I just had my phone consult with my doc from SIRM. I tell him my cycles are irregular and they always had been regular (spotting 7 or 8DPO through my period, blah blah and mid cycle spotting).
He says he wants to run CD3 b/w. I said oh, I just had that done in July and all was fine.
Oh, he says. Let's retest to compare.
Oh, I say. Ok. What about a LPD with spotting so early? Can we test progesterone?
He says yes, but progesterone can fluctuate (I know) and a low number may not mean anything.
Then he says if all hormones are regular, then he will do a scan to double check everything (even though I had one in August and this has been going on since then).
If all is normal, he says he'd like me to go on Clom.id and that Clom.id will regulate my cycles.
I said what? I already ovulate on my own.
He says no, Clomi.d, in effect "takes over" your cycle and will take care of the LPD.
WTF?????? Has anyone ever heard this? I immediately chatted with a good friend and she had the same thoughts I did, but I thought I'd see if anyone else did too. I get that Clomi.d can "regulate cycles" in getting ovulation to occur, but I already do O and this doesn't make sense to me at all.
Add this to the breakdown I had before the phone call and it's been a glorious Friday!
My girlfriend had the same thing and I had the same reaction- "What did your doc tell you??" But sure enough, clomid is used to stimulate progesterone and that can fix a LPD. (BTW, she's now 7 weeks pregnant with twins, so apparently the doc had something right!)
ReplyDeleteI was told the very same thing by my RE when I first started going to the RE almost 2 yrs. ago.I was o'ing fine on my own, but he wanted to "take over" my cycle and have more control over it with the clomid. I found it weird too.
ReplyDeleteI ovulate on my own, and I was on Clo.mid for both of my IUI's. Most articles I read at the time said that Clo.mid's sole purpose is to induce ovulation, so, theoretically, me being on it was pointless, but for $9 bucks at Walmart, why not? That's what I was thinking at the time, anyhow. I have no idea, though, about it regulating cycles. So, I'm no help there. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteI know this isn't helpful, but what the hell? I've never heard of something like this, but I guess, since Clomid does help people "o" then it might regulate your cycles? IDK. Seems kind of weird to me.
ReplyDeleteMy RE told me that Clomid could help with my short luteal phase because it recruits a more mature egg(or causes an egg to mature better) which sets off a cascade of correct hormones, which creates a better corpus luteum(sp) etc. So your DR is right about that. I did have textbook 28 day cycles when I never did before. My issue with clomid though was a very thin lining. Not thin enough to cancel the iui but I didn't get pregnant on any of them so we moved on. Doing Gonal F this month with IUI.
ReplyDeleteI know Clomid is used for standard IUI's even when you O naturally, so maybe it is true???
ReplyDeleteI was on clomid as well. Ovulated on my own with textbook 28 day cycles. The clomid helped with my low estrogen levels and pop out more eggs I guess. One cycle it shortened my LP (from 14 to 12 days), but it went back to normal the other 2 cycles.
ReplyDeleteOn my two clomid cycles I had one shorter LP and one extra long one. So, who knows? Sorry it is so confusing, though.
ReplyDeleteKelly,
ReplyDeleteI took Clomid also, in conjunction with IUI. And as my RE explained, the clomid does more than just induce ovulation, as I also ovulate on my own. However, as others have said it also works in tandem with other hormones.
It's so hard to trust what a Dr. is saying when you've walked such a rocky road, but put the ball back in his court. Ask your questions and he/she should be patient and professional in giving you answers.
As my husband reminds me, "you" are the customer and are paying for services, so ask away :) And, my Dr. friends always say they like patients asking quesitons...lets them know the patient is interested in the care they are receiving.
Have a good weekend and keep your head up :)
Definitely call your doctor and ask about it if you are uncomfortable. I will say I have heard and seen women doing Clomid for LPD- there are many reasons doctors will prescribe it, from timing for IUIs, LPD, anovulation, irregular cycles, or for more eggs even.
ReplyDeleteProgesterone support in the LP is good if you are concerned, I take a 'if it can't hurt, then why not' approach for that, especially with recurrent losses. But inducing ovulation can have it's benefits, especially with irregular cycles I think.
