Saturday, June 21, 2008

Change in Plans - Starting Clomid

I called the clinic, and they said to go ahead and start the Clomid on Day 3 (tomorrow - Sunday). She said it was fine if I just get the bloodwork and u/s on Day 24 and skip the Day 14 monitoring, since we'll be out of town at that time. My question is...is this a good idea? This is my first treatment, so I'm still a little clueless. What is the purpose of monitoring while on Clomid? Isn't it to check on follicle growth? So won't it be pointless to check that after I ovulate (ie, on Day 24)?

Also, does anyone have any tips or suggestions on how to deal with the Clomid? I'm kind of hesitant about it. DH and I are going on a real vacation (more than a weekend getaway) for the first time since our honeymoon, and I don't want to turn into a zombie or an evil witch (like I was yesterday...stupid AF). Is there anything I can do to minimize side effects? Any other good tips? I know a lot of people say to take it in the evening, but if I do that, I'll still be taking it during our trip, and I think I'd rather finish it off here before leaving. If I start Sunday morning, I'll finish taking it before we leave...so I'm hoping that whatever side effects are going to happen, will happen while I'm taking it and not afterwards...should I expect effects to linger even after I'm done taking the pills?

Thanks a lot ladies! I don't know what I'd do without your support!

20 comments:

K said...

Clomid made me VERY irritable. Monitoring helps keep an eye on follicle growth, a lot of high order multiples are the result of unmonitored clomid cycles. Not all, but some...most cases are twins if multips occur on clomid. I might wait and be monitored and just enjoy your vacation.

I know that sounds awful, like it might be wasting a month, but I would rather be monitored.

Hang in there!

☆ Loren ☆ said...

I was on Clomid for 5 cycles and have never been monitored other than my day 21 progesterone check to see if it worked. I know now this probably was not a good choice by my OBGYN (hence the fact i no longer see him), but at the time i was oblivious that i needed to be monitored. I say go for it! Your doc can check on things when u return. Taking clomid at night can be better, but in some cases it makes it hard to sleep. I took mine in the morning. Other than that i cannot suggest any "tricks"... from my expierence there is no dodging the craziness! haha! Good luck girl! Hang in there!! Oh and Enjoy your vacation!!

momofonefornow said...

I have done a total of 4 rounds of clomid. I hear that for some women it is no big deal but that was never the case for me. It made me cranky and sometimes borderline depressed.

However, I tend to think that taking a vacation while on clomid could be a really good distraction. Part of what got me is that I had too much time to think. Whatever you decide, try to focus on the vacation and not IF. (I know, easier said than done.)

Jill said...

I've done 2 rounds of Clomid. For me, taking the pill at night was SOOO much better than in the morning, as it tended to make me a bit dizzy and nauseated. Also, for the first 2 days on it, I felt fine and was in a great mood. The third day I was really tired and the last 2 days I was really anxious and bitchy. I know people who have been on it and not had any side effects.... and I know people who have been so bloated they couldn't fit in their pants. There's no way to know how you will react until you try it. I'm not sure I would do your first round on vacation, just because you don't know how you'll react and you don't want to ruin an awesome trip. Also, really. it's a PITA, but what's a month in the grand scheme of things, you know? Good luck in whatever you decide.

Erin said...

Hi there. I am on my first round of Clomid and we are doing it unmonitored. My insurance won't cover anything until we have been trying for another year so I decided to risk it unmonitored. I don't see anything wrong with it, yes there is a greater chance of twins but there is with almost all fertility treatments.

I did OK on Clomid. I was HOT like no body's business and felt a little cranky. It's like being on extended PMS almost.

Lost in Space said...

I've never taken Clomid so don't have any advice on side effects, etc. I hear they can be doozies though and I do remember reading about Clomid having a long half life and taking awhile to get out of your system so the effects could be there on your vacation.

I would definitely wait to be monitored if it were my first cycle on in just to see how I respond. Because of your high AFC I would be very cautious.

I know a month seems like an eternity in IF terms. I've been bumped a month here or there too. Best of luck with your decision and have a great vacation!!

JW Moxie said...

Taking the Clomid at night definitely helps. I'm seeing this post late - sorry about that. For my third time on Clomid I took at night starting very late the night before. I took mine on cd 5-9, so I actually took the first pill at bedtime on cd4. It did minimize the effects, but I still got slammed with some killer hot flashes and some slight moodiness. I think being on vacation would be a great distraction!

My first two times on Clomid were completely unmonitored. On the third, I had u/s at cd14 and a trigger if there was at least one mature follicle.

Whether to take it unmonitored I think depends on how much you're willing to risk multiples. If it's less of a concern for you, I say go for it! It's rare that HOM (three or more babies) occurs from Clomid, but it does happen.

No matter what you choose, good luck and I hope you have a great vacation!

JW Moxie said...

I forgot to add - are you charting this cycle? Clomid tends to whack out temps with jagged highs and lows for the days you're on it and for a few days after, but they tend to settle down and regulate in time to catch ovulation. I just wanted you to know that in case you were temping and wondered why your temps might look a little crazy!

