Fertility Meds

My second baby was conceived on Clomid. After many months of TTC I was not getting anywhere, not ovulating (according the the charting/temping I did,) and I was oh so frustrated. I studied up on Clomid online and talked to friends who had used it successfully and then I went to my dr. and asked to be started on it. I had no side effects whatsoever and conceived on my second round. My Clomid baby is now a healthy 3 year old. I say go for it! It was so nice to get that jump-start I needed. Good luck!!!

I have low progesterone and was put on it which didn't make sense since it helps someone with ovulation issues. I didn't have ovulation issues. Anyway, I guess it helps make ovulation stronger and increases progesterone. My first month of doing the pills I conceived and lost the pregnancy at 5 weeks. The very next month I tried it again and conceived my first daughter to term and beyond. She's 4 now:) Both tries were on 50mg.

With my second daughter I had to take it for 5 months and after two months of 50mg they quickly ramped me up to the max of 250mg I think it is. The 4th month they put me on progesterone pills at 200mg but that didn't work so on the month that worked I was on the 250mg Clomid and I personally doubled the progesterone without the dr. knowing and I conceived on 400mg Progesterone pills.

I had no side effects that I could notice but it affects everyone differently. I'll take any side effect if it meant I could have a baby. They won't let you use Clomid over a year I don't think. It has cancer risks if you use it long term. I read that on-line somewhere when I was taking it. Try it out and see. Let us know what happens.

Hi J.! I started using Clomid this last October, to do IUI's in trying to get pregnant. I had some hot flashes, and grumpiness but honestly I really did just fine. I know there are a lot of websites that talk about how you can turn into a crazy person, but that really wasn't my experience. I'm not saying that doesn't happen, I just am saying Clomid worked for me. I'm someone who had PPD with my first son too, so I'm a little more prone to the crazies. :) We did the clomid/IUI routine for three months, and I got pregnant on the third one! We're now waiting for our 2nd son to come in June!

Good luck to you and your family! :)

Hi J.. I have b/g twins that are just over a year old. We used clomid to get pregnant. There are side effects, the main ones I recall was cramping right around the time I ovulated. The other side effect I dealt with was cysts. Fortunatly, these went away on their own. And of course, I ended up with twins. I started on 50 mg for the first 2 months and then 100 mg the third month. I know several people who used clomid and all have had success. I wish you luck!

J. -

My experience with clomid was great. My reproductive system had completely shut down after a ruptured cyst. I conceived the first month.

Lisa - mom of 4 boys

Congratulations J. on trying to begin your family! After trying for more than a year and finding out my body did not ovulate, my doctor put me on Chlomid as well. I took 1 pill a day for 5 days and was blessed with a beautiful baby boy. The second time around however, was much different. Not only was I on 3 pills a day for 7 days each month, but his went on for at least 6 months. My friends and family said I was a different person.

If I were to do it all over again, I would definitely try as many natural ways as possible. In fact a friend I just heard from the other day said she was struggling because she was not ovulating and began taking a nutritional supplement that allowed her to become pregnant and have a very healthy baby. If you would like to talk to her just e:mail me at ____@____.com.
Blessings, H.

I was on clomid years ago for about 6 months. The change in hormone levels it brought about made it seem like I was constantly PMSing - moody, easily annoyed, etc... No other negative side effects that I recall, just enhanced PMS.

Its use did not lead to pregnancy for me.

I also recommend the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". It was a great help to me when I was trying to get pregnant with my first child. (Sometimes it's not as easy as you would think.) It didn't take long for me to get pregnant after I read this book and followed its charting method. It might be worth a try for you.

I have two clomid babies and do not remember any side effects. With my first pregnancy, i got pregnant the first round of treatments, with the second it took a couple of months and they needed to up the dosage. It also has progesterone in it, and for me, I think this is what helped me stay pregnant. Go for it!

Hi J.,

I tried Clomid for two months. It did not work for me. I got very very depressed on them. Since I wasn't ovulating I ended up researching herbs. My husband and I tried 3 years to get pregnant. We tried clomid and an IUI. Did not work. I took an herbal regime and got pregnant in 2 months. With our second we tried for a year. I tried the herbs again and got pregnant in 1 month. Let me know if you are interested and I can tell you more about them. Don't worry they are legal and you get get them online or at GNC.

