How many cycles of clomid till BFP?

Hi guys,

A little about me first:
DH and I have been TTC since Mar 2007 (on and off). Got diagnosed with PCOS in Apr 2008 and have been on metformin since. Have had two regular cycles since then. Started charting 3 months ago and the current cycle shows signs of being anovulatory.
I have always wanted to be a mum and delayed TTC for financial reasons. At 33yrs old, I feel now like my time is running out. :( We are now seriously contemplating clomid as our next option.

My question(s),
-What has your experience been with clomid?
-How long did it take you to conceive?
-What dosage did you conceive with?

I am apprenhensive about the side effects(mood changes - I have suffered from depression & anxiety in the past and do not want to lapse again, multiple-birth, birth-defects, ovarian hyperstimulation and ovarian cysts forming). It is all very overwhelming for me at the moment.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is, should I consider Clomid? Are the risks worth it? What side effects did you get? feeling completely lost right now. :confused: What do you ladies think?

Thanks muchly in advance.

belle- i have first hand exp in this, i concived both times with clomid/met i have PCOS too. first miscarried, now i have a healthy and happy son.

i will PM you.

Thanks LSK! Greatly appreciate your help. :hug:

i fell pregnant on my first cycle of clomid that i was taking from day 5-9 after trying for 2 years with PCOS. HTH

ps. metformin did nothing for me, just made me sick. I love Clomid and i think its the only reason i became pregnant successfully. If i was u i would give it a try. As side affects go.. um from memory i get hot flushes a fair bit but that was really it.

i have pcos. not taking anything for it though.

i took clomid on days 5-9. only a 50mg dose.

no side effects to report ( and i suffer from depression at times but no effect in that area)

i got UTD first go!!!!!!

i was charting religiously and using opk's cos i was only going to give clomid 3 chances and then that was it! NO MORE TTC!

we only DTD once that cycle and it worked.

I love the stuff, it worked great for me.

Congrats on your pregnancy Hollye :dance: So glad to hear a success story.

I'm just a little scared I guess. Just need a little re-assurance from other gals who have braved it first.

Wow Myson! Congratulations! :clap: That's what I needed to hear girls! :D

i just realised you need 30 posts to PM- so a couple more and then i'll pm you- i concived first and second time as well,

LSK - I think this makes it 30! :p

how funny!!
i cant find you pm button - maybe a mod has to turn it on?? arghhh

I think I have to be a paid member to be able to PM :(

nah- i am not a paid member. i think our mods have to do this with thier speacial powers!!

I think I need 50 posts according to another thread? I will email the mods to find out. Thanks heaps
*mwah*

ok my first time with clomid 50mgs took 3 cycles sadly ended in missed m/c @ 7 weeks

2nd round 3 cycles again 50mgs ended in m/c @ 10 weeks

next round 2 cycles 50mg successful pg my beautiful boy

next lot 4 cycles 50mgs then 3rd cycle 100mgs sadly m/c @ 7 weeks :(

HTH!!!

At 31 I had 3 cycles of Clomid due to unexplained infertility (3 years at that stage). I had to stop taking it as it gave me HUGE mood swings so if you are prone to that I'd be very careful about going on it. I just couldn't keep taking it. I did not fall pregnant on it but did conceive 3 months after stopping it (resulted in an early miscarriage and I never conceived again in that relationship for another 5.5 years).

I sound like I'm always pushing this theory lately as I've posted about it several times of late. A diet with 2% or more of transfats in it is now thought to cause infertility in some women. It can apparently stop ovulation. I started getting pregnant easily last year (3 pregnancies in 1 year at age 41 which is unusual) after pretty much eliminating trans fats from my diet. I started falling pregnant only 2 or 3 months after changing my diet. Use a search engine with the key words infertility and trans fats & you will see what it's all about. Unless you have a very strict diet you are likely to be eating transfats regularly.

I just thought I would offer you an alternative as it seemed to work for me. I had been told twice in my life that my only option was to use IVF. They were wrong.

Hi belle,

I have PCOS, and do not ovulate without stimulation. Jazz was conceived with IUI, and the help of Clomid. It was my 4th cycle, CD5-9 75mg, and also a HCG shot (ovidrel I think?) to pop the egg out.

My first two cycles were CD2-6 25mg, and then CD2-6 50mg, late ovulation (about CD 18-20), follies that were on the small side, and kind of thin endo lining (follies and lining in the bottom range of acceptable ... if that makes sense) but no BFP. The fourth cycle was really good, ovulated CD18 but with an excellent sized follie and really thick endometrium lining.

The physical side effects were frustrating bbut not toooooo bad. The headaches and hot flashes were the worst, but not everyone gets them.I can't even remember what other physical side effects I got... it seems so long ago...

I got one cyst in the whole 4 months, and that was at the end of cycle 3, and it resolved itself in a matter of days.

I found it really tough on Clomid. I have a history of depression and anxiety. The first cycle was ok, and the second wasn't too bad, but the third and fourth were horrid. I did back to back cycles, so as soon as AF arrived I was back on Clomid, so I didn't get a break. I was also charting too which I think makes it impossible to wake up and forget that you're waiting to ovulate/in the TWW, which for me was more stress too. If cycle 4 hadn't worked we were going to have a few months break so that I could get myself together. I hadn't had a depressive episode since beginning 2006 but there were some really low days towards the end of cycle 3 and into cycle 4.