Anonymous said...

When I was on Clomid I didn't have tons of side effects, but I did have hot flashes. And they definitely lasted a few days after I stopped the pills. Taking it at night helped make things more bearable, I think.

Good luck and enjoy your vacation.

Sunny said...

I was on Clomid for 8 cycles. The first half of those were unmonitored with my OB/GYN. The second half were monitored by my RE. Monitoring the follies can be helpful, but I only had one on Clomid anyway, so it didn't really matter.

My s/e were irritability and hot flashes. And by irritability I mean I turned into the HULK. I was an absolute monster. I suggest staying far, far away from anyone that you don't want to berate. ;)

GL!

Mrs. Spit said...

Hey, I didn't do any monitoring on Clomid, other than day 21 blood work to make sure I ovulated. I wasn't too irritable on clomid - got a few hot flashes, that was about it.

Still Standing Strong in A Bloom of Hope. said...

I did my first round of Clomid last month. Well, I turned into a Naomi Campbell, ok, not as bad as her but you know what I mean..and i had hot flushes! I was giddy initially and after that it stopped. I am on Clomid unmonitored. I don't know why but he just said ok, go on Clomid for 2months and if it doesn't work, go for ivf thereafter. I think being monitored would be better, that's my feel to it.

Yeah, I think taking Clomid at night is better. You could potentially sleep off the bitchiness.

Enjoy your vacation! And I won't say RELAX, i promise! :)

Angela said...

Good luck on Clomid! My good friend took it once and it worked--she now has a beautiful baby girl! Whatever side effects you may have, if the end result is that much-wanted baby, that is all that matters!

Cibele said...

I did 3 rounds of unmonitored clomid and on the third one it worked for me (I hope it does for you too. I did not have many side effects , just hot flashes. I also used ovulation test to make sure when I O and check progesterone 7dpo. On my first 2 rounds clomid made O really late (CD21). Enjoy your vacation and good luck

I Believe in Miracles said...

I have done 2 cycles of clomid with no noticeable side effects (at least that I noticed). One was a clomid test challenge (to measure if my ovaries were working)- my first one - I was on vacation and went in on day 3 & 10 to see if the clomid worked. I then had to do an over the counter ovulation kit to see if I ovulated. I didn't see anything by peeing on a stick. My second one I'm going in daily starting d12 to see if I've ovulated.

It's sort of a mixed bag. I'm trying to decide the same thing about next month (if I get there) because I have a vacation planned during the days I probably will be taking the clomid, starting the monitoring. In the long run, it might be less stressful to wait until after your vacation, but from what other people say and my own experience, totally doable to not go through all the tests.

Good luck!!

Anonymous said...

I did a round of Clomid where I was out of town during the monitoring period, and my RE had me use ovulation predictor kits. Once the line changed color, we were instructed to have relations 3 days in a row.

Kim said...

I did not read all of the comments, but the point of monitoring (with any IF drugs, really) is
1) to confirm that you are actually creating follicles
2) confirm that the follicles are growing appropriately
3) confirm that you're not creating too many follicles
4) confirm that ovulation has occurred

So yes, if you're working with an RE, then it's a little bizarre that they're willing to forgo the pre-ovulation monitoring, especially if you're doing IUI.

But if you you're starting out on a really low dose (I'm not sure if you are), then the risks of multiples are pretty low, though not non-existent. I did one cycle with 50 mg and it did squat for me. But then there's cases like the Steece Quadruplets, where they did 50 mg one time and ended up with quads. So you just never know. It's a personal choice, a lot of OB/Gyn's give out Clomid like candy and plenty of women take it month after month with no monitoring and DON'T end up with one baby, let alone more than one. I guess it comes down to whether or not you're okay with the outcome of multiples if it did happen.

P.S. Clomid made me crazy also, and since it did nothing, we stopped after one cycle and moved on to injectables.

JW Moxie said...

I'm glad you liked the recipes! Frank said that he wishes he could send some samples to you.

Each of my pregnancies were conceived on Clomid, to include the twins. I hope and pray that you will be just as successful on it! Please keep me updated and posted, and let me know if you have any questions at all!

GibsonTwins said...

I was given Clomid to take on days 5-9 and call if/when I got a positive hpt. I felt that it was so casually treated and I kept asking what about bloodwork/ultrasounds/etc. And they weren't worried. Worried me though.
I did hpt on day 30 which was pos. And I never had an ultrasound til 8w2d. They offered one at 7w but after one m/c, I wanted to make sure that if there was a heartbeat, we'd see it.

Thanks for commenting on my blog! You mentioned about "lived in" pics- well you have no idea what you asked for- will post them later tonight or tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who has ever taken clomid please email me. I need your support. I am to start it tomorrow and I am not going to be monitored either for some reason. What are the chances of multiples? I just want to prepare myself and make sure that I am ready for that if it does occur. Thanks,
Kara

KaraLehann1985@yahoo.com

P.s.

How did the clomid and your vacation end up going for you? Are you pregnant? Update please!

Baby dust to all of us!