New here, anyone else on Clomid?

[ma_Donna]

Hello, I'm new to MDC but not to TTC or message boards. Just thought I'd cultivate some relationships over here since I'd very much like to be actively participating in the parenting topics here

So, my story. DH and I have been TTC since 8/01 with my cycle lengths all over the place. I saw an RE (also a CNMW) in April, all my hormone levels were just fine. We conceved the next cycle in early June with O on cd34, unfortunately with a blighted ovum.

After that my next few cycles were very regular with O at cd19/20... except this last one O at cd28.

My RE talked to me in April about Clomid since my cycles were so irregular and yesterday when AF arrived I called her and told her I was ready for Clomid. I have very mixed feelings about this, I have tried false unicorn (aka helonias) to regulate and it didn't work. The emotional toll of these long cycles and the physicall toll of every other day BD for weeks on end is just getting to be too much for me.

I don't think I can go for much more intervention than this, I'm probably not up for even IUI and definitely not IVF. We are very open to adoption, but we're just not there yet.

I haven't lurked on the TTC board very much at all so I'm not quite sure of the culture here, but I'm sure I'll pick up on it quick enough!

I look forward to getting to know you.

[AdinaL]

Welcome welcome!!
Glad to see you here!
DH and I have been ttc since March of last year. I too have completely irregular cycles, and understand how hard it is. We haven't gone for the Clomid yet....no money for the RE really.

Good luck and hopefully you will graduate from here really fast!!!

[thebabycatcher]

Ma Donna-
I did my first Clomid cycle this month. I took 50mg cd5-9 and o'd on the cd 17 or 18. I was really happy that I o'd on the lowest dose. The 50 mg made me so nausiated, dizzy and exhausted! It was terrible and lasted until right around the time I o'd. It also made my breasts sore. They are still tender and I am trying to decide if its still the Clomid or an early pg symptom.
This is definately more intervention than I ever thought I would want or need. I was really to the point where I didn't think we were going to get pregnant any other way.
Dh and I have decided not to tell my family or friends, mainly because I am afraid of their reaction. I am a homebirth midwife, working with other home birth midwives and I am friends with mostly home-birthing, home-schooling people. I don't feel they would understand the desperation to have a child that has brought me to this place, a place I never thought I would be!
Please keep us posted on whats going on with you!

[waldohood]

Hi, and welcome!

I am on Clomiphine right now-- for the first time. I have taken it for two days now. We came to this decsion after having three heart wrenching miscarriages and a surgery to remove a septum (after the second miscarriage). The doctor put mt on it, not for ovulation, but for progesterone levels, which show as borderline (although, I am learning, there is questionable accuracy to teh blood tests alone-- should be used with a temp chart, but that's another thread). I have to say, it was an easy decision for us-- I am all for combinginh eastern and western thought, and I want to do everything in my power to prevent another miscarriage. So, I wish us all luck! Keep us posted!

PS- I go to a regular OB who specializes in problem pregnancy, so if an RE s too expensive, check around for a regular OB/GYN who specializes in that.

[ma_Donna]

Oh, I'm so glad you ladies came out to greet me!

I post quite a bit on Web_MD and it's a very different group over there. Several of my friends over there that have been around as long as I have are going through much more advanced interventions such as IUI's, injectibles and even IVF. Most are also first time Moms and the vibe I'm getting here is a lot that are hoping for their first to be a big sib.

I am very fortunate to have found a RE whom is also a certified nurse midwife. She is absolutely wonderful and kept in touch with me throughout my miscarriage this summer and allowed me to start Clomid this cycle when I called her on cd1.

Today is day 2 of Clomid, both mornings I felt... not really nauseus but more like heartburn. We'll see how it goes through the weekend.

As far as the sore bbs, I did really notice it when I was pg, but I do get them before AF, too... so the only pregnancy sign for me is 2 lines on a HPT!

I'm going to be out of town most of next week for work, but I hope to keep up with you ladies!!

[waldohood]

You know-- I have had really bad heartburn tonight and I did not even connect it to the med until you mentioned that. Thanks

[thebabycatcher]

My icky Clomid side effects didn't start until about the 3rd or 4th day I took it.
I hope everyone else has better luck than me!
I SO hope that it works this cycle because I don't know if I can tolerate another month of it.
Does anyone know the success rates for the first cycle?
I am 7dpo today and had to practically sit on my hands to avoid testing! I KNOW its too early, but its like I can't help myself.
Maybe its a new syndrome "ttc pyschosis"

[lexbeach]

Hello ttc-ers!

Just wanted to drop in and share my clomid experience. I took it 50 mg days 5-9, and got pg on the first cycle. I also did IUI because I was already using donor sperm, and wanted to maximize my chances (and thus hopefully be on clomid for the shortest amount of time possible). If you don't do IUI, I would recommend taking something to help out your cervical mucus, since clomid dries it up. I had a very hard time deciding to take clomid. I had incredibly irregular cycles, and may not have been ovulating at all. I had previously felt very strongly about not using any fertility drugs, but after trying every natural fertility enhancing anything I could find, I resigned myself to clomid. I realized that I felt more strongly about getting pregnant.

