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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

On the road to baby H, last day of clomid

I started Clomid last week. 5 days of 50 mg on days 3-7 of my cycle. Today is the last day. In 2 weeks, I'm to go into see Dr. M for an ultrasound. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to start taking these hormone drugs, but it's worth a shot to see if it can give us the boost we need, before we determine if we are ready for the next giant step.

 
What Clomid does is tell your body that it doesn't have enough estrogen. This prompts the thyroid to increase production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which in turn stimulates the release of LH & FSH which triggers the ovaries to form and mature follicles and eventually release eggs. Typically, Clomid is used for women who have a hard time ovulating. This doesn't seem to be the problem in my case, however since Dr. M is an ob/gyn and NOT a specialist in infertility, we haven't done the invasive and vigorous testing to determine if I am in fact ovulating or not ovulating. Based on my charts and my previous cycles, which are completely regular and normal, it is assumed that I do ovulate and that my body is producing adequate hormones. I am not one for meaningless medication but if I can give this a try (for $9 per Rx, generic) before I feel compelled to start in with mucho more expensive testing/specialists then I feel it's worth a shot. I guess for me the hope is that this may help stimulate my ovaries to produce more than one egg, thereby increasing my chance of conception. It does increase the risk of multiple fertilization, but I'm thinking I haven't had luck even conceiving ONE baby let alone TWO babies so that risk is something I have to take.

 
From what I read online and in Making Babies by Sami S. David, MD & Jill Blakeway, LAc is typically well tolerated and I experienced none of the following symptoms. But here is a list of the possible side effects just for my reference and in case you were curious. Of course, speak with your physician about your individual situation and possibility of side effects.

 
Side effects of Clomid:

  • blurred vision
  • breast tenderness
  • dizziness
  • enlargement of the ovaries
  • flushing
  • hot flashes
  • headaches
  • lightheadedness
  • mood change
  • nausea
  • pelvic pain or bloating
  • vomiting
  • stomach pain
  • increased chance of multiple conceptions (5-8% vs. 2% in normal population, based on Making Babies)
  • reduction of fertile cervical mucus, essentially drying up the mucus making it harder for the spermies to get through, thereby reducing the likelihood of fertilization
  • thinning of the endometrium, sometimes to the point of inhibiting implantation

 Also sometimes severe reactions are said to occur:

  • severe allergic reactions (including breathing problems and swelling of the mouth, face, etc)
  • overstimulation of the ovaries
  • increased risk of ovarian cancer
  • spontaneous abortion

One weird note for me, and I don't know if this is due to the medication or not, but my cycle was days shorter this time. Normal up until day 1, but by day 5 I was completely done, which is unlike my normal cycles. Usually it's exactly 7 days, sometimes more, I don't recall a time when it was shorter. Anyway, perhaps that is due to the increased production of hormones?

 
On another note, I have a consultation this afternoon with a dental surgeon to discuss removing my wisdom teeth. Yep, almost 30 years old and still have my wisdom teeth. Anyway, I'm kind of stressed about that. Anyway, I best call my dr to schedule that appointment for 2 weeks

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