On Clomid without monitering?

[Snow Cherries]

I'm currently 14 dpo on my first cycle of clomid (100 mg days 5-9). I usually have an 11-12 day luteal phase so the fact that I'm 14 dpo feels like the longest luteal phase there ever was. I've had all kinds of pregnancy "symptoms" and really thought this might be it, but I've had 5 BFNs in the past few days so I'm 99% sure I'm not pregnant this time. I've read that clomid can extend the luteal phase, but does anyone have any experience with clomid extending the luteal phase by several days? I just want AF to show up so I can start a new cycle.

I also keep reading about women who are taking clomid going in to have u/s to moniter lining thickness and follicle size, 7 dpo progesterone checks, etc. I'm not doing any of these things and am starting to wonder if this is abnormal? Should I request more "monitering" from my doctor? My doctor is just a regular OB/GYN who "does infertility" (according to the "infertility nurse"). He prescribed the clomid and told me to take it for three cycles and then come back and see him if I'm not pregnant by then. Do those of you who have experience with infertility think it's dangerous to be taking clomid without more monitering? I'm feeling pretty down right now and don't know what to do.

[lilgsmommy]

Ill see if i can help you out a little.....

Im not sure on the luteul phase. I have read on my clomid boards that it may extend it by a few days, and other woman have started thier next cycle a few days early, so I think it really depends on your body's reaction to the med. As for when I took it, I never really charted my LP, so I cant say whether or not it extended it or decreased it, but I got PG my first cycle.

Is there a reason they started you on 100mg and 50mg? I havent heard of very many woman starting out with a dose higher than 50mg thier first cycle unless they were doing other fertility treatments.

Also the later in your cycle you take it, the more likely your LP will be extended.

I wasnt monitored my first cycle either. I was told try it and if you dont get PG then we will monitor your next cycle. I have met alot of woman who arent monitored thier first cycle or 2. I am not sure the reason behind it. I was lucky enough to get PG my first cycle and not have to have further testing.

I did get a 7 day post ovulation progesterone check though. The number it gives can usually say whether or not you O'ed. Mine showed I had, but I know a few woman whos test showed they hadnt but in fact they had and are PG, so again it varies.

[wannabe]

Yes, it's dangerous, and also possibly pointless.

You get six tries with clomid - you're potentially wasting three of them. How does the doctor know you're ovulating, how does he know you don't have three follicles rather than one, how does he know your tubes are even open?

I would stop the clomid, go to an RE and get fully tested before you start any treatment, then proceed on treatment while being fully monitored and making the most of every chance each drug gives you.

Good luck.

[RosesToys]

I would at least do some reading on what should be happening when you are doing clomid cycles. I just completed my second Clomid cycle last week (well I guess I "completed" it, I'm pregnant! :-D Then after you are more knowledgeable on the standard protocols, I would discuss with your doctor why he isn't following them. You can always ask for more monitoring than they normally do. My OB usually only does a day 3 ultrasound, and does not do further ultrasounds to check your follicles as you approach ovulation. But he was willing to fit me in to do an ultrasound because I was concerned about whether I was really ovulating or not, even with a positive progesterone test.

I was getting only one line on the OPK tests right around the time that I was supposed to ovulate, so I asked my OB/GYN to do an ultrasound to see what my follicles looked like close to ovulation to get a bit more information on whether or not I was ovulating. When he did, he commented on how many folicular cysts (eggs) I had and the sizes of many of them. He also stated that due to this, I would not be able to take Clomid the next month, but would have to wait for a month before trying it again. I also a fair amount of pain due to the fact that my ovaries were really in overdrive.

If you have the same reaction to Clomid that I did, it could be dangerous to take Clomid for 3 cycles with no monitoring. I would at a minimum recommend a progesterone test at 7 dpo (my OB/GYN did these), and an ultrasound on day 3 of your third cycle if not on the second as well. Otherwise you are putting yourself at risk for problems, and potentially for multiples.

I'm a little concerned that I may be carrying multiples. I don't know that I am more likely to be, but it makes sense to me that if you have too many follicles developing you are more likely to ovulate more than one egg. I am seeing a RE on Monday and will be asking some questions about that as well as other things then. I also hope that they will be able to tell me at what point we will be able to tell for certain if this is a singleton pregnancy or multiples. I would be really concerned if I am pregnant with triplets or greater. I have friends with triplets and quads and the risks for both the mother and babies are so much greater.

Also, it is suggested by most doctors that you should only undergo a limited number of Clomid cycles per year or in your lifetime. So as wannabe pointed out, you are potentially "wasting" three of your tries if you don't get the proper monitoring to be sure that you are ovulating and everything is going well. Some women don't ovulate at all on 100 mg of clomid.

If you don't have any of the infertility books yet, I would be glad to give you some recommendations of several I found helpful. I checked out a rather large selection at my local library! :-)

Btw, I was also started on 100 mg of Clomid. I did not bother to ask why. I personally figured it wasn't that big of a deal. Maybe when I go back to my OB for my prenatal care I will ask about it out of curiousity. I did use the same OB/GYNs at the end of my pregnancy with my dd 4 1/2 years ago and since then though. So I feel pretty comfortable in their medical decisions in general. In fact, this particular practice is highly recommended by many people in the Los Angeles area because they do allow you to labor in a tub in the hospital. Several doulas and my Bradley teacher told us about how great these OBs are; you have the benefits of a hospital birth where if there are any problems you can deal with them immediately, but they are also very low-tech unless there is a REAL problem and they don't push interventions on their patients. :-) (Unlike the OB that I saw previously that said that I would have to be monitored continuously for most of my labor. ugh!)

[RosesToys]

Also, my luteal phase during my first Clomid cycle was 16 days. I am CERTAIN that my luteall phase was not that long before. Unfortunately I wasn't temping before or ovulating on any regular basis (my last 5-6 cycles varied from 30 days to FIFTY-SIX!!! days!) so I'm not certain fo the exact length of my cycles or my luteal phase. I was certain that I was pregnant last month because of the long luteal phase and was not amused when I learned that I wasn't.

[JBaxter]

Rosestoys -- I just started seeing a fertility doc and she wrote my clomid script for days 3-7. I asked her why ( because my regular OB did 5-9) and she said that she has had more sucess w/ earlier Ovulation. I cant tell you if it works ( Im waiting on AF ) but Ill let you know.

[alicia622]

It is potentially dangerous to take clomid without some sort of monitoring. The dr. needs to see how you respond to it. Can you find an RE to use?