Need some clomid advice...

[princesssparkles]

Ok I have an HSG test next month but I am very anxious to start Clomid. I have seen websites online where you can buy clomid without a prescription. I really want to buy them and just start on my own without telling my doctor but I don't know if it would be safe or not. I just wanted to know if anyone out there had any advice for me. Has anyone taken clomid without a doctor prescribing it? I will take all the advice and information anyone out there has. Thanks.

[Tear78]

I would be very very hesitant to take Clomid without a doctor's care. I took it for one cycle under a doctor's care, but she didn't monitor me with an ultrasound and I think I may have gotten a cyst because I had monster cramps after my next period. It's really best to have a doctor monitor you to see how many follicles you are producing and whether or not you developed a cyst. This can help prevent a rare but serious side effect of Clomid: OHSS (I think it's called that). Anyway, good luck with your choice!

[lotusblossom9]

I would absolutely not take Clomid without being monitored. When I am on Clomid, my RE is taking bloodwork and doing ultrasounds. I think it would be dangerous to take it on your own, without the supervision of a doctor. You could get Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome if not monitored, like Tear78 said.

[FtMPapa]

Most OBGYNs don't monitor Clomid with EVERY patient.

I just got Clomid yesterday from my GYN and he said he only monitors some patients. He's monitoring me, given my history of non-response to Clomid.


I, however, wouldn't take it without a prescription and doctor's supervision. You could talk to your doc about doing before the HSG, but if you're having the HSG next cycle, it strikes me that it's probalby too late this cycle to start it.

The conventional wisdom is you take Clomid CD 3 - 7 or 5-9. I'm a poor, slow responder, so I'm taking it 8-12 but that was just the waqy it worked out, I wouldn't have chosen that. We don['t think Clomid is going to work for me anywya, I'm not putting all my hope on it.

Finally, clinical research shows that if you ovulate on your own, Clomid will not help you get pregnant. It could well impede your chances, one of the potential side effects is a thinned endometrium which makes it impossible for the embryo to implant, and the other is that it can make your cervical mucus hostile to sperm, which interferes with conception.

In short, I understand your eagerness to DO SOMETHING but it's probably not what you want to do - no good reason, lots of bad ones.

[FtMPapa]

Oh - and you're quite unlikely to get OHSS from Clomid. Not impossible, it could happen, but unlikely.

[princesssparkles]

Hey ladies! I just really want to thank all of you for your great information and advice. I guess all I can do now is wait because I'm not even sure yet if my insurance will cover the hsg test. If it doesn't then I don't know what will happen from there but it just feels like everything is taking forever. I went and bought some multivatims and B-12 because I have heard it helps some women ovulate. It might not be true and it might sound dumb but at this point I'm desperate and will try just about anything I hear.

[Noelle C.]

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!! Every single one of the high-profile high-order multiples, excepting Octomom, were the result of MONITORED Clomid cycles (Octomom just plain had an incompetent doctor and, together, they made stupid, STUPID choices that have led to him losing his membership to the repro organization). If MONITORED cycles resulted in quints and more, imagine what could happen unmonitored. And OHSS can actually be deadly. If you take it unmonitored and it happens and you end up in the ER, good luck finding a doctor who will go near you with a 10-foot pole.

My advice is to wait. I know it's hard. Believe me, I went through it for years. But you don't want to mess your body up and have it take longer, or even become 100% impossible.

[ErikaG]

Originally Posted by Noelle C.

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!! Every single one of the high-profile high-order multiples, excepting Octomom, were the result of MONITORED Clomid cycles

While I do agree with what you said about Nadia Suleyman (Octomom) and her doctor, I'd love to know where you got the idea that high order, high profile multiples were the result of Clomid use...

Statistically Clomid increase the rate of twin births to something around 10% and higher order multiples even less. The parents of the Dilley sextuplets, for example, used Pergonal, not Clomid. The Keinast quintuplets were a result of Pergonal use by the parents. And those are only two examples of higher order multiples.

While I know a few mothers who used Clomid to conceive their children and who have ended up with twins, most of the Clomid users (including myself-I've used it to conceive both my 18 month old and the baby I'm carrying now) have singleton pregnancies.

Whether you're comfortable or not with unmonitored cycles on Clomid is a personal decision. I did feel comfortable without monitoring...not everyone does. But I wouldn't go buying Clomid and then taking it before an HSG is done-you can ovulate a thousand eggs and if your tubes are blocked (something the HSG would pick up) you may not be able to get pregnant.

I know how hard it can be to wait...but really, the wisest thing for your health and your wallet is to wait until you know what you're dealing with-clear tubes, a sufficient sperm count, all important things for ttc, especially if you're using medication to help.

[Tear78]

Originally Posted by ErikaG

wait until you know what you're dealing with-clear tubes, a sufficient sperm count, all important things for ttc, especially if you're using medication to help.

that's how I personally feel. I felt like trying Clomid because maybe it would help was like throwing darts at a dartboard with my eyes closed. I'd like to know what the problem is before putting drugs in my body to try to fix it. It sounds like you've decided to wait, at least for now. Waiting is so hard. Good luck to you!!!

[Noelle C.]

Originally Posted by ErikaG

While I do agree with what you said about Nadia Suleyman (Octomom) and her doctor, I'd love to know where you got the idea that high order, high profile multiples were the result of Clomid use...

The Gosselins, the McCaunegheys, and other parents of HOMs on "reality" shows, have all admitted their HOMs were due to Clomid. That's where I got the idea. None of these families have pretended that their HOMs were the result of natural conception.

The chance of having NATURAL quads is 1 in 730,000, and the chance of natural quints is so much smaller. I've spent a bit too much time studying this.

[FtMPapa]

Originally Posted by Noelle C.

The Gosselins, the McCaunegheys, and other parents of HOMs on "reality" shows, have all admitted their HOMs were due to Clomid. That's where I got the idea. None of these families have pretended that their HOMs were the result of natural conception.

The chance of having NATURAL quads is 1 in 730,000, and the chance of natural quints is so much smaller. I've spent a bit too much time studying this.

First, the term "natural" is better avoided. Some folks prefer "spontaneous."

Second, Clomid carries a less than 10% chance of multiples, and even lower rates of HOMs. I'm not sure why you're saying "admitted" like it's a dirty secret to have taken medication to treat a medical problem.

I'm not saying they didn't use Clomid, but there are a whole lot of other fertility drugs that are much more powerful and more likely to produce a multiple pregnancy than Clomid.

[caro113]

Originally Posted by ErikaG

While I do agree with what you said about Nadia Suleyman (Octomom) and her doctor, I'd love to know where you got the idea that high order, high profile multiples were the result of Clomid use...

Weren't the first set of sextuplets also conceived on Clomid? The Dilleys right? And there was just another couple in the news last week who have 8yo twins and just had quintuplets thanks to clomid. And then there was this couple who ended up getting an extreme home make over after they used clomid and had sextuplets.

I have to agree with Noelle here. I'm pretty certain most of these high ordered multiples were a result of clomid.

Originally Posted by FtMPapa

Second, Clomid carries a less than 10% chance of multiples, and even lower rates of HOMs. I'm not sure why you're saying "admitted" like it's a dirty secret to have taken medication to treat a medical problem.

I think what she's getting at is that they could have chosen IVF and just implanted one or two embryos instead of taking the risk of conceiving too many babies for one uterus at a time.

[thefreckledmama]

Don't waste your time trying to buy it online w/o a prescription-it's usually fake or expired.

I've never been monitored using Clomid, and I used it the last 3 times I've been pregnant.

[FtMPapa]

Originally Posted by caro113

I think what she's getting at is that they could have chosen IVF and just implanted one or two embryos instead of taking the risk of conceiving too many babies for one uterus at a time.

Yes and no - if you've ever been treated by a fertility clinic, you know that a lot of what you might think about "patient choice" and "informed consent" is bogus.

I'm just sayin'.

[kt~mommy]

to the OP: soy isoflavones are supposedly a natural alternative to clomid, and the risk of OHSS is very small, or non-existannt from what i've read. i myself have never used it, but you could look into it as an alternative to taking clomid unmonitored

[princesssparkles]

Thanks ladies! You have all been very helpful to me and I'm glad I have all of you here to talk to. No one knows about my infertility except you, me, and my boyfriend which can suck because its such a hard thing to go through alone. My best friend just found out she was pregnant after trying for a year. I am happy for her but it hurts so much and I can't help but feel jealous and angry because I have been trying for almost 6 years now. Anyways, thanks again and please keep the info and advice coming because I will gladly take it.

[AmyKT]

I just wanted to echo what one poster said and encourage you NEVER to take prescription meds that you order online without a prescription. They are very unlikely to be the real thing and could be something very harmful.

[ErikaG]

Originally Posted by caro113

Weren't the first set of sextuplets also conceived on Clomid? The Dilleys right? And there was just another couple in the news last week who have 8yo twins and just had quintuplets thanks to clomid. And then there was this couple who ended up getting an extreme home make over after they used clomid and had sextuplets.


I think what she's getting at is that they could have chosen IVF and just implanted one or two embryos instead of taking the risk of conceiving too many babies for one uterus at a time.

No. The Dilley kids were concieved with the use of Pergonal. Becky Dilley has spoken about that before. The Mccaughy kids...also Pergonal. The Keinasts, a set of quintuplets-also Pergonal. The Suleyman octuplets were conceived through IVF-the ethics of the doctor who did that are certainly questionable...but you could also question the ethics of the doctor who did IUI with people like Kate Gosselin-if the doctor knew she had a high number of viable follicles (the Gosselin six were originally seven, but one didn't survive pregnancy) should he or she have proceeded with IUI? One can't stop the couple from going home and having intercourse, but it's not necessary to proceed with IUI if there's a high number of follicles.

The difference between Clomid and other drugs is tremendous-Clomid isn't an hMG-a human menopausal gonadotrophin and has a different biological mechanism for how it works than hMGs. hMGs have a much, much higher rate of multiple births than Clomid-10% for Clomid vs. 20-25% for hMGs.

Do I recommend black market or off label Clomid? Not at all. Unmonitored Clomid cycles is a decision really best between a woman and her doctor-there are risks with Clomid, but as compared to hMGs like Pergonal, Follistim, Menopur, Bravelle, Gonal-F, they're significantly smaller. The big concern comes when a woman is both under 35 and produces 6 or more follicles that are above 12mm-a situation that occurs in something like 5% of users. When hMGs are used with Clomid, or hMGs are used alone, there's a very different outcome. The fear mongering over high order multiples from Clomid is hugely misplaced here.