Some Clomid questions

clarabell55 · 09-28-2003, 01:25 PM

Hello, I went to my Dr the other day who is sending me for a HSG with a view to starting clomid following this.
I know clomid is a very common drug within infertility but even through reading posts on this site I still have some questions, hope some of you could help me.

1) What are the side effects? I have been told by people that, it can make you really bad with mood swings, and makes you very emotional, have any of you found this (just so i can warn my dbf, lol)

2) Do they cause weight gain? I am trying to loose weight at the moment, so if they do I will have to loose extra to compensate for the pending weight gain

3) When do you actually take them, is it from cd1 and how long do you take them for?

4) What dose should I start on, I have noticed lots of people are on different doses, is this because the lower doses havent worked and their dose has been increased?

5) What if I don't have AF? I don't have reg AF at all and when I asked the dr about this he just said there is something they can give me to start AF so then i can take clomid, what is it they give me to induce AF? do I take this each month?

I know there are a few questions here, thank you for taking time to help, I thought I would get my queries all done at once you see,

Thanks again

Love Clare xx

TracyW2 · 09-28-2003, 07:48 PM

1) What are the side effects? I have been told by people that, it can make you really bad with mood swings, and makes you very emotional, have any of you found this (just so i can warn my dbf, lol)
Side effects vary for every woman. Yes you can have very bad moods swings and yes it makes you emotional. But it affects everyone differently. Another one is hot flashes and that is what I get.

2) Do they cause weight gain? I am trying to loose weight at the moment, so if they do I will have to loose extra to compensate for the pending weight gain
I think I have heard that they can, but I am not for sure.

3) When do you actually take them, is it from cd1 and how long do you take them for?
The dr will tell you what days he wants you to take them. The norm is 5-9, but some do take it 3-7. Take them at night. This way you can sleep through a lot of the symptoms. And if you take your bbt, expect to have higher temps while taking them and a couple days after.

4) What dose should I start on, I have noticed lots of people are on different doses, is this because the lower doses havent worked and their dose has been increased?
Doctors always start at 50mg and work there way up from there. The highest dose is 250mg, but not may doctors will go that high. And usually doctors will only do 6 ovulatory cycles.

5) What if I don't have AF? I don't have reg AF at all and when I asked the dr about this he just said there is something they can give me to start AF so then i can take clomid, what is it they give me to induce AF? do I take this each month
The dr will give you Provera. It can be taken for either 5 days or 10, it all depends on the dr. If you ovulate on clomid, then you will not need to take the provera, af will come or you will be preg.

Well i hope i answered all of you questions. GOOD LUCK

~tracy

Melanie_S · 09-28-2003, 08:57 PM

1) What are the side effects? I have been told by people that, it can make you really bad with mood swings, and makes you very emotional, have any of you found this (just so i can warn my dbf, lol)

The side effects are different for everyone, but mine have been headaches and hot flashes. The side effects worsen if I consume caffeine.

2) Do they cause weight gain? I am trying to loose weight at the moment, so if they do I will have to loose extra to compensate for the pending weight gain

My two cycles of clomid have definitely been a weight struggle! I have lost 65 lbs. on WW in the past year and it so disappointing to have to work so hard to only gain 4 lbs. in a week! I have found that the beginning of the cycle is the worst with the end being very normal. Just keep trying the best you can...

3) When do you actually take them, is it from cd1 and how long do you take them for?

It varies for everyone. I take mine on CD 3-7.

4) What dose should I start on, I have noticed lots of people are on different doses, is this because the lower doses havent worked and their dose has been increased?

Your Dr. will probably start you on 50 mg. And yes, that's probably why you are seeing various doses.

5) What if I don't have AF? I don't have reg AF at all and when I asked the dr about this he just said there is something they can give me to start AF so then i can take clomid, what is it they give me to induce AF? do I take this each month?

If you do not normally get AF on your own, the Dr. will probably prescribe progesterone for 5-10 days. You should start within a week after finishing.
If you ovulate, you will not need progesterone (provera) to start your period.

HTH!

Melanie

clarabell55 · 09-29-2003, 09:11 AM

Thanks ladies for the info, that's great.

Your answers have just thrown up a couple more questions (sorry)

At the moment I don't do bbt, should I be doing them on clomid? I mean do you have to?

The other thing I wanted to ask was, if the dr will only do 6 cycles on clomid, what happens next, do you have to have a break and then clomid again or is it IVI or something like that?

Thanks once again for your help I really appreciate being able to talk to you guys,

Love Clare xx

TracyW2 · 09-29-2003, 06:25 PM

YOu do not have to do bbt. Some drs like you to, i know mine does.

After 6 ovulatory cycles, you might move onto injectables. I am not really for sure since i am not that far yet.

~tracy

Sall · 10-26-2003, 09:27 AM

Hello there. Firstly, good luck with it all! I am currently in my first round of clomid as everyone is different, so I will answer your questions in preference to my own experiences. Hope to be of some help! *hugs*

1) What are the side effects? I have been told by people that, it can make you really bad with mood swings, and makes you very emotional, have any of you found this (just so i can warn my dbf, lol)

The side effects that I had were hot flushes, mood swings, headaches, and slight nausea.

2) Do they cause weight gain? I am trying to loose weight at the moment, so if they do I will have to loose extra to compensate for the pending weight gain

I have been putting a little on slowely since I was diangosed, so I am not sure if the clomid has mad much of a difference here.

3) When do you actually take them, is it from cd1 and how long do you take them for?

It depends what your doctor recommends. I was started CD 1 through to CD 5, which I had never heard of before, but will just wait and see!

4) What dose should I start on, I have noticed lots of people are on different doses, is this because the lower doses havent worked and their dose has been increased?

I started on a dosage of 25mgs, another thing I hadnt heard of, so will wait and see again!

5) What if I don't have AF? I don't have reg AF at all and when I asked the dr about this he just said there is something they can give me to start AF so then i can take clomid, what is it they give me to induce AF?

I am in the same boat, I was started on a drug called provera. I took this twice a day for seven days, then stopped and two days later my AF arrived, and on Day one I started my clomid.

Now waiting until CD 21 so I can go in for blood tests to see if I have ovulateld!! Hopefully soemthing will happen! *Hugs* Good Luck again!