J.,
My children are 29,25,14 and 11. I have been married for 31 years. I used Clomid between the 29 and 25 year old. At the time, Clomid was not necessarily used just for infertility. Clomid also helps to "regulate" your periods and pinpoint ovulation better. I happened to miscarry twice between these 2 pregnancys, my periods were definitely not regular. I conceived my 25 year old on Clomid. I would not be afraid at all of Clomid. This is just the first positive step to becoming a mom. If you are under a qualified Doctor's care that you trust, go for it! You know in your heart if you trust your doctor,right? All women follow their heart! Good luck!
R. D

I took clomid for 4 months with out getting pregnant. I had all the side effects and hated the drug. But I know if plenty of women that had no side effects. I switched to letrozole witch gives you the same results but using different hormones. and I got pregnant the first month I tried it.
There is a great support board that it is all women. I hope the link works.

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/listsf.asp?webtag=...

They are so welcoming and have a ton of information.

Good luck this can be a long and scary road,
K.

I did 2 cycles of Clomid & 2 cycles of clomid with the inseminations. I don't recall having any side effects with it. None of it worked for me. (had to go the IVF route after trying a few other meds also)

I used clomid many years ago. I will say that the only side effect that I had was to be VERY moody. I was pregnant the second month. I think it is worth a try for you. It is a great shot at having a baby.

Good Luck!!

J.-
i know you've had lots of responses already so i'll keep this short since i find it to be really important...you really need the book "taking charge of your fertility" by toni weschler. it will be the best tool for conceiving. a common side affect of clomid is that it dries of cervical fluid...which you'll read is the 3rd ingrediant to making a baby! theres also the chance of multiples....and clomid makes you ovulate...which probably isn't even the issue! read the book! its all you need! good luck!

Hi J.,

I took clomid 3 times and never experienced any side effects. The first time I took it was just prior to undergoing artificial insemination. It did not work. The next month I took the clomid alone, minus the artificial insemination and it still did not work. This was probably about 3 years ago with our first fertility specialist. Just over a year ago we decided to go to another fertility specialist who ran all sorts of tests and determined that there was nothing wrong with either of us that we were just one of those "unexplained infertility" cases. The first doc ran a lot of the same tests, but was not as thorough on the testing as our second doc was. Again all the tests came back just fine. I decided to try clomid again by itself before undergoing any procedures. I am happy to report that this time it worked! I am now a proud parent to a happy-go- lucky 3 month old little girl. We had tried for 4 years and 3 months (not that I am counting) before our little miracle happened! I was 38 years old when she was conceived. Any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Good luck to you!!!

S.

Hi J.,
I didnt really have any side effects from the clomid, except that I had TWINS!!! We joked about it, before I went on the medication. Apparently they say it only increases your risks of having twins from 4% to 9%. I was part of the lucky 9% I guess. Anyways I wouldnt trade it (being a mom of twins) for anything. Give it a try and good luck! (PS..... I've had a lot my friends go on clomid as well, with little/no side effects and one baby each time).

B. K.

We used Clomid and were successful after the 4th month of being on it after 11 months of trying. I also had to take progesterone to get my period each month. The only side effect that I noticed from the Clomid was hot flashes. My husband did say that I was a little moody during the time I was actually taking the pills, but nothing untolerable. It was well worth it. We are actually pregnant with #2 and due in May and didn't have to use anything. The first month trying was a success. Good Luck!

Hi J.,

My husband & I tried to concieve the "old fashioned" way for 8 years with no luck. I went to a fertility specialist and was put on clomid (to regulate my cycles better- I was not having a monthly period, maybe only 5-6 times/year). We did 7 cycles with no luck. I was found to have endometriosis and continued with clomid and also in-uterin insemination for 4 more cycles-still with no luck. So, after 9 years of trying to get pregnant, we turned to IVF. Our first try did not work. Our second try we concieved a little girl, and we tried for one more when she turned one. That time we were blessed with triplets (b,b,g). Best of wishes to you as I COMPLETELY understand the situation and know what it's like to want something so badly. If you ever want to know more the farther you get into this adventure, please let me know. Having someone to talk to can help a lot with what you may be feeling.

T. -proud mother of 2 girls & 2 boys

J.,
First of all, good luck to you. I went through 7.5 years of infertility treatments; now the proud, happy mom of 3 y.o. twins! After a couple of months my doc put me on clomid. A few months later he doubled the dosage, then a few months after that, triple. I finally switched doctors and she put me on injectible meds. Anyway...one of the side effects of clomid is vision issues - never had that, but I did have to "go off" clomid about every other month due to increased cysts.
Best wishes,
J.

I'm wondering why you would want to go to medication after trying for just 10 months? You don't tell us if there are any other factors involved, but a lot of couples take longer than that to get pregnant the first time. The increased chance of multiple babies come with much higher risk to you and them.

Good luck J.! My experience was a wonderful one. I was put on Clomid (PCOS was my problem) and I got pregnant the 1st month. I was also on the lowest dose. But as others have said, I was so excited to get pregnant and try that I was ready for any side effects. Since I was on the lowest dose I don't remember it being all that bad. I also used the ovulation kit along with it and took my temps so I had a good idea of what was going on.
Keep positive!

