a huge difference for me as my consultant literally watched the follicle grow, she changed medication when it wasn’t fast enough and then triggered me. I think lots of clinics and doctors do slightly different things, so it can be tricky to compare. But I liked monitoring scanning as I could see how this tracked things. My bmi is also on the higher side, I eat well and have always really struggled to lose weight, having pcos won’t help! I take 1500mg of metformin. This was started immediately at the start of my journey.

@Cayandsimit and @Hopefull1981 how are you getting on? I think of you often

I’m just counting down the days until my early scan. I’m 6 weeks on Friday and have my scan on the 16th. I’m so so nervous for it but symptoms are ramping up. So nauseous and agonising boobs

@WaitingForEgg 6 weeks on friday. So happy for you :-). I was with my consultant yesterday for viral bloods and got the plan and prescriptions to start the IVF cycle next week. It's all a bit mad and a little overwhelming, seeing everything written down. I have the fear I will mess up the meds.
@Amz34 - I do think you need to have follicle tracking scans while taking the meds. The first month I was on Letrozole it was definitely evident I ovulated, had a nice big follicle and my lining was perfect. The second month there was no evidence of mature follicles and I don't believe I ovulated. However, I was getting strong positives on the OPK's.
@Cayandsimit - Thinking of you. Hope you are ok.

I dont think my previous response came through. Luckily i am being monitored regularly. On chlomid my follicles were not growing as quickly as we would have liked instead it was taking to around day 23ish. I also had a trigger but no ovulation. My chlomid was upped but still nothing hence moving to letrozole. Im not sure why metformin was never suggested but im glad it was byt the nhs consultant so fingers crossed i atleast ovulate this cycle

I asked my consultant if there is anything i can do about low progesterone but he said no. I dont understand if prigesterone is simply linked to then having ovulated or if it needs ro be higher to ovulate on the first place.

@hopefull1981 it myst be incredibly daunting. Try to take it a day at a time xx

Hi girls, I hope you all are doing well? This thread's been quiet recently.

My 4th cycle of Letrozole failed unfortunately. I'm not sure if I want to do another cycle in all honesty. It just seems like a waste of time, but I'm not sure so I might just decide to take it to use up the medication lol.

@Amz34 My progesterone had never gone above 29 even on Letrozole so I feel your pain. My Drs told me I probably am ovulating but the levels just seem to be on the lower end. Under 15 is non-ovulatory, 16-30 is more inconclusive than anything.

@WaitingForEgg good luck for your scan tomorrow, I hope things are going well for you xx

@acaciabluebell has your letrozole been the same dose each time? Have you been monitored throughout your cycle. I know that feeling we keep tsking these tablets and absolutely wiping ourselves out to then not even know if we are actually ovulating. Its beyond frustrating. I had a scan on day 8 and both ovaries looked had a follocle of 11mm on each side. Had another scan day 12 one os now 13mm and one os 10(not sure what happened there) I'll be going again tomorrow day 15. I should be positive and think it will have grown some more but i just wont let myself fall down that rabbit hole again!.

If you stop letrozole what is your next option?

Hello, could I join you all @acaciabluebell?

My history:
32yrs old.
TTC for over 2 years.
Dosage: 2.5mg of Letrozole on days 2-6; first cycle attempting Letrozole.
Current NHS support: bloods on CD21, no other input.
Prev Investigations: bloods showing no ovulation, scan showing some cysts but not enough to meet PCOS criteria, hycosy showing no issues, semen analysis no issues.
Known issues - annovulation, cycle length 30-141 days; do not meet PCOS criteria so cause is unknown. No issues on husband's side.