That said, its worth it in the end. I would do the same thing over again, and will to conceive more little bundles down the track. I think you just need to be aware of yourself, and make sure you have a break before you reach breaking point. If you have had depression before, then you'll probably be able to sense ifn you are slipping back in, and catch it before it gets to a extreme point. Plus Clomid was only one aspect in my depression I think, and I'm not sure if I would have had symptoms so severely had I not been dealing with some other stuff as well.

Anyway, that was my experience on Clomid. HTH :)

Hi,

Although clomid is a fantastic and effective drug it can deplete the kidney yin therefore drying the cervical fluid. I would recommend taking herbs before starting on clomid to protect the kidneys.

I concieved on cycle #2 taking 50mg from cd5-cd9, unfortunatley it ended in m/c. I concieved this baby on my 5th overall cycle of clomid 50mg but this was the first cycle i was taking it from cd2-6.

I had horrible side effects from hot flushed to mood swings and headaches, i was on my last cycle when i fell pregnant again. I didnt think i could take anymore - the mood swings were the worst, i was very unpredictable.

Best of luck to you

Hi LSK,
Ok to PM me now :) . Hope to hear from you soon.

Hi Rachel,
Sorry about your little angels :comfort: Jack is gorgeous!! :) How are you celebrating his birthday?

Hi Satya,

Thanks for you reply. I googled transfats and infertility and found that it reduces fertility by as much as 70%!! My diet is pretty ok (don't eat butter/marg, remove skin off chicken, trim fat off meat). I started eating healthy about 4 months ago and did notice an improvement in my overall health. I went on a low GI diet, walked for an hr each day and cut out takeaways, processed food. My periods were regular after 12 years! I started a new job a month ago and started eating more takeaways and have been missing out on my daily walks. My current cycle is long and there is no sign of ovulation (I am charting) .

I will definitely watch out for the transfats. Thanks heaps.

yay!! belle- will pm you tomorrow- when bubs is asleep.

xoxox
satya- wow great to know about trans fats- i love BB!! thanx for sharing

belle75 - don't be scared of the side-effects. you will probably start out on a low dose anyway.

i conceived my dd on my third cycle of clomid (25mg), but my problem was classed as 'secondary infertility' since i'd already had one child. i do know someone with PCOS who used it, though, and was successful on (i think) her 3rd or 4th cycle.

the main side effect i had was bloating, but that was minimal.

wishing you every success on your ttc journey :).

Hi Leasha,
Thank you heaps for your reply. It has helped me a lot. I think I was waiting to hear from someone with the anxiety point of view. I am so glad it worked out super for you. Gorgeous Jasmine is well worth it :) Enjoy motherhood and I hope to join you soon. :hug:

thanks mgm

FF now tells me that I have ovulated this cycle!Am going to try naturally till dec and if not successful, will consider clomid in 09. I think i will use OPK's next cycle and see what happens. My other fertility signs are really difficult to read and I think I am timing BD all wrong :(

hi Justin,
what herbs would I take? Will they interact with my metformin?
thanks

Belle OPKS are a good idea...... Jump onto Lullaby conceptions you can get some great OPK/pregnancy test packs for a great price... I start testing from day 10 of my cycle i do it at lunchtime, i usually get up at 7:30 wee, then i try to drink very little between then and lunch only having a small juice to take my tablets and milk on cereal and occasionally at 9:30 ill have a cup of tea, then as soon as i get home from lunch i test :) .. HTH!!!!!!

Also i am on my 4th cycle on clomid, 1st cycle 50gm days 2-6 i didn't ovulate this cycle, and then next 2 cycles (and this one) 100mg days 5-9, i had scan both cycles at day 14 and had 1 big follie at 16mm and then ovulated 3 days later all by myself... As for side effects i get hot flushes usually starting the 3rd day i take clomid and only at night i go from wearing flanno pjs to bed to wearing nothing, usually last up to a week really bad and then not to bad for another 3 or 4 days... I was really teary and emotional first 2 cycles crying at the drop of a hat or tearing up over nothing silly ads etc, but the last cycle saw me getting a bit grumpy and snappy my poor DH...

I wish you all the best at falling naturally and i really hope you don't have to go to clomid but know that you will be ok and that it will help :) ...

Hi Belle75,
the herbal formula would be made specifically for you based on your presentation. Typical Chinese herbal formulas contain anywhere from 6 to 15 herbs. Your formula would be made to ensure no interactions with any drugs you may be taking at the time. You mentioned other fertility signs being difficult to read, if i can help with these in any way let me know. Its great you're giving natural conception a bit more time, lets make the most of it!

Hi,
I also have POS, I fell pregnant on clomid first month with Britney, it took 22 months with Joshuah and fell pregnant and miscarried last June while on metoformin no clomid. This pregnancy was concieved 6 months after misscarriage and completely natural no drugs at all!
Hope this helps,
Snoopea