1st time around with Clomid and a few questions

Hey All - Totally delurking for the time because I just started/finished my first round of clomid and I am trying to figure out if it is some magic silver bullet that is going to make this whole process easier.

My dr prescribed metformin for my pcos which seemed great until a few weeks in where I was nauseous all the time, so we moved onto Clomid. I have it in my head now "Drugs? Great, this will make everything like super easy and full of rainbows and unicrons!" but is that really true? Does anyone have feedback on how many cycles it can take with clomid, or if clomid didn't work for you at all?

Kinda confused about all of this, and not sure who to ask except for you ladies!

Thanks!

Re: 1st time around with Clomid and a few questions

It's completely different for every person. There are people who respond immediately to the lowest dose of clomid and conceive on their first cycle... there are people who need to experiment on go on higher doses.... people who don't respond to it AT ALL .. those who need injections, etc. You really need to see how it works for YOU!

Fertility drugs in general ARE wonder drugs in the way that they make it possible for people to get pregnant who could not get pregnant without them. However, it's all about finding the right dosage/combination that works for you! Even with a perfect cycle where you develop one (or a few) follies, have a perfect lining, no sperm issues... there is STILL an element of luck involved. No cycle is guaranteed, drugs or not.

It's important to go into it with an optimistic mind, but also a realistic one. If the drugs don't work for you one cycle, you will experiment to find what will work. It's a mix of being optimistic, realistic, and patient.

Good luck!

Oh and to add- I from my personal experience- I have PCOS and use femara (similar to clomid) plus injections, plus random pills including metformin. I did 3 medicated IUI cycles and got pregnant- but had a loss at 4 1/2 months unrelated to the drugs- and now trying again with the same protocol.

It WILL happen for you- but I personally don't think it's realistic to expect it to happen right away!

Re: 1st time around with Clomid and a few questions

i have PCOS and clomid did absolutely nothing for me. i moved right on from clomid after one cycle because my response was so poor. i was a much better responder to injectables (both combo with femara and without).

PCOS is a lot of different symptoms clumped into one "syndrome." It manifests differently for each person and the protocol used to control ovulation may be different for each person.

I will tell you that I am 6w pregnant and it took 18 months, IVF, and two chemical pregnancies to get here. and although im hopeful, obviously its so early that theres no guarantee that this sticks. So to say the least there were no unicorns or rainbows involved. I wouldnt go into this expecting the worst, but don't expect it will be a quick and easy ride either. your doctor (i hope you are seeing an RE and not an ob/gyn so that you are properly monitored), may need to see how you react to certain meds before the protocol is ideal. this may take a few cycles. it may not. just be prepared. i wasnt and i was devastated when clomid didnt work. in the end they will find a combo that works for you, you just have to see a great doctor (RE recommended), and give it time. hey you never know, clomid may work and you'll get a BFP in the first shot; jsut dont go in expecting that to be the norm!!

good luck!

Re: 1st time around with Clomid and a few questions

Thank you both for sharing your experiences, it sounds like it has been pretty tough but you guys have a great outlook.

I've been kinda been thinking that this won't work for me (though i do HOPE it does) so it is good to hear feedback from people who tried it and what they moved on to afterwards. Thank you again, it makes me feel like I'm not totally in the dark going through this!

Re: 1st time around with Clomid and a few questions

It's different for everybody. When I conceived my DD I was only on Metformin. I had NO side effects and within 3 months I ovulated on my own, had an IUI, and got pregnant with my DD. It couldn't have been any easier. Then we started TTC #2 last September (2009). We tried with just the Metformin for 3 months and we didn't get pregnant. The RE started me on Clomid in January, I started at 50mg/cycle and by the time I stopped with the RE I was at 200mg/cycle. So this year while being on both Metformin AND Clomid together I had 5-6 (I've lost count) failed IUI's and then I got pregnant THREE times and they all ended in miscarriage. So needless to say things have not been as easy this year and clearly, what worked before for me isn't working now for whatever reason. Anyway, you never know how everything is going to work out because everyone responds differently to treatment. Good luck with everything!

Re: 1st time around with Clomid and a few questions

i am not understanding: you switched from metformin to clomid? or are you still taking both? I do not see how one substitutes the other.

I have PCOS, on metformin and clomid. Metformin has to be started slowly, i took one pill a day for 2 weeks, then bumped up to 2 pills a day. These pills are not fun, but what can you do?

Message edited 11/5/2010 12:47:31 PM.

Re: 1st time around with Clomid and a few questions

I don't know anything about Clomid, but just wanted to wish you lots and lots of

Re: 1st time around with Clomid and a few questions

I'm in the same boad, I have so many questions about clomid... I was a bit confused at first but after talking to my doctor he explained it to me "Clomid for dummies style" , I am just hopeful it works.
to the both of us.

Re: 1st time around with Clomid and a few questions

Posted by curiousO

i am not understanding: you switched from metformin to clomid? or are you still taking both? I do not see how one substitutes the other.

I have PCOS, on metformin and clomid. Metformin has to be started slowly, i took one pill a day for 2 weeks, then bumped up to 2 pills a day. These pills are not fun, but what can you do?

Re: 1st time around with Clomid and a few questions

metformin generally helps most PCOSers since it regulates insulin resistance so you might want to try staying on it. it takes 3 months to really make a change and be effective so if you only were on it for 4 weeks you wouldnt necessarily have seen results yet. im surprised your doctor didnt keep you on it with a lower dose. its better to be on it AND clomid than to just do clomid alone. most fertilty meds for PCOS go hand in hand with met.

i was lucky enough to not have any of the negative side effects associated with met. but most people who do have them eventually get over them after theyve been on met for awhile.

but as curiousO said, one absolutely does not substitute the other, they are for two completely different purposes.

Message edited 11/5/2010 4:02:55 PM.

Re: 1st time around with Clomid and a few questions

Re: 1st time around with Clomid and a few questions