Hello,
I was put on clomid after I had my first miscarriage and I truly believe that it further messed up my system. I ended up having another miscarriage a couple months later, not saying it was due to the clomid, but my cycle was so messed up. I quit all the meds all together, no Clomid, no Progesterone, nothing! I ended up getting pregnant a few months later with a healthy baby girl. Good luck to you and I hope it all works out.

Hi, I was on clomid for about 6 plus months and I had no side effects. I recommend trying it. I did not become pregnant with it but I know of many others who did, some with twins. Good luck!

Hey J.!
I had absolutely no side effects from Clomid! I tried 3 times with 50 mg. and 1 time with 100 mg and was very lucky to have become pregnant after about 1 year of trying. When we tried for our 2nd I got pregnant within 3 months without Clomid. Good Luck!!!

Hi.

You don't say why the doc is putting you on clomid (other than maybe you have been trying for 10 months...)?

Have you read the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility"? It is a very informative and easy read. I would give that a try BEFORE trying any drugs.....

I was looking online and it says that even if you have sex on the optimum day, you still only have a 1 in 4 or 5 chance of concieving because EVERYTHING has to work like it's suppose to- to be effective... And the most common infertility problem is that sex is not being timed directly before ovulation. (Because ovulation can occur on a different day each month.)

Anyway, try the book. And make sure to read the whole thing and not skip to the chapter you think will help. You need to understand all the concepts to put it into action.

I had tried Clomid twice. No bad side effects either time...however, we didn't get pregnant either time. I ended up on injectibles and IUI method to get pregnant. We now have a 4 yr old and will have twin girls tomorrow....

I was on the lowest dose of clomid for both of my pregnancies and for the first it took about 3 months and the second only 2 (if I remember right). I honestly don't remember having side effects with it. I just wanted to be pregnant so badly maybe I didn't notice. If you do try it I hope that it will work quickly for you as well. Good luck!

I did you use Chlomid for 4 cycles. Although it did not work for me...it did cause me to ovulate, which is what you want. I had no side effects from it at all. It does work for most, so I don't want to discourage you.

I have Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome so we went to injectables...which also didn't work and then got pregnant on our own. Sometimes you just need the medication to jump start your ovaries. We are now due with our second in April...without the use of any meds.

Good luck and don't get discouraged..it takes time.

Hi J.,
I took Clomid without luck - 5 months in a row - 3 yrs ago. My fertility Dr also wanted to put me on another new med, however I opted out. My hubby and I have been trying for baby #2 for 5 years. I have a 6 1/2 yr old who was conceived just 3 months after going off of BC - I was taking orthotricyclen then. I found this book called the INFERTILITY CURE which incorporates Acupuncture. I had 4 sessions and got pregnant - only to go to my fertility dr and found out that my progesterone level was too low to maintain the pregnancy. I lost the baby after my first dr appt. I am again going to the Acupunturist - I don't believe that the fertility drs are into your "whole health" when it comes to getting pregnant. Ask yourself these questions.....Am I stressed? (adrenals are overworked = Adrenal Fatigue - take Vit C and other suppluments). Are your hormone levels normal? Do you need to take progesterone to help your balance. Am I eating healthy - no smoking and drinking very minimally? What can YOU do to help yourself. Taking CLOMID for me is not the answer to getting pregnant. I have done a lot of research in finding out why I may not be getting pregnant - in turn I have helped myself get healthier - I exercise regularly, eat more healthy, take vitamins and minerals daily (Vit C, B complex, CoEnzyme Q10, and others). I have also read and taken lots of advice from the book, Adrenal Fatigue.
To sum it up - take the initiative to be your own dr. I feel a lot of drs try and "sell" you an easy way out. I have not been happy at all with my fert. dr. Let your body do this naturally - and if you need a little help - fine - but understand that it might not work. I have been through a lot with trying to get pregnant and I actually may be right now - I am a couple days late - and it is only thanks to my Acupuncturist and the herbs that she has prescribed me and my own research- along with the help of prayer. I wish you the best!

Hey J.,
My twins are clomid babies (multiples are a possibility!). Got pregnant the second round. I think you have a 30% success rate each round which falls after 3 rounds. I don't know how others do this but my dr had me come in after taking it when she expected me to ovulate and measured the eggs and on the day she found them to be the best size she gave me a shot to release them (so they don't release too late).
No side effects for me expect hot flashes in the middle of the night the first time around. It was freezing and I was opening the windows wide! Second time no side effects at all.
Good luck and I hope you get pregnant real soon!