When I was on clomid I had EVERY SINGLE possible side-effect that I ever read about. I was miserable, and everyone around me was miserable. A few days after the insemination, I started to feel nauseous and I *knew* that I must be having twins. A u/s a few weeks later confirmed that indeed I was. I am now a few weeks away from delivering my two precious boys. I feel so blessed to be bringing them into the world. BUT, this pregnancy has not been easy. The homebirth midwife I planned to use does not deliver twins, and I was resigned to a fairly conservative OB practice that has treated me as "high risk" all along. I was terribly sick for the first 1.5 trimesters, and have been on bedrest for all of the third. The babies are both breech, and at my hospital that means an automatic c-section. I can't help but feel like I created this situation by taking the clomid. I made the process medicalized, and it has remained that way.

It is hard to say that if I'd known how it would turn out I wouldn't have taken clomid. I wanted so much to experience pregnancy. And even though the pregnancy was nothing like what I wanted and hoped it to be, I still may have gone for it. That said, I would never take clomid again. I definitely plan to adopt future children.

To answer a couple of questions: most women who will get pregnant taking clomid get pregnanct in the first three cycles. Also, a regular OB can prescribe clomid, you don't need to see an RE or a specialist.

Good luck mamas and mamas-to-be! I hope the rest of your journey to pregnancy is short and happy!

Lex

[EnviroBecca]

I'm a Clomid baby!

My mom took Clomid to get pregnant w/me. The reason for her irregular cycles and low fertility was never diagnosed (same for me) but Clomid worked on the first try, and she later got pregnant twice more without trying at all, and when she was done nursing she had very regular cycles until perimenopause. So, it may be just the jump-start you need!

OTOH, I'm trying to avoid taking it myself. I feel it's important to make a serious, long-term effort to conceive naturally before trying medical intervention. In your case, ma_Donna (love your screen name!), you've been trying for over a year with discouraging results, so I think this is a reasonable time to choose intervention. What gets me riled is when people take Clomid or other drugs because "it's more convenient" or some such. : As if all those side effects are convenient!

[waldohood]

lexbeach-
Thank you for sharing your story.

What would you recommend for the cervical mucus?

[lexbeach]

I've heard that taking Robitussin can help increase your CM, or at least keep it from getting too dried up. I never tried it, though. Since I was doing IUI, it didn't matter, but I did notice that I had much less CM than usual when on clomid. I would think that there would be another more natural remedy, but don't know of any off-hand.

HTH!

Lex

[skinnymama]

ma-Donna, good luck to you on Chlomid. For many people it is just the jump start they need but for others, like myself it wasn't enough. After TTC for a year, my OB started looking at my hormone levels and suggested Chlomid, but warned that it usually works within 3 cycles. When I wasn't pregnant, she then had my hubby's sperm tested, which was fine, and then I had a hysterosalpingogram (sp?) which is an xray of the fallopian tubes and they were clear. At that point there was no explanation for the infertility - which is common- and she referred me to an RE. I had always had very regular cycles and have never in my life missed a period.

To make a long story short, I desperately wanted to experience pregnancy and birth and chose to use medical technology to the fullest extent. We conceived Hannah after 3 rounds of IUI (using injectable fertility drugs) two years ago and now are preparing for the birth of baby #2 in early March -- 3 failed rounds of IUI but one successful round of IVF.

Because of our conceptions being so medically managed, we planned completely natural births - in a hospital with my OB, who is completely supportive. No drugs, no monitoring, no IV etc. and it took all of 5.5 hours the first time. We are planning the same again.

I hope that Chlomid works for you but to let you know that although many of these procedures sound invasive, once you are going through them, it really isn't that bad. And it made me feel a sense of control knowing there were options available to me.

Good Luck

[ma_Donna]

Regarding cervical mucous

In addition to my prenate, I'm also going to start taking a generic brand of Robitussin (guanifesin sp? only) and I've been taking 6 Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) gelcaps a day.

My cm has never been great in quantity, but it has been there in good quality. If I don't like my cm at bd time I have no qualms about trying eggwhites! A couple friends of mine have tried it and I tried to try it once w/o telling DH and it didn't work... I need a better delivery method and no, I ain't talking about it in any more detail

It has been a difficult path to lead me here. I hope that the minor side effects I've had so far (a little heartburn and I noticed some minor hot flashes this weekend) are all I must endure. I know the statistics don't necessarily point to twins being genetic, there is a history of fraternals on my side of the family and identicals on my husband's so I am very aware of that chance. In our minds this was one of the more significant effects of clomid.