Just my infertile non-medical professional two cents though ;)
I'm just curious, have you had a progesterone test after supposedly ovulating? My first RE kept telling me Clomid would regulate me since I was already ovulating and after I switched Dr's I found out even though OPK's were always positive, I wasn't really ovulating, or at least not correctly. I truly believe the reason I finally got and STAYED pregnant this time is because I did the injectibles with the suppresion drugs so that my eggs could develop more. I'm not a huge believer in clomid. (But I'm not a professional and this is all my opinion from my experience). Email me if you want to talk more (knoxhope@gmail.com).
ReplyDeleteMy RE said clomid could help some women with LP issues. It didn't do anything for me. But in the end I got pregnant on a cycle where I did nothing, so now I'm not so sure I had and LP problem or if I just had a good month???
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't sound weird to me at all. I ovulate on my own no problem, but I had Clomid for my luteal phase defect, and it did give me nice textbook 14 day LPs. Basically, two eggs released = two corpus luteum = more progesterone. And by forcing the hormones, it does exert some control over the cycle.
ReplyDeleteYou should still talk to the doctor if you are uncertain. Better he know where you are mentally as well as physically.
I was told that Clomid makes for a stronger ovulation. I didn't realize that it affected the luteal phase. Maybe more follicles = more progesterone when the eggs are released? I've always thought Progesterone was what addressed any problem in the LP but maybe the Clomid has an effect too?
ReplyDeleteWhen I took Clomid for my 4th pregnancy, my RE told me that it has been shown to help reduce the rate of miscarriage. However, they are not exactly sure why that is. He believes it may be due to the fact that it helps make your progesterone increase. At least that's what I was told. I got pregnant right away, and we heard our little one's heartbeat. So it was not a chemical pregnancy. But I did miscarry. However, since then I have had a septum removed, so we are hopeful that is what caused my miscarriages.
ReplyDeleteI'd say trust your instincts--Clo.mid is way overprescribed! I was put on it for several cycles, only to learn that that's a terrible thing to give someone with high FSH like me! Since you're concerned, I'd definitely get a second opinion. Good luck! So frustrating that we have to do so much of the hard work of figuring out treatment on our own!
ReplyDeleteI've heard the same thing from another woman about clomid helping with LPD. I suggested it to my OBGYN and he said, "oh, I never thought of that." But it did work along with progesterone after ovulation. Unfortunately after all that the pregnancy ended on its own around 8-9 weeks. I'd be willing to try it again though.
ReplyDeleteClomid may help the LPD bc it increases follicle numbers and that leads to more progesterone producing corpus luteum. However, I feel your frustration, because I was told the same b$llshit when I was spotting. I felt like they were just ignoring testing. I was bleeding for so long and they wanted to "fix" me with clomid to re-start ovulation. I never had problems with ovulation, but they wouldn't care. It was too late when I found out I was pg all along. Now, I blame myself for letting them get away with the unsatisfactory answers and for not pursuing more tests.
ReplyDeleteIf you feel you are not comfortable with the answers you got, don't settle with it. You may know your body better.
Would you consider taking Clomid at all?
They gave me Clomid to lengthen my LP but it did not after two months. I am now seeing a new RE who has moved me to the IUI phase
ReplyDeleteI had 24 day cycles with very late ovulation (day 19) and was put on clomid to stimulate ovulation earlier in my cycle to make up for the severe LPD. Three days after ovulating I was to start 800mg of progesterone to extend my lutenal phase. I got pregnant the first month on clomid so something worked. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI ovulate on my own, but usually on the late side (days 17-19) with luteal phases that are always 10 days. I was surprised when my OB prescribed Clomid but got pregnant with it on my first cycle on the lowest dose (25mg) but I had a mc at 5 weeks. I've been on a higher dose every cycle since with earlier ovulation and a normal luteal phase. I'm now pregnant again and coming up on week 7. Looks like you can get pregnant though. Although my doc says what other commenters have mentioned -- that controlled ovulation can yield a better quality egg.
ReplyDeleteI went on Clomid (and got pregnant) even though I was ovulating on my own. I did it mostly to shorten my super long cycles and see if I could make my ovulation "stronger." It did not lengthen my short LP on its own, which was the reason I wanted to try it in the first place. I did some research into that issue, and some articles seemed to suggest that if the reason for your LPD was a weak ovulation, then clomid could help it. But if your ovulations are okay and you just have progesterone problems during the LP, it might not be as effective. In that case, many people go for progesterone suppositories, though I was never convinced of their effectiveness either. In the end, I think acupuncture and herbs--perhaps along with the clomid--helped a lot on my BFP cycle.
ReplyDeleteAll that to say--I think clomid is definitely worth a try for you :).