Is Clomid a waste of time?

foxtrot · 03-03-2009, 03:36 AM

Hello,
This is my very first post and I am very new to this BB so forgive me if I repeat questions already asked.
I am a 31 year old who is TTC. I am 5'9'' 120 pounds and have been assumed to have PCOS for a while. I don't have any of the symptoms except for the fact that I haven't had a normal period ever. I have been on BCP's since i was 14 and finally went off of them last June. My gyn put me on Clomid a couple months ago and nothing happened from the first round at 50mgs. After reading some posts, I wonder, should I be taking Clomid? It seems not to be as effective for thin cysters. My gyn doesn't seem that knowledgeable about Clomid and PCOS so I am not too confident in her ability to relay all my options. I am not too hot on taking a lot of drugs and am thinking about acupuncture combined with a higher dose of Clomid the next round.
I guess I would like to know how many thin cysters out there have had success getting pregnant on Clomid alone. and if it wasn't on Clomid, what was it that worked for you?

Thank you!
FT

Vestas · 03-03-2009, 06:37 AM

From my personal experience, Clomid can be useful.

I am 5'2 and about 123lbs (56kg, I think translates into this...), so while quite a bit heavier than you, cannot be considered overweight. And I do have diagnosed PCOS - irregular periods or none at all, depending on when you ask.

Last year I had 1 rounds of 50mg Clomid to no avail. However, the following cycle I took 100mg and ovulated. Third cycle I took 100mg again and supplemented with acupuncture. This one was a success with a pregnancy!

I have since miscarried and am now again on my 2nd cycle with 100mg. In 2ww...

Hope this helps.

I think everyone's experience is individual though...

jentn · 03-03-2009, 01:02 PM

First, I too was on bcp for like 14 years straight. I didn't have regular periods prior to beginning the pill but since I've now been off for @ 1.5 years I've only had one period that was not induced by a medication. I tried 3 rounds of Clomid. The first at 50 no "o." The second at 100 "o'd" according to my bloodwork, the third at 100 no "o." I got very frustrated after this and was very stressed. I have since decided to take a break from the meds and try traditional chinese herbs and some acupuncture. I haven't had AF, though, since completing the 2nd round on the Clomid but I've only been doing the herbs a little over a month. Even though I haven't ever read anything specifically talking about bcps causing pcos (& I know Drs. prescribe bcps for women w/ pcos to treat symptoms) I can't help wondering if all those years on bcps messed my system up.

DD56 · 03-05-2009, 12:18 AM

I got pregnant with my son after 2 rounds of clomid in 2006 at 50 mg dose. It worked great for me then as I tracked my cycles for a year prior to taking it and had no ovulations at all. Now the clomid isn't working as well for me ttc#2, but I still think it is a good first choice. It has been used for many years (my mom took it to get pregnant with me, and I'm 31) and has a good record for safety, and isn't all that expensive compared with the other options. Also, clomid alone was shown in studies to be equal to clomid + metformin in pregnancy rates of pcos women.
I went to see a RE after trying clomid 3 cycles at 50, then 100mg, 2 with no O. The RE just recommended upping the dose to 150mg, so that's where we are now. It sounds like your OB just doing what's standard.

foxtrot · 03-05-2009, 03:46 AM

Thanks for the responses. After reading these threads, I see that most women seem to be monitored while on Clomid. My gyn has not done any monitoring with me. She just told me which days I should be ovulating and to have sex every other day within that time frame. Should I be getting ultrasounds or my progesterone tested? Should I be tracking my ovulation? I feel as if my gyn is not too knowledgeable on dealing with someone like me.

sheepiegirl · 03-05-2009, 12:04 PM

My dr didn't monitor me while I was on clomid. It seems like some doctors do and some don't. If you feel like you should (or want) to be monitored more, try asking your doctor and see what they have to say. I fee like so many people read that other people's doctors are doing something and theirs isn't so that means they're doing something wrong. I think some doctors just have different ways of doing things.

I got pg from clomid. I was also taking metformin, but I don't think that's what did it for me. All my #s are in my signature. But it was frustrating, especially since it didn't happen on the first (or 2nd or 3rd!) clomid cycle.

And I think you should be tracking your cycle as best you can, since especially with PCOSers we don't always ovulate 'on time'...I actually ovulated on cd 37 I think when I got pg...

good luck!

tys0803 · 03-05-2009, 03:09 PM

I would ask your doctor to do an ultrasound before ovulation to check the size of your follicles....I am also a thin cyster and I was on 50mg of Clomid for about 3 months with no success until my doctor checked my follicles....here's why...

My PCOS causing me to have small follicles mostly un-viable.....they upped my dosage of Clomid when they found this out and steadily increased my dosage and then my follicles began to improve...When I was on 150mg, my follicles were around 20.8 - 22.6, so we went on with the IUI and IT WORKED!!! I lost the baby however @ 6 weeks, but it did work and that is what gives me hope....I would also recommend a HSG scan to make sure tubes are clear, the doctor said sometimes just pushing the dye through your tubes makes all the difference.

Good Luck

sheepiegirl · 03-05-2009, 03:24 PM

Oh yeah--I DID have an HSG the same cycle I got pg...maybe coincidence, maybe not!

anselmi · 03-05-2009, 04:47 PM

I read somewhere that clomid makes 80% of women ovulate and then 40-50% of women conceive...that is huge numbers.

anselmi · 03-05-2009, 05:04 PM

Oh also, HSG is to clear your tubes, you should try with clomid before trying that. Good luck!

DD56 · 03-06-2009, 12:51 PM

seems like some docs monitor more than others. I've seen 3 different docs while on clomid, and they all did the same thing--ultrasound after each cycle to make sure there isn't any hyperstim or major cysts that would prevent being able to try the next cycle. I was recommended to do bbt's, and I also do the OPK's just so I can make sure when the ovulation is occuring. The progesterone helps tell the doc if ovulation occured, but not all of the doctors do that each cycle.

I'm happy to see the posts that some of you have gotten pregnant on higher doses of clomid. I'm not responding to the 50 or 100 mg doses well, and don't know if the 150 Im taking now will help any. This gives me some hope. Thanks!

Ak3664 · 04-06-2009, 05:17 PM

I never responded to clomid at all. I had a much better response to Femara.

charlocka · 04-11-2009, 06:17 PM

I know that both Clomid and Femara work by inhibiting estrogen, and i have read that many lean women with PCOS have low estrogen already while overweight women can often suffer from estrogen dominance and that's why those drugs work for them much better than for skinny pcosers. I don't know if i would even ever try either of those...

hopefulstill · 04-16-2009, 01:09 AM

I did numerous cycles with clomid, and did not conceive. I recently learned from reading an article (I need to find that link), that clomid success in PCOS women is somewhere in the range of less than 3% ... I might be off on that %, but I know I was shocked to learn it was so low. My OB even referenced a document to me that indicated Metformin was more successful.

anselmi · 04-16-2009, 11:42 AM

Metaformin is for the insulin resistance part of pcos. I had read somewhere that it only works with a pill that helps you ovulate (like clomid). But honestly, the doctors don't even know what comes first, insulin resistance or pcos. I think it all comes down to trial and error with each individual. We all have so many different symptoms...Good luck to all you ladies, I know some of the medicines are uncomfortable, but we shouldn't dismiss any of them because it didn't work for someone else. It really just depends on how our body reacts to it...AHHHH so annoying!