Waldohood, I want to take the opportunity to let you know how sorry I am for your losses. The impact of my loss has begun to get ever more difficult and I cannot imagine how having another would affect me. I truly hope (for both of us) that first time's the charm My RE said that since we were going for the Clomid, might as well do progesterone suppositories and baby aspirin as well. Since there aren't any apparent side effects she said we might as well be conservative. My progesterone was OK during my pregnancy, 18.5 at about 14dpo and then down to 15 a couple days later... my guess is the progesterone dropped because of the blighted ovum. Anyway, looks like we'll be going through this cycle together!

Lexbeach, I am so sorry that choices have been made for you with your breech boys. I hope that you are still able to be involved with the many other choices there are to make in the birth process.

Take care, everyone!

[Shakti]

And I just got back from my doctor (PA-C actually) and she told me that Clomid *increases* your CM!!! That has been her experience, anyway.

We also did Clomid 3 years ago and got pregnant on one round. I had no side effects and had an absolutely trouble free pregnancy (except a bleed at 13 weeks due to placenta previa) and near trouble-free birth. I had to get kick started with Pitocin (another story) but after that had absolutely no interventions including pain meds.

This month was my second month for Clomid, and my temps plummetted(sp?) this morning so I expect AF today or tomorrow. I also asked my PA-C about eggwhites, because at 45 years old, mine ain't gettin' any better, and she didn't like the idea. But I got the feeling that she was offended that I would do anything like that without her blessing, no... she called it 'recommendation.' As if I am not supposed to read and educate myself. Hmmmmm...

Best of luck to you!

Patti

[waldohood]

Ma_Donna--

Thank you for your energy and your sympathy-- it will always be tough (and that is such an understatement, but it is impossible to say how painful it was/ is), I think- so I really appreciate your kind words. Here's to all of us having a very sticky month

ps-- my DR did not put me on Progesterone cream/ suppositories, and, to ne honest, I was hoping he would just for safe measure. I am still thinking about getting it on my own, but I am scared to do that, too. I am glad you are on it-- let me know how it is.

[ma_Donna]

cm stuff - from my research, clomid can either, have a positive, negative or even no effect. I'm just getting ready to counteract a negative impact.

skinnymama,
Thanks so much for your insight on the 'intervention' issue. The biggest part of so many things is just admitting you need help and that's just such a fresh decision for us. Although I'm a bit sad, I'm very comfortable with the decision and know it was the right move for us!

waldohood,
I was on progesterone this summer with my pregnancy and I didn't notice any side effects, the only tip is to wear a panty liner You might want to have another discussion with your OB about progesterone, it does kind of feel like a fad, but if the reason you're on clomid is because of progesterone levels, why wouldn't he put you on the supplements? The other thing you can do is when you do get your second beautiful line, ask if you can have b/w for progesterone as well as hcg, then you can make the call at that point. My RE likes to see progesterone over 20, but she's still fine with anything over 15.

Anyway, there are creams and stuff out there, but they are pretty spendy. Baby aspirin is an easy one, too. Just one a day after O! I believe the reason for that is that although not really common, frequently enough there is an antibody response in some women and the aspirin helps to counteract it.

[waldohood]

OK-- here we go. I am day 11 of my cycle right now, and have noticed minimal cm (not a problem before). I ALWAYS O day 14 or day 15. I took a OPK today and the lines were equal (one is supposed to be darker for a positive). I am wondering if I may have already O'd (I had the cm on day 8- which was day 3 on the Clomiphine) or if it is still coming. I took Robitussin CF and then realized that is has a decongestant in it, which is not good- even though that is what the pharmicist told dh to get. UGH!!!!! WHY CAN'T THIS BE SIMPLE?!?!?!

[AdinaL]

I wish it was simple....boy oh boy. I want teh switch you flip when you want to be fertile and you know it is going to take. Kind of like turing on a car and having the windsheild wipers work.

ugh...well I am close to o...i hope. if i am not pg this month...i am going to an OB/gyn and trying clomid...something must be done about my irregular cycles. They are getting the best of me.

[ma_Donna]

OPK's

waldohood,
Check out this website, it has the most complete account of ovulation on the web that I've found:
http://www.woomb.org/bom/science/physiology.shtml
What happens with the LH (which is what the test is looking for) is that it surges. So what you look for in an OPK is different than what you look for in a HPT. The lighter the line, the less LH the darker the line the more LH. I've never observed the second line being darker than the first, but I take them twice a day and I can definitely see the LH level rise, then fall with the darkness of the lines. By the time you ovulate, the LH level has gone back down.

Another thing, you take a HPT in the am with FMU because the hCG concentrates through the night, for that same reason you don't want to take an OPK with FMU because the level might indicate it's higher than it really is... I hope that makes sense.

Long story short, if you have a 2nd line that is as dark as the control, you are probably just a few hours before or after the peak. Get busy, girl, you haven't missed anything!

Good luck and have FUN!

[waldohood]

Ma_Donna- You're awesome! Thanks for the energy. If we have a girl, maybe we will name her after you (Ma_Donna